The MidSouth '24 - Mettle Race Report
Quickly becoming the unofficial start of Gravel Season, Stillwater’s MidSouth has built a reputation as being the most fun and approachable event on the calendar. Mettle had it’s biggest contingent yet in this year’s edition with 6 riders finishing on the day.
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Randall Fransen
FIELD REPORT | Traversing The Pinchot For a Cause

This summer, Mettle Rider Sean Corey attempted the Fastest Known Time (FKT) for the Boundary Trail in Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forrest. And with our long-time partnership, all good efforts come with a contribution to Leave It On The Road’s cause for Cancer Research. Sean prepped for the quest and recorded his thoughts for us to experience from afar. Below are his words and photos from an epic day on the trail.

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Randall Fransen
FIELD REPORT | Cycle Oregon in the Tygh Valley

Recently, a few of our #TEAMIES took a trip east of the cascades into the central Oregon high desert. The Tygh Valley is very close to Maupin, just east and a little south of Mt. Hood. There is a stark transition from the coastal forrest to desert as soon as you crest the Cascades and it makes for some fantastic riding if you’re willing to drive an hour or two. Ben Guernsey took photos and gave us this Field Report.

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Randall Fransen
Mettle Cycling Team Kit - Road 2020

If the dumpster fire that is 2020 has made anything clear (beyond, of course, multitudes of injustices and disgusting politics, it’s that amateur bike racing is (or at least should be) occupying a space on the list of everyone’s priorities somewhere in between Kickstarter campaigns and your now defunct bread baking hobby.

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Randall Fransen
The Mid South - Mettle Race Report

Follow the saga that was the 2020 Mid South with Mettle Cycling Owner/Operator, Randall Fransen. He breaks down his approach from gear to nutrition, the aftermath (damage) to his bike and psyche, and tackles the hullabaloo around the event’s overlap with the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic.

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Randall Fransen
Mettle Cyclocross p/b Leave It On The Road - Season Recap

Mettle Cycling p/b Leave It On The Road was built for the 2019 CX season and immediately, we were off to a great front row start. 4 women would receive a larger sponsorship package while they would be helping to build awareness and commit to an individual fundraising goal. Best of all, we recruited another 4 beginner riders that would grow the sport in a sustainable way through huge guidance from the 4 experienced and sponsored riders.

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Randall Fransen
METTLE SUNRISE 4 - Rocky Butte

Friday 6/21 - Come celebrate the longest day of the year with a bunch of silly hooligans, bring your lights and a smile, and prepare for a nice cafe social where the coffee is donated by Breadwinner and the snacks are on us… all before the morning rush hour.

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Randall Fransen
Mettle Cycling Team Kit - Road 2019 - Rapha Custom

ALL HAIL GULONVARG - The traits of Gulonvarg are an amalgamated fantasy; reflective of Mettle’s collective squad. Able to cooperate as a small horde and calculate the next move like a pack of wolves; quiet until prodded; capable of trampling creatures much larger than itself…Fangs for blood. Horns for perseverance. Strength in unity…

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Randall Fransen
LEAVE IT ON THE ROAD | The Big Lap

Conor Brady grew up in Ireland, where his father Bill would leave every August on a two week ride around the country. A ride he called "the big lap." Bill Brady lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in 2013, and Conor never got to share that ride with him. In the summer of 2017, Conor pieced together his father's route from his old maps, and he and the Leave It On The Road crew set out to recreate The Big Lap, riding 1,000 miles in 10 days to raise donations for the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer.

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Randall Fransen
SSCXWCxPDX - Video and Photo recap

Everyone hoped it wouldn't happen, but here it is: Video Proof of the 2016 SSCXWC. When the circus comes to town, you bring your best whether you're paid talent, slave labor, or a spectator. Tired of seeing drunken flemish men falling over barriers turn into the most exciting part of the day? Do you love the smell of Port-O-Pottys? Sick of seeing World Champion Domination?

This is for you...except the last part. That still happened and 149 other racers from around the world got to line up against the best: Sven Nys.

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Randall Fransen