Above Category’s gravel professionals, Skyler Taylor and Brennan Wertz, roadtripped last week to Monterey to recon the 2025 Sea Otter Gravel Race so you don’t have to. “I love how versatile the course is,” said Taylor. “From paved climbs, to cross wind sections, singletrack, loose fireroad descents and steep climbs, it will definitely suit an all rounder and likely be a race that blows apart early”
“I gotta say, it's hard for me to pick a favorite part of the course,” said Wertz. “But if forced to single one section out, I would choose the main section of singletrack starting at kilometer 32. I've ridden a lot of singletrack around Fort Ord and it usually isn't my cup of tea. But this section of singletrack seems quite a bit better. No big ruts, no deep sand, and many of the corners have nice berms that allow us to keep pedaling hard through each of the uphill corners.”
The weather on the day of the recon ride was almost perfect. Not too hot with a nice taste of the World Famous Sea Otter wind and sand. “The biggest difference for me with Monterey and Fort Ord riding is the sand,” said Wertz. “ It's just so darn sandy. The dirt is very different from what we are used to here in Marin County and it comes with its own set of challenges. Somehow Sea Otter always seems to bring the same identical weather: sunny, breezey, foggy in the morning, and a burning sun in the afternoon." “From a technical perspective it suits riders who are comfortable on loose, off camber fire road descents and we have a lot of that in Marin, said Taylor. “I don't think this course will punish the tires quite like some of the other races on the calendar, but cornering speed will be important so having a tire that inspires confidence will be key.”
The racers will do three 30 plus mile loops with about 3500 feet of climbing each lap. There is a lot of rolling terrain with some double-track, some singletrack and a little bit of pavement thrown in for good measure. Then at the end of the loop there is doozy of an extended climb which is sure to explode the group. “The terrain on this course varies so much that there isn't one clear tire choice in my opinion,” said Taylor. “A lot of the course is great for MTB tires where traction, and cornering speed are key, but then there are these long paved sections, where smaller gravel tires would be faster, so there will be pros and cons to any setup. My prediction is that we will see a sizable portion of the field on mtb tires but also a number of people opting for smaller faster gravel tires. Personally I was quite happy with a 2.2 / 2.1 mtb tire combo at 19/21 PSI and will likely race this setup. My hope is that I will have an advantage on descents, loose corners and steep fireroad climbs, and then I can hide in the group a bit more on the paved sections where I will be at a disadvantage.”
“The setup for this one is a bit tricky,” said Wertz “Or at least unique. I'll probably run the lowest pressure I run all year since there aren't many big, sharp rocks, but there are lots of sandy ruts. I'm still trying to make up my mind, but if the conditions are similar to what they seemingly always are, it's very likely I'll be on the Oracle Ridge 48c knobby tire from Rene Herse with the Endurance casing. This setup is the perfect blend of speed, comfort, and traction. Recently I've been running these tires between 25 and 27 PSI.”
So what will be deciding factor for victory this year? “The most selective portion of the course by far is the final climb up to Lookout Ridge,” said Taylor. “I think we will see the strongest riders make their moves on the steepest part of this climb at the bottom and then try to hold it all the way back into the venue.”
“I know for a fact the third and final pass up that insanely steep climb will have each and every one of us in agony as we make our way to the finish line,” said Wertz.
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