Bee's story: Real West Gravel

BaseCamp athlete Bee Kickel shared her experience at the 2026 Real West Gravel bike race in Oregon.

Yesterday I completed a 47-mile gravel race in Pendleton, Oregon. Chilly but champagne gravel made for fast racing. Coach Kathy Watts and I had a strategy which involved racing smart and keeping the wheels on the bus. Thanks, Coach, for your guidance and patience.

For many reasons I haven't lined up to race in three years (IYKYK). My Little Pony and I raced SMART 😳 which in and of itself is a minor miracle.

Pushed hard up the first hill to stay with a strong group. Matches well burned. After the split I lost contact with the group. Best to ride my pace and wait. Unfortunately I ended up alone for too long, but then finally a lone rider passed me. I jumped on their wheel, which was a push. Managed to hold on for a bit, but then he pushed, and I thought better of burning more matches as still a good hour left to race.

Caught a small group during the last 10ish miles of rollers. We played cat and mouse. Thought about yelling I'm not in your category, but it was kind of fun. Didn't really know who was who, but I narrowed the odds.

Down to 3 or 4 of us, and going around a corner I saw the sign that said, "200 meters." In true Bee fashion, I asked myself, "200 meters from what?" Oh, the finish…duh. Kicked in my sprint and finished first on our little group. How flipping fun!! For the first time my result didn’t matter, as I'd rode as well as I could.

I buried the lead. Finished first in 60-64 age group at 2:56:08. 16mph avg (Kathy said I should be able to do 15 mph. I laughed, as I've never come even close to that speed on gravel. Darn it, Coach knows best…again).

I would've tied for 2nd in 24-39 and 40-49 categories, and 3rd in 50-59. Ended up at 5th woman overall. 🎉