I return to take my revenge on the ever brutal Gralloch, but this time, will my new Thunder Burt MTB tyres be up to the task and fend off the dreaded punctures? And how has my form been recovering from my huge day at the Dirty Reiver just 3 weeks before?
Come with me for the highs and lows of the UK’s biggest gravel race – The Gralloch 2026 is a 110km UCI gravel event in Scotland and the premier event on the British gravel calendar. It was a wild day out.
Check out Ellie’s amazing fundraising here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/ellie-johnstone-3
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🚴 Gear I’m using:
Yoeleo (code TBCYCLING to save 10%): https://www.yoeleobike.com/?ref=tbcycling
Cycplus Pump (code TOMBOWERS to save 5%): https://www.cycplus.com/?ref=bsksykik
Redshift Shockstop Pro Seatpost (no code, I just love it): https://redshiftsports.com/products/shockstop-pro-suspension-seatpost
📺 Watch more from my racing season:
Dirty Reiver 2026: https://youtu.be/0Gh-lXgD0gk
Last year’s Gralloch: https://youtu.be/OMNuGZ6c0Hc
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Zwift: https://www.zwift.com/eu/athlete/bde9894b-26cf-4671-b04f-968b0f5e5987
⏱️ Time Stamps:
0:00 Race Day Begins
0:25 Pre-Race Setup & Bike Check
2:50 The Start
5:30 Chasing Down The Group
7:36 The Rocky Descent
9:42 The Race Heats Up
11:14 Disaster Strikes
15:40 The Debrief
#Gralloch #UCIGravel #GravelRacing
9 Comments
Well Done, this race eats tires it seems. LOL. You gotta get to OZ! It’s the first real gravel world championships! Anything before that was window dressing man. Come on, engineer your life.👌🏻
Cracking effort Tom I really enjoy your posts the competitive ones more than the reviews would love to see you go out to Australia and smash it out there if you don't go best of luck with the national hill climb and best of luck to Ellie on her marathon I had a stroke a few years ago and found it really hard to get back on the bike after I couldn't get my balance and had to resort to Zwift a year ago but am now back to riding outside again I was lucky it was only a minor stroke and I'm in my 60s
Nice one Tom. I only got into cycling June last year and have got a few events lined up for the summer. Watching your videos always makes me relax about my own events, because yours are absolutely mad as a bag of spaniels. Fair play
Thoroughly enjoyed that video Tom. Shame about the puncture but serious power numbers and consistency . Chapeau 👊. GOOD LUCK ELLIE!
Well done Tom, don't beat yourself up over what ifs, you should be very proud of that. I missed quals by 1 place and 1 minute in my cat but still 9 minutes faster than last year so pretty pleased. Really nice to talk to you on the way out of the event village. Oh, and I agree 100% about on the drops for descents. Good luck going forward!
Chapeau, schoolboy error with the plug you will not do that again.
Sahmurai Sword in your bar end, a loaded slightly bigger tyre plug taped to the bike and a stans dart loaded in the jersey pocket for any whoppers. Inserts, low pressure ~20psi (78kg), co2 tapped to the bike or in pocket. Silca sealant works for me not that I've tried others. Am on my second set of Thunderburts which I love but you could always get the 50mm Dubnitals for better puncture protection
It's amazing seeing gravel develop as its own, distinct thing in the UK, blending the things I used to race in (road, XC, CX) together.
And seeing the adoption of road tactics and strategies for the top riders like yourself.
Great performance . You have qualified for the European Championships