Club Spotlight: Texas’s Club Spinistry

From epic gravel adventures to a signature route that spans the Lone Star State, Club Spinistry has built a community around pushing limits and embracing the dirt. Founded with a bold vision and a passion for the unpaved, the club has grown into a hub for experienced cyclists seeking out the longest, toughest, and grittiest rides. Get to know the story behind Club Spinistry, their legendary RAT 1000, and how they’re riding toward a more adventurous future for gravel cycling.

How and when was your club founded?
Club Spinistry was founded in 2014 to support our efforts to create a (mostly) gravel route across Texas. That route evolved into the RAT 1000.

What’s the RAT 1000?

The Race Across Texas is an eight-day, 1,000-mile, off-road, bicycle ride through the rolling, rugged beauty that is the Texas backcountry. It’s our signature event, though it’s nowhere near our largest. It’s a ride that truly defines what our members can do.

What’s the club’s mission?
Our focus has been on helping people to learn what it takes to achieve what they previously might have thought was unachievable.

Who are your members?
Our members are typically experienced cyclists wanting to experience more adventurous and longer rides. We embrace the mantra: long, hard & dirty. We aren’t meant for everyone.

What are some highlights from your club calendar?
Texas Chainring Massacre in January is our largest event, and it’s a classic gravel race. In spring, we’ve got the Red River Riot — probably the best gravel route and venue in Texas. The RAT 1000 is a route that anyone can follow any time, but we have an unofficial group that departs each October.

How does the Spinistry engage in bike advocacy at the local, state or national levels?
Previously, we have coordinated with and supported the efforts of most of the organizations around the region. As our club has grown, it has created some confusion as to who might have been “driving the bus” at specific functions. We have always been the stoker (so to speak) in those endeavors. Going forward, we plan to take a more active and direct role ourselves related to access and awareness, particularly as it relates to wilderness, backcountry, and other off-the-beaten-path cycling destinations. We will most assuredly continue our support of the other cycling groups we’ve worked with over the years as well.

Anything else you’d like us to know?
Here’s a documentary on our RAT 1000. We didn’t have any input on the production itself but couldn’t be happier about how it conveys what the ride is about.