The Dirty 130 is a beast of a route covering 130 miles of forest roads, singletrack and trashy asphalt through the beautiful Southern Blue Ridge Mountains (roughly 80% unpaved and 20% paved). With over 14,000 feet of climbing, the Dirty 130 is one of the hardest one-day races in the country!
DETAILS
PURPOSE
To be clear, all of the routes we offer at Tennessee Gravel are free, just as there is no charge to ride in the national forest. With our time trial series, we are simply taking a few of our hardest routes and turning them into an organized challenge that we hope adds a little more fun and inspiration (and perspiration!) to the experience of riding in the woods. There's still no charge to ride these particular routes. The registration fee for each of the time trials covers our costs in providing the structure for the challenges (website, leaderboards, etc.), the rewards for taking on the challenges (t-shirts, patches, etc.), and putting on the annual fall invitational event. Any money leftover goes back into our efforts to promote bikepacking and cycling adventure in the beautiful Southern Blue Ridge Mountains! Click here for more info about the Three Rivers Time Trial Series.
WHAT
The Dirty 130 is an individual time trial (a timed solo ride) on a beast of a route covering 130 miles of forest roads, singletrack and trashy asphalt through the beautiful mountains of Southeast Tennessee and Southwest North Carolina (80% unpaved/20% paved). With over 14,000 feet of climbing, the Dirty 130 is one of the hardest one-day races in the country! (And be warned - you will get dirty!)
WHEN
As an individual time trial, you're free to ride whenever you want. Just make sure you've registered with us prior to the ride so that we can track you on our ITT Leaderboard and reward you for your effort!
HOW MUCH
PLEASE NOTE: We are currently waiving the ITT registration fee while our 2021 permit with the National Forest Service is being processed.
Riding the route is free anytime, but if you want to use the parking area and get on the official ITT Leaderboard, you will need to register for $50. Everyone who registers will also receive the most up-to-date route map, a Dirty 130 t-shirt, and a Dirty 130 patch (assuming you finish). Your registration fee also counts towards the Fall Invitational race (and special awards!) that we'll hold the first Saturday in November for the top 50 finishers of each of our ITTs.
*EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT RIDING THE ROUTE COMPETITIVELY YOU MUST REGISTER TO USE THE PARKING AREA OR BE ON THE START/FINISH PROPERTY.
PARKING
The route starts and finishes on private property, and the parking fee is included in your registration. We will provide you with the exact location after you register. Please note that if you do not park in the specified location, you will be disqualified - no leaderboard, no t-shirt, no patch, no Fall Invitational. Also, there is no overnight parking. The parking is day-use only at this time.
CAMPING
Camping at the ride start is currently NOT ALLOWED.
COURSE VERIFICATION
There are two ways to have your ITT verified for placement on the ITT Leaderboard. You can submit a Strava file to us after the ride or you can set up tracking with Trackleaders.com which will allow your friends and family to watch your progress "live" during your ride. Please contact Trackleaders at least a week prior to your intended ride date. (Allow more time if you need to rent a "Spot" tracking device from them.)
SUPPORT & WAYFINDING
The Dirty 130 is a self-supported individual time trial. It is imperative that you familiarize yourself with the route prior to attempting the ride and that you prepare a nutrition & hydration plan. Please note that the majority of roads on the route (especially in the national forest) do not have signs. We will provide you with the most up-to-date route map after you register for your use during the ride.
BIKE CHOICE
The Dirty 130 can be ridden with either a gravel bike or a hardtail mountain bike. The mountain bike clearly helps on the rougher sections, but the gravel bike has the advantage on the smoother surfaces and paved road sections. Past riders seem to be split pretty evenly between gravel bikes and hardtails. Check out our D130 Bike Gallery to see bikes that have been used for the challenge by past riders.
FALL INVITATIONAL
Everyone who registers and completes the time trial will be placed on the official ITT Leaderboard showing completion times. The top 50 finishers on the Leaderboard of each of our ITTs as of midnight June 30, 2021, will qualify for a special invitational race the first Saturday in November on a course that won't be revealed until the morning of the race!
CHAMPIONS BELT BUCKLE
The rider with the fastest time at the end of each season (July 1st thru June 30th) will be rewarded with a custom Dirty 130 Champions Belt Buckle!
The ITT Series
The Three Rivers ITT Series is comprised of the Dirty 130, Death March Revival, and Tellico Highlands individual time trials. In addition to rewards for completing each ITT, we also have prizes for riding all three! Click here for all the details!
SOCIAL
Stay up to date on who's attempting the ITT, course conditions, and other Dirty 130 news by liking our Facebook page!
BIKEPACKING
If you're not interested in racing the course, the Dirty 130 also makes for a beautiful bikepackiing adventure! Click here for more info on bikepacking the Dirty 130!
RIDE REPORTS
To a get a sense of what it's like to take on the Dirty 130, check out all the firsthand accounts on our Ride Reports page!
