Sandlin’s Shred

The best gravel in the most beautiful area.

As many folks told us the 68 mile War Daddy course was just too much for them, we felt it necessary to create a fun yet badass route to accommodate those looking for a shorter route. The Sandlin’s Shred course will still challenge even the seasoned veterans but is also still very doable for first time racers.

Sticking with our WAR theme we named our route in honor of Hyden, Ky native Willie Sandlin. Sandlin was the only Medal of Honor recipient from Kentucky during World War One. We honor him by providing you with one of our very favorite rides in the area.

Directions

Both the War Daddy and Sandlin’s Shred have the same starting location around 4 miles west of Hyden, Kentucky on highway 421. The race is currently planned to begin at the old Leslie County RV park which is now closed, but we still hope to use that same location. If the race start happens to change, it will still be near this location and we will update the site and also email all the participants the exact location before the race date.

Course Details

Sandlin’s Shred will be a 32 mile race course that incorporates the local’s favorite gravel loop and throws in the tough grueling finish that the War Daddy course will follow. This route will lead you up some fun cozy climbs such as Rattle Snake Run, Rowan’s Creek Caramel, Qwiff Hanga, and even the infamous War Daddy!

The race will begin at the same location as the War Daddy race but the start time will be roughly 30 minutes later. From the RV park, racers will turn left out of the parking lot (opposite of the War Daddy race) and have a neutral rollout for about 1.5 miles. At this point you will have a small climb on the pavement that will allow you to jockey for the position you want going into the gravel. At 2.2 miles you will leave the pavement behind and spend about 99% of your day off road.

This first section of gravel is screaming fast and has a blind turn only two tenths of a mile in, so please use caution. You have a couple small rollers ahead that will scrub a lot of speed. Right around mile three is when this route starts getting tough. Here you will hit a 16 mile loop that begins with The Game Reserve Road Climb. This climb is just under a mile but it stair steps up and is very tame. The last two tenths which is called Rattle Snake Run is the only difficult part.

Once you roll over the top of Rattle Snake Run, you begin one of the absolute best sections. A section we like to call Gilbert’s Wattage Cottage. This is a 6.5 mile segment that consists of some rollers, but for the most part you will trend downhill and the complete segment has a -1.6% grade! So, be ready to throw down major watts on the Wattage Cottage.

Shortly after completing the Wattage Cottage segment you will be in a recovery zone of a flat paved section that will only last for about a mile. This portion is a great place to take in some food and get yourself prepared for War Daddy because it’s very close.

GAME TIME! Can you smell War Daddy yet? You will leave the pavement behind and never look back. In less than a minute you’ll get a quick dip in the creek as you slowly work your way up to the base of War Daddy. When the lactic acid has built up to the point you have never felt before, when your brain is trying to bring you down and tell you to quit, you will begin the infamous, War Daddy. Don’t worry though, of all the category 3 climbs of the day, this one is the shortest. At 0.98 in distance, you will average 10.8% grade on usually loose, mostly chunky, and sometimes sharp rocks and gravel. War Daddy is tough. It’s steep and sometimes hard to find traction on. But, if you listen closely, you can probably hear Busch Latte’s being cracked opened and waiting on you at the aid station. As you are climbing War Daddy there’s one part that slightly levels out for about 100 yards. At the end of that level area the road forks. Stay to the right!!! It’s an important turn that you do not want to miss. From there you will continue to have a gradual climb and one last little kicker to the top.

Is the climbing done yet? Ummm not even close. But from the top of War Daddy to the last aid station I hope you can enjoy the beauty around you. The gravel is awesome and if you have anything left in the tank you can hold a pretty good pace through this area. There are some quick rollers and at least one more pretty good little climb that will only take you a couple minutes.

The Sandlin’s Shred course only has one aid station which you will hit around mile 19. Yes, it’s only like 12 miles to the finish, but I promise you will want to go into that section stocked up, refueled, and ready. It’s one of the more off the grid sections you’ll be riding and not the place you will want to be lying on the side of the trail cramping and locked up like a rusted motor. Eat some cookies, hydrate, slam some latte’s, get some skittles, and go finish strong!

From the last aid station you can relax for a minute or two as you descend for about a mile. You will pick up speed quickly and then have a hard right turn as the gravel road kicks up a bit. In case you don’t quickly realize it, this is that Gamer Reserve Road climb you hit about an hour ago! You will climb this one more time as you are now on the finishing portion of the War Daddy race loop also. Shortly after this this climb you will take a left turn onto a dirt road that typically has large mud holes that you can easily find a line around. After zigging and zagging for a couple minutes you will start a climb called Qwiff Hanga. This is a pretty tough section as you ascend up a chunky loose rocky climb that also has some large sand stone boulder type rocks for you to pedal over. Just take it easy, look for the best line, and mash those pedals! As this climb stair steps up a few times you will think you have it over with but it just keeps going. Eventually you will hit a quick little descent making you think its recovery time. However, at the bottom of this super short descent you will head straight into a 4 mile trail section. As soon as you get on the trail it will gradually keep climbing and after about three tenths of a mile you will have a hard switchback to the left that turns the trail up one more super steep pitch that is usually pretty rutted out and can turn into a hike a bike section. From here the trail is rolling up and down the ridge line with some steep punchy climbs and will require you to navigate some more mud holes. Please take note that the rest of the race is heavily ridden by Motos and ATVs and they love playing in the mud and therefore these holes can be pretty deep. We highly suggest trying to pick a line around the edges and not barreling through the middle because you may be up to your knees in mud before you know it! 2 miles into the trail you will need to take a right turn up another steep grade that is sometimes not rideable especially when you have 20+ miles under your belt. Once you make this turn the terrain will continue to be similar until you reach the end of the atv trail in approximately 2 more miles.

Finally, you have made it to the ending stretch! In 2019 this final 6 miles was found to be very difficult as this old strip mining site was left abandoned, eroded, and was down right treacherous in places. Luckily in 2020 a crew came in and reclaimed that area and fixed it up nicely. Now we can only hope to navigate truck sized mud puddles instead of bus size holes. Kinda joking, kinda not. Either way this final 6 miles will begin with one quick descent and one more tough climb. Then you will basically just hammer down the rest of the way across the mined mountain tops and take in some beautiful views. The scenery here is usually amazing and can also be a great place to see an abundance of wildlife so keep your eyes peeled for elk, deer, black bears, turkey, and maybe even Sasquatch. Oh and let’s also mention that of that final 6 mile stretch, you will bomb down a wicked fast and fun descent at the end of this stretch that’s about 1.5 miles and this leads you directly to the finish line!

Strava Map