Words Chris Mehlman - Photography provided by Andrew Rydland, Eddie Clark & Ryan Muncy
What happens at a gravel race in Colorado in early February? At this year’s edition of Old Man Winter Rally, which took place just north of Boulder on February 2nd, it meant the weather and energy of spring juxtaposed with 2 miles of running with my bike uphill through snow.
The event is a fixture of the Colorado endurance sports scene worthy of its name. With three gravel race distances and two running events, it’s the source of much-needed warmth and community spirit during what can otherwise often be a dreary period of solo rides through the snow or in the garage on Zwift. Old Man Winter is the only true gravel race during the winter in Colorado. Its position creates the perfect template for an adventure: one filled with t-shirts and smiles one year and mud-covered faces and jackets the next which this Old Man Winter Race review hopes to capture!
What makes it special is not just its solitary position in the calendar or the combination of events it features, but also the format of the event. The 75-mile gravel race includes two timed segments. In 2025, one was about 38 miles, and the other about 29. With a two-mile section of (usually) snow-covered uphill singletrack called the Rowena Trail capping the first segment, the event is a test of cycling legs, running legs, technical skills, and who can laugh at themselves the most while trying not to trip running for 25 minutes in the snow. A nine-mile descent through Boulder allows for more laughs together before the second segment stings the legs with two climbs and then a rolling ride to the finish. No matter how you approach it, either at the front or back of the pack, you will be challenged, laugh, meet new people, and enjoy the welcoming spirit of the Boulder-area outdoor community.
The 2025 edition of Old Man Winter graced us with the warmest weather in weeks. After what has been a cold and snowy winter so far, we were treated to temperatures in the mid 50s (F). No matter how much energy the race puts into weather reports, Colorado winters never are predictable. While the weather stayed on track this year, the warming temperatures, snow melt, and elevation change combined to create a unique array of course conditions, from hard-pack dirt early in the race, to soft corn snow, to ice, to mud, and, of course, wind.
Old Man Winter in 2025 took these variable conditions and turned them from sources of frustration and negativity during most typical rides to enjoyable and manageable challenges that perfectly straddle the boundaries of type I and type II fun.
Just as I thought I couldn’t handle stumbling through the snow with my bike trying to discover the most efficient technique, I crossed the timing mat at the end of segment one and was instantly greeted by the smiles of a welcoming aid-station crew and jokes about the hilarity of a mid-gravel-race running race. The race’s neutral provided a natural pressure-release valve: one that makes an otherwise inaccessible challenge manageable by breaking it into smaller chunks. It creates an element of relaxation and cordiality that encourages socialization with fellow riders. It blurs the lines between competitor and friend and back to competitor, creating a constant reminder of why we all ride and race, and how little the result actually matters. Most people would find it hard being cold to another racer who they’ll be riding neutral next to for thirty minutes afterward. I might have traditionally been skeptical of segment racing, but Old Man Winter has changed my mind.
I’m also far from a runner, despite my career-best 12:30 per snow-covered-bike-carrying-mile up Rowena, but having actual running events mixed with the cycling races creates an atmosphere that can only be described as the most-effective community-building and social-networking exercise possible. It breaks down the often tough and intense nature of bike races and introduces a whole separate set of people on their own adventures. The feeling of crossing the finish line to enjoy food, drinks, saunas, together as a group creates the perfect environment for sharing battle stories from a day on two wheels, two feet, or some combination of both. The cycling world, especially around the Front Range of Colorado, is both massive, but also infinitesimally small. In some way, I am connected to almost everyone else. I often forget this fact in my obsession with this sport, but gravel racing is a niche within a niche. Being at an event that expands beyond this sometimes stuffy club is refreshing and the perfect way to start the new season. Racing past hundreds of other bikers and runners out on their own Sunday adventures away from the race and crossing paths with other race distances makes the event feel like a day of celebrating being outside, however, you like to do that.
Event creator and director Josh Kravetz notes that “our goal is for [Old Man Winter] not only to be a great winter event but also one of the best and most unique gravel events in the world!" They’ve certainly lived up to this goal. It might not always bring sunny weather and warm temperatures, but the atmosphere it creates of fun, challenges, and camaraderie makes it a must-do for anyone in Colorado. Will it be another Spring day in February 2026, or will Old Man Winter once again take charge of its namesake?
Thanks for riding and writing Old Man Winter Rally
Nice!