Dear Rebel Riders, we have cancelled the Whiskey Rebellion Gravel Race for 2023. For those who have supported this race year after year, sharing it with friends, liking our social media, registering early, overlooking our mistakes, attended even when they could have gone to another race, giving us feedback, we thank you. We really appreciate you! We know this race is hard, it’s humbling and the heat of recent years made it challenging without a doubt. The hills of Western PA are what they are but we think they were made for you — the tough ones, the rebels out there, the people that push until you just can’t push anymore. We think riding gravel reveals the real you. The mental and physical strength, the shared fun (ok, the misery!) with friends is really just the best way to find the kernels of soul that make you, you.
For us, the WRG was a labor of love to create a world-class event that brought so many people to race and ride the best gravel in Western PA. Oh heck, we think it’s the best gravel riding you’ll find anywhere. The hills are unrelenting, the downhills so fast and the land and history amazing. 5 years of racing with each year having completely different gravel courses is simply incredible. It’s a gift to drive 1 hour from a major city like Pittsburgh, PA to a rural spot in Washington County onto the finest gravel.
We leave you with the gift of the 2023 courses created by Don. He says they are his best. Let us know if you think that it’s true on RidePAGravel’s @ridepagravel Instragram and Facebook pages. In fact, all of Don’s routes for all the WRGs, past and present, and the 1,200 miles of routes he has mapped are on our RidePAGravel RidewithGPS Club Account. If you ride them, feel free to leave us and other riders feedback on routes there, too. Plus, Don’s cross-PA gravel bike packing route, Penn’s Woods Passage, is in the route library. It’s 837-miles of open, gravel roads from Meadville, PA to Scranton, PA. To join the Club, head on over to RidePAGravel.co. It’s free so enjoy!
If you would like to reminiscence about past WRGs, check out SweetWater Bikes YouTube. Eventually, we’ll move them to their new home on RidePAGravel. Late but as promised, you’ll be able to buy WRG gear and photos on an online shop coming early May 2023. Stay tuned on RidePAGravel.co.
As of this note, 4/3/23, we are continuing to run the Bike The Wilds Series race, DR Distillery, on Sun June 25th. With options of 25 or 50 miles and plenty of categories, you’ll find it’s a great race for beginners and experts alike. And it includes masters, youth and non-binary categories. To find out more and to register, check out DR Distillery on BikeReg.com.
We’re grateful to have been in the position to represent our generous sponsors and supporters and most grateful to be able to provide back to the local economy of Southwestern PA. With your registration, you made that happen. The WRG was always about featuring local race, local ride, local people. Please check out our Sponsors page and also support our local small business and non-profits such as CNX Foundation, GCXC Timing, Malhari Media, Dean Bog, Nala Marketing, East Finley Community Park, Springhouse Market and the Fire/EMT/Police Departments of Washington & Greene Counties (especially Steve and Rick). A very special Thank You to our friends and family who volunteered their days off, got up early, lifted boxes after boxes, helped racers and sacrificed sleep to make the WRG happen! This race would have never happened without you.
We’ll see you on the gravel!
Laura and Don McKee
SweetWater Bikes & RidePAGravel
