Jesse Yates on the Hutchinson Ranxo
A Bike Built to Take a Beating
“The Gradient T47 Gravel can take a beating,” writes Jesse Yates.
"This year was the year of the Hutchinson Ranxo, and I headed out to Spain with my Reilly Gradient T47 Gravel with Strada hand-built wheels. This is a bike that can take a beating. Unlike carbon bikes, it’s bombproof, which is what you need when stones are flying everywhere.
The 159KM gravel route and beautiful dusty barren landscape allow for views of the Pyrenees — it’s like the Wild West out there, and it doesn’t take any prisoners. I signed up to the race because I like riding gravel and racing, and the gravel aspect is a bit epic.
As my dad lives in Spain, it was a no-brainer to get involved in this year’s Hutchinson Ranxo with a Reilly Gradient T47 to try out.
Racing with the Pros
There was a great mix of riders taking part, from ex-Tour de France pros, and I wanted to set myself a goal of pitching against them for fun to see how far I could push myself. It’s very exciting to race with guys who have raced at the top professional level, like Nicolas Roche, Daniel Moreno and Nathan Haas — it gives me something to race against!
It’s all about the fun for me – riding is an epic hobby. There’s a hell of a lot of adrenaline during the 159KM race. I don’t take it too seriously trying to get a good result. Racing hard, getting smashed up, and experiencing the suffering is fun, and I can also turn around and see how other riders are getting on — and their levels of suffering.
There’s always humour in a fall, like a You’ve Been Framed moment, and despite the seriousness of the riders there’s also time for a fist bump or cracking a joke. I saw one guy crash and couldn’t help shouting back at him: ‘You can’t park there!’.
Preparation and Equipment
The way I approach these rides is from a place of having fun and a good ride. That way I don’t have the stress of getting a result — it’s all in God’s hands.
Of course, there’s some preparation involved. Josh Reid did nice YouTube videos on the pre- and post-race preparations. The right bike with the right tires is a great place to start, which is why I’m embracing a titanium gravel bike – Reilly’s Gradient T47 – to help me push as much as possible.
As titanium meant I didn’t have to stress about getting chipped, I also added tire inserts to the wheel. The foam lining goes over the rim, so if you hit a rock, you won’t damage the rim and it saves the tires from breaking or puncturing.
A Race to Remember
The UCI series was one to remember. I bagged 11th, I think, which was a proper hit-out with no mercy. It was just so fun and epic. I always wanted to race my bike to a nice level. My dad decided to sit this one out and was cheering me on from the feed zones, which really gave me a boost. He’d be struggling in this one, that’s for sure — he’s older, has a pacemaker and has had two strokes!
A definite highlight was riding alongside Carlos Verona, who rode the Tour de France. The first climb was 2km into the course. I wanted to be the first rider into the climb. I managed to get to the front, alongside him and other ex-pros. We were all going berserk. It was epic to be riding alongside such high-calibre riders.
I can’t wait for the next one. If you’re a rider on the fence and you do road, I know Euro gutters are fun — but don’t sack it off before trying alternative racing. Trust me. Big thanks to everyone involved, the organisers, and my hombres on the gravel."