ITT LEADERBOARD
Current Standings
- John Wiygul 6/13/20: 9h-05m (fastest known geared time)
- Spencer Whittier 10/03/20: 9h-25m
- Martin Musil 10/31/20: 9h-38m
- James Dunaway 5/22/21: 9h-39m
- Brad Cobb 6/13/20: 9h-44m
- Jon Livengood 9/25/18: 9h-59m
- Scott Rusinko 9/25/18: 11h-22m
- Carey Lowery 9/25/18: 11h-30m (fastest known women’s time)
- Tim Crago 10/03/20: 11h-34m
- Zak Broussard 6/27/20: 11h-42m
- Chad Hungerford 9/23/17: 11h-44m
- Steve Curran 10/03/20: 11h-58m
- Chris Joice 9/23/17: 12h-06m (singlespeed)
- John Shwab 9/25/18: 12-10m
- Nick Hamilton 9/25/18: 12h-27m
- Scott Smith 9/25/18: 12h-29m
- Collin Wood 9/25/18: 12h-29m
- Jeramie Hoff 10/03/20: 12h-34m
- Kenny Kocarek 7/25/20: 12h-52m
- Victoria Kelley 6/27/20: 12h-53m
- Rusty Dosh 9/23/17: 13h-02m
- Jeremy Zetans 9/23/17: 13h-04m
- Jer Walker 5/15/21: 13h-07m
- David Jolin 4/18/21: 13h-21m
- Lee Neal 9/23/17: 13h-29m (singlespeed)
- Daniel Jesse 7/18/20: 13h-35m
- Zack Gaston 9/23/17: 13h-53m
- Mark Baldwin 10/14/17: 14h-14m
- Eric Henderson 10/17/19: 14h-20m
- Ray Brown 5/08/19: 14h-37m
- Brad Beadles 9/25/18: 14h-51m
- Kevin Greten 10/14/17: 14h-56m
- Lee Neal 9/25/18: 15h-10m
- Jason Vance 9/25/18: 15h-18m
- Graham Skardon 9/25/18: 15h-18m
- Sean Mankiw 9/23/17: 15h-29m
- Jason Shearer 6/20/20: 15h-31m
- Daryl Myers 8/07/18: 16h-08m (singlespeed)
- Amy White 9/14/19: 16h-11m
- Todd Nix 9/23/17: 16h-19m
- Keith Lucas 9/23/17: 16h-19m
- Chris Davis 4/28/18: 16h-21m
- Shawn Ledford 9/25/18: 16h-53m
- Joseph Kruger 3/07/20: 17h-10m
- Justin Shealey 9/25/18: 17h-21m
- Glen Slater 9/25/18: 17h-21m
- Lee Neal 2/01/21: 17h-46m
- Walt Brittain 2/01/21: 17h-46m
- Audrey Tangye 6/20/20: 18h-35m
- Joshua Waldrop 6/20/20: 18h-35m
- Amie Jones 7/25/20: 18h-37m
- Corianne Kocarek 7/25/20: 18h-37m
- Chase Blanton 7/11/20: 19h-23m
- Ed McCalley 9/23/17: 20h-01m
- Michael Rasch 10/19/19: 20h-20m
- Chad Ponvelle 10/19/19: 20h-20m
- Christopher Manis 10/19/19: 20h-20m
- Larry Bennett 7/07/18: 21h-15m
- Joe Smith 7/11/20: 21h-18m
- Linda Sledge 9/23/17: 23h-03m
- Kevin Tumlin 9/23/17: 23h-03m
Additional times from riders already on the Leaderboard:
- Brad Cobb 10/03/20: 9h-47m (fastest known singlespeed time)
- John Wiygul 10/03/20: 9h-48m *opposite direction
- Jon Livengood 9/23/17: 10h-29m
- Jon Livengood 8/07/17: 11h-08m
- Chris Joice 9/25/18: 12-20m (singlespeed)
- Carey Lowery 6/29/17: 12h-54m
- Zak Broussard 7/31/17: 13h-02m (singlespeed)
- Carey Lowery 4/18/21: 13h-21m
- Scott Rusinko 9/23/17: 13h-44m
- Jason Vance 12/23/19: 15h-26m (singlespeed)
- Jason Vance 1/20/20: 17h-22m (singlespeed) *opposite direction
- Jason Vance 10/19/19: 18h-10m (singlespeed)
- Graham Skardon 10/19/19: 18h-10m (singlespeed)
RULES
Individual Time Trials are all about self-sufficiency and a level playing field. To be eligible for a recorded time and placement on the Leaderboard, you must abide by the following rules:
1. You must take a picture of your bike computer right before you start and right after you finish. The pictures need to show the time of day and the mileage.
2. You must take a selfie from Buck Bald to verify that you made the climb.
3. Do not use the railroad bridge to cross the creek! Crossing on the railroad bridge will result in automatic disqualification. If you are concerned that it may not be safe to cross the creek, contact us for a bypass option.
4. The route must be ridden in one unbroken stage.
5. No drafting at any time.
6. No stashed caches along the route.
7. No sharing supplies between riders.
8. No outside assistance with navigation.
9. No motorized transport or hitch-hiking. You must complete the route under your own power.
10. You are allowed to leave the official route at any time as long as you return to the route within 100 feet of the point that you left the route.
11. No support crews. You can only receive support from local businesses on-site during their normal business hours.
12. You must have a contingency plan in place before you start the ride in case of emergency or if you need to quit. You are responsible for your own safety and well-being out there.
TRAIL MAGIC: Trail Magic is an unexpected occurrence that lifts a rider's spirits and inspires awe and gratitude. During an ITT, obtaining an item from another person can only be unsolicited and accidental, otherwise, the receipt of assistance or supplies by individuals when it's not available to all riders reflects a lack of self sufficiency which renders an effort not self-supported. In short, you can't ask for Trail Magic. You can only pray for it!
REGISTRATION
We're still sorting out some parking issues with the Dirty 130, so we're keeping registration closed for the time being. However, if you want to ride the Dirty 130 before the June 30th deadline, contact us directly and we'll work something out. Thanks!
LODGING
