The Southern Charm: The Gould Gravity Team’s Epic Spring Training Road Trip

This story was contributed by Gravity Team Captain Henry Grohman ’26

It was a gamble not to take the enclosed trailer. On top of that, it was a liability for our first ride of the season to be on steep, rocky enduro trails. Regardless, the Gould Competition Gravity Team arrived early on a Sunday morning in March at the trailhead of Pisgah National Forest. After 26 hours in the van, a walk around a sunny parking lot in Brevard, North Carolina, made the miles melt away. It was refreshing to take in what I hadn’t seen in so long: glittering sunbeams, bees buzzing through the mountain laurels, and happy mountain bikers gearing up to ride with their friends. We were those happy mountain bikers.

A day of demanding, loose, technical trails is not what’s typically prescribed for a person’s first bike ride of the season, but we couldn’t help ourselves.

We were like bird dogs on the first day of pheasant season, pulling at the chain. We made it to the Airbnb in one piece, exhausted and ready for a shower, but I couldn’t wait for the week of riding that was still to come.

We started our trip with three days at Kanuga Bike Park. Offering flowy jumps and fast technical trails just a two-minute pedal from our house, it was the best way to kick off the season. Fortunately for me, my teammates and coaches felt the same level of enthusiasm as I did, and together we were able to get back up to speed well before the spring season began back east.

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Check out the team’s edit!

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After getting reacquainted with our bikes in North Carolina, we took a five-hour drive west to Tennessee. It was time for the real test: Windrock Bike Park, in Oliver Springs, Tennessee. This is where the World Cup racers train all winter, through the rain and the mud. Another one of our gambles was the weather, but in this case, we got lucky. The mountain was coming back to life with blossoming dogwoods scattered across the hillside, telling the world that spring had arrived. 

The trails at Windrock are steep and unforgiving. They are built as a proving ground for the world’s fastest racers and to push the limits of how fast a mountain bike can go down a hill. It’s common to be riding the shuttle to the top while sitting next to the biggest names in mountain biking.

[We welcomed] whatever obstacles Windrock provided. There were no egos. The whole team was cheering each other on.

Our team was all in; the cobwebs had been blown off by the first lap. I loved how playful everyone became, hooting and hollering down the trails. No longer timid, welcoming whatever obstacles Windrock provided. There were no egos. The whole team was cheering each other on.

The memories will last forever: shuffleboard tournaments, double rainbows, Hot Dog World, and of course, Bucee’s.

I feel lucky to have these memories to keep, as my days as a captain of the Gould Gravity Team steadily slip away. I hope this Southern migration keeps happening year after year, and I hope the next generation of Gould mountain bikers decides to roll the dice and participate. Odds are good they will love it as much as I did.