Tracy's story: Gorge Gravel

BaseCamp athlete Tracy Ellwein shared her experience at the 2025 Gorge Gravel event in Oregon.

Oregon Gravel is some of the best, the scenery, the temps and the people. This was the 5th time doing the Gorge Gravel and the race has always been a good one for me, with 4/5 times on the podium. This year I tried something new, the short course to work on speed and push the limits and not "saving it."

Great day in the saddle, and knowing that keeping up with the ex pro triathlete wasn't in the cards, I had many PRs on segments and wind management was key. A lesson learned and reinforced was knowing who is in one's AG, and lining up more aggressively in the start gate as one competitor finished 28 secs ahead of me. I was 3/49 AG and 4/96 Women. This was race number 2 this season, as the first race had a tragic ending for my drivetrain and the mud at mile 35. A shoutout to Coach Jill Gass for having me ready for the Gorge.

What's next on the race docket? Well, nothing, as my A event, BWR Vancouver Island, was canceled. So planning a few multi-day events with friends and looking for another event that gets me excited to race.