About the Ride
Bootlegger’s Series hosted by Birdie Brown and Gavinia Gilman
Updates for 2022?
Joe’s retiring. Lavinia Gillman and Birdie Brown are continuing the Pancake Ride tradition starting with the Bootlegger’s Series. July 9, 2022 at the Trego Pub. Registration and ride information can be found here.
Ride With GPS Event Page with past Pancake Ride routes, along with another 40 or so rides surrounding the immediate Flathead Valley. All are welcome to join, you just need a Ride With GPS Account to access the page which gives you the ability to download route information.
Pancake Ride has been Montana’s PREMIER GRAVEL (wink) EVENT, since 2017. Over the past 5 years, we’ve rolled over 700 miles of the best dirt roads NW Montana has to offer.
Over the years (even before “GRAVEL” was mainstream) we’ve been riding the thousands of miles of roads and single track in North West Montana. From our adventures we have put together the some of the best tracks that the area has to offer. So why, spend your time riding the same course twice in a row, or riding the supposed “classic route(s)”, when there is a much better alternative.
The Pancake Ride is really just an excuse to get out and ride some of the best dirt* roads and single track north west Montana has to offer. It’a a low-key affair, everything is in place for you to have a great ride. After you finish, You will get a home cooked dinner from the Trego Pub (we’ll see if we can get Todd to fire up the smoker), Kalispell Brewing – Joe Cosley India Pale Lager (unlimited refills), and some hugs(not) await you at the finish. Don’t expect any hoopla, prizes and so on, just a fun time with like minded people. Back to the basics, we’ve never run out of beer.
* I could call the Pancake Ride a “Gravel Grinder” but it isn’t really. After riding a couple 200+ mile “Gravel Grinders” in the Midwest, you can’t really find any comparison between the “Improved DIRT Roads” of the Rockies and the “Crushed LIMESTONE Roads” of the Midwest. Not to say there aren’t any rough stretches in Pancake Ride, it’s just a different medium to roll on.
Looking for the Montana Mixed Epic ride?
One thing for sure is the 2nd edition of the Montana Mixed Epic is happening again. June 24, 2022.
Next years route will start on the Canada/U.S. border in Eureka, MT and head south finishing up on the MT/Idaho border at the southern tip of MT. You can check this PDF about last spring’s MME, an 800 mile mixed surface ride/race across (west to east) Montana.
Each year features a different course, exploring the many diverse geographical areas surrounding Whiteish and the Flathead Valley in the north west corner of Montana, all on dirt. Since each year is different, there will be revised/updated Riders Packet for each version.
