Shawn's story: Oregon Coast Gravel Epic

BaseCamp athlete Shawn Petersen shared his experience at the 2025 Oregon Coast Gravel Epic bike race in Oregon.

A rare sunny weekend of gravel racing on the Oregon coast with friends new and old!

Day 1

4th AG / 50-59

18th OA

Time 3:51:25

57 miles / 7,500ft of climbing

Day 2

4th AG / 50-59

19th OA

Time 3:08:00

48 mi / 6,700 ft climbing

Huge thank you to Brig Brandt for getting me ready and for all the support.

More race reporting…. (🚨😮‍💨 long winded)

Day 1 Recap

I came into this one carrying a little race anxiety and the memory that this course is hard for me with 4 climbs and a lot of time in the red.

Got caught off guard at the start—guy elbowed past me in the rollout, forgot to start my Wahoo until the end of the first climb. Legs were good, but the rhythm was off early. The first climb was full gas, and I held on longer than expected. Got dropped on the second climb and ended up in a small chase group where I probably did more work than I should’ve.

Final climb: I was with three other riders, then dropped them all. Thought I might be fighting for a podium. Then cramps hit hard with 1 miles to go. Made a wrong turn—or thought I did—climbed back up the hill, then realized I was right. Got passed, chased back, cramped again.

With 200m left, I was caught by the same group. Head down, sprinted up the last rise, passed two. Hung on. Small wins!

Fueling felt late. Hydration might’ve been off. Tires were too small for the dry sketchy descents.

There’s a lot I’d clean up, but I rode hard, stayed in it, and learned some things I’ll carry forward.

Clip - This YouTube short was my mantra of the day…

Day 2 Recap

Two big climbs, two gut checks, and a solo finish.

Race started on up hill with nearly an hour of fast uphill racing. I stayed with the main group (non-elite) for most of the first climb, then ended up in a small group. Dropped everyone near the top and found two very strong riders for the long, soft gravel rollers before climb two. Barely held on, back getting tight, but kept fighting.

Climb two was a grind. Dropped, clawed back on thanks to a solo rider, then lost the group again right at the top—those three were strong, and it cost me a chance to bridge to my good friend (who finished 2nd 💪).

Dropped my chain bombing the descent, chased back, linked up with a rider just in time for the exposed river road headwind. He pulled me through, we traded turns, and I rode him off with about 2 miles to go. Tucked into aero and soloed to the line.

3 mins ahead of 5th—a guy who’s beat me before at the line and in the OTC standings last year. Felt good to flip that script.

Fueling was on point:

🔹 2 bottles w/ 80g carbs

🔹 5 gels + 1 caffeine gel

🔹 1 pack Clif Bloks

📌 Caffeine gel late in the day was a game-changer.

Takeaways:

Need bigger tires—descents were loose and sketchy.

Happy with how deep I dug.

Frustrated I couldn’t stay with that group near the summit—but this was one of the hardest efforts I’ve held.

Real progress