Nathan's story: Desert Gravel

BaseCamp athlete Nathan Trachta shared his experience at the 2026 Desert Gravel bike race in Colorado.

This is my 3rd year doing Desert Gravel, formally CO2UT. Two years ago I did 50 miles (Pterodactyl), last year and this year I did 75 miles (Stegosaurus). 

Results

• Moving time this year, 5:10:16. Last year 5:25:43. 

• Overall Finish, this year, 124/272, last year 88/142

• Age Group, this year 16/36, Last Year 11/24

What Went Right

Planning. Lorri (my coach) had me write down what I wanted to do this year vs last year, helped to keep things in focus. Also promoted me to put together a list of what to bring.

Execution was on and strong. Technical sections (gravel) there were no issues. I think for the race only 1 line was off and that was due to a slightly crowded trail (got a nice complement too). Honestly, felt strong on gravel.

Fueling I had a 3 liter bag with 6 scoops of Tailwinds and two water bottles with one scoop and electrolytes. I also had 2 gel packs and 6 Honey Stingers. I went thru the bag and all water bottles and ate 3 honey stingers and 1 gel. The mixture was good. I was focused on fuel every 30-40 minutes with a mix of solid and from the bag. I mainly ate on paved surfaces.

Things to Work On

Technical issue….My derailer had dropped my left shifter. When I went to do my Friday prerace ride, I needed to fix it, along with a little frustration (note: test bike out at home before travel, especially if you do anything to it).

First 15 miles (23km) or so my thighs were dead. False flat had thighs a little sore. Nothing killing me but felt more like the back end of the race than the front (note: reading more on strength training, I'm back down somewhat to a maintenance level, with no strength training the week of and before a race).

Special Mention

Shout out to Namrita Brooke. After the race a rider came up to me; I was wearing my Basecamp kit, and he asked if I knew Namrita. Tony says hi, knew you in Atlanta and moving to Spain.

Tim Cusick, thanks for pop and glide, it helps on climbs.