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Gravel Champ: Rick Marshall Living with PTSD

In this episode we sit down with Rick Marshall, a retired Army Major, veteran, and cyclist, for an honest conversation about living with PTSD and finding moments of calm on two wheels.

This isn’t a story about fixing trauma or pushing through pain. It’s about learning, over time, how movement, solitude, and nature can offer connection and relief. This episode is especially for combat veterans—and for anyone who loves and supports them.

Puncture Vines (Goatheads)

What Are Goatheads? Goatheads—also called puncture vine (Tribulus terrestris)—are a low-growing plant that produces hard, woody, spiky seedpods. Those seedpods are notorious for puncturing bike tires and ruining rides, especially if you’re not tubeless. They’re common across many regions of the U.S. and Mexico, especially in hot, dry areas with disturbed soil. Why Cyclists Hate […]

Google Ads Marketing Manager

Overview Dirty Freehub is seeking a volunteer to manage and monitor our Google Ads campaign. Google donates $1,000 a month in free advertising in Google Ads to Dirty Freehub; we need someone to manage this for us. This role is remote. Time Commitment: ~2 hours per week What You’ll Do As the Google Ads campaign […]

Work Crew Coordinator (Volunteer) — Dirty Roads Team

Overview Dirty Freehub is seeking a Work Crew Coordinator to support our Dirty Roads Team in Oregon. This volunteer role helps organize community-led road and trail maintenance efforts—especially critical this year due to catastrophic rains and flooding in December 2025, which likely caused widespread landslides, washouts, and tree fall across many of our routes. This […]

Gravel Champ: David Dietz Living with Parkinson’s Disease

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with David Dietz — a passionate Bend, Oregon cyclist navigating life and the road with Parkinson’s Disease. David shares how he first fell in love with riding and what his cycling routine looks like today.
David shares about the learning curve of adapting his riding style, listening to his body, and finding what truly works for him on and off the bike. This conversation is honest, empowering, and full of wisdom for anyone facing physical challenges, anyone who loves cycling, or anyone seeking stories of resilience.

Shaniko – past and present

The story of Shaniko – past and present. In this 7-minute video, learn how residents are re-capturing and preserving Shanikos’ past.

“In its heyday, Shaniko was a bustling hub of commerce. The Columbia Southern Railroad terminated here, bringing wool buyers from all over the globe. At its peak, Shaniko set a one-day sales record of five million dollars — worth $176 million today.”

The Entire History of Yellowstone National Park

From Wild America comes the story of Yellowstone, a place where geology, history, and politics intertwine in an epic narrative of discovery and conservation. A place that reminds us that, in a world defined by constant change, some things are valuable enough to be preserved exactly as they are.

Discover Priday Ranch – why it is special and important!

In this two-minute video, learn about one of the Deschutes Land Trust’s newest conservation projects: the 4,500-acre Priday Ranch. The property features three creeks, outstanding wildlife habitat, hills of native bunchgrasses, and canyon walls that are home to golden eagles.

GravelPlex Overview

What is GravelPlex? GravelPlex is a new type of digital map developed by Dirty Freehub that will be available on the Avenza platform. It’s designed specifically for gravel cyclists who want to explore roads with low vehicle traffic and mixed surfaces—paved, gravel, and primitive dirt roads. Unlike mountain bike trail maps, which focus on singletrack […]

Legend of Wy’east

Long before these peaks were stone and snow, they were people. Two brothers, proud and strong. Wy’east, the fiery one—quick to laugh, but quicker to rise in anger. Pahto, quieter, heavier in thought, but no less fierce. And between them lived a maiden, Loowit, graceful as moonlight on still water. Their father was the Great […]

Gravel Champ Rick Marshall: Podcast on Riding Across the US

Dial in on this podcast that features our Gravel Champ, Rick Marshall as he talks about riding across the United States. Rick is an active duty Army veterans who uses gravel cycling to combat PTSD.

Gravel Champ: Jim Sipe Living with Type 1 Diabetes

Jim Sipe is an avid cyclist and writer who shares about his journey living and riding with Type 1 diabetes. Today, he offers a personal look into how he prepares, adapts, and stays safe while pursuing a sport he loves. Whether you live with Type 1 diabetes, love long-distance rides, or enjoy hearing real stories from the road, this episode offers a grounded, honest look at one cyclist’s personal journey—inspiring all of us mile after mile.

Impact Report 2025

Hot off the press, Dirty Freehub’s Impact Report for this year. Our calendar year starts Oct 1st!

Three Things Nobody Tells You About Cycling the Aufderheidi

There are three things no one tells you about cycling the Aufderheide: 1. the first 30 miles are straight uphill; 2. the second 30 miles are straight downhill; and 3. it ends at the magical Westfir Lodge.

Halloween Haunts: Dirty Freehub Spooky Gravel Routes

This Halloween, swap cobwebs and jack-o-lanterns for dust, gravel, and ghost towns. At Dirty Freehub we’ve curated a spooktacular lineup of gravel rides from our “Ghosts” collection. Each route blends history, adventure, and just the right amount of spectral energy.

A Sawtooth Celebration

Camp Polk Meadow Preserve

A blend of history and ecological restoration, Camp Polk Meadows Preserve is a thriving haven for fish, wildlife, and native species thanks to years of dedicated restoration. In this episode, we learn about the unique challenges of balancing conservation with public access, history of the site, and how the Deschutes Land Trust and the local community work together to restore habitats.

Dirty Freehub Inducts MS Advocate David Toste into Gravel Champs Hall of Fame

Dirty Freehub is proud to announce the induction of David Toste of West Linn, Oregon into the Gravel Champs Hall of Fame, honoring his dedication to both the gravel cycling community and advocacy for those living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in 2021, David has refused to let the disease define […]

Whale Watching on the Oregon Coast

Whale Watching on the Oregon Coast invites gravel cyclists and nature lovers to discover the magic of whale migrations along one of the most scenic coastlines in the U.S. This episodes shares about how to connect with the whales, best seasons for sightings, and unusual whale mortality events as well as how we can help the whale population as cyclists.

This episode was produced from a live conversation between our guest Michael Milstein of NOAA and Dirty Freehub. We’ve shaped the interview into this format so it’s easier to listen and enjoy, while keeping the guest’s ideas and perspective at the center.

Photo Credit: NOAA and Michael Milstein

The Ride! C2C

A quick 2+ minute video of what to expect on your ride.

Riding the C2C Trail: 60 Miles of Oregon Adventure

Dave Jones of Destination Oregon gives us a quick 5-minute highlight of the C2C trail.

Imagine pedaling from Corvallis all the way to the Oregon Coast—60 miles of ever-changing scenery, from city parks to rainforests, quiet small towns, and rugged forest service roads. The trail is the product of years of sweat, vision, and volunteer grit, now offering adventurers an unforgettable ride that ends with the salt air on your face.

Dirty Freehub August 2025 Newsletter

Here’s our latest newsletter!

Webinar: Gravel Biking for Destination Communities

State of Washington Tourism (SWT) hosted the latest episode of the Tourism Skillshop on gravel biking as a form of destination development for rural communities. The recording of this webinar is now available on YouTube. Feel free to contact the subject matter experts who presented during this webinar with any questions you may have. Linda […]

Turn-by-Turn Directions

Do Dirty Freehub’s GPX files include turn-by-turn directions? No — Dirty Freehub GPX files do not contain embedded turn-by-turn directions. Our route files show a breadcrumb trail for you to follow, but they do not include pre-programmed turn-by-turn directions. How do my bike computer’s turn-by-turn directions work then? When you load a Dirty Freehub GPX […]