What started as a way to conserve Rose Mountain has blossomed as a yearly gravel biking event that brings local enthusiasts and casuals alike to the area to raise money for the Piscataquog Land Conservancy.

As the Rose Mountain Rumble’s ninth ride approaches on Saturday, Aug. 24, PLC President and Executive Director Chris Wells said the event continues to grow. Within the last few years, the PLC was able to include an 80-mile course to go along with the 66-, 45- and 25-mile courses. Wells said the courses overlap to allow for people to bow out or continue if they choose. The courses start at the Lyndeborough Old Town Hall at 1131 Center Road and take riders through surrounding towns and back to Lyndeborough. The ride is not timed.

“People who want to be hammering and ride as fast as they can have at it, but it is also intended for people who just want to ride and for people who are casual riders,” Wells said.

Gravel biking is a cycling sport that crosses road biking with mountain biking, Wells said. Typically, riders bike across gravel and wooded paths, with the tires and bike body looking similar to a road bike but “beefier.”

Wells said this year’s Rose Mountain Rumble raised around $10,000, all of which goes to benefiting the land the PLC protects and to future projects. Wells said the PLC usually does three to five projects a year.

“It’s benefiting all the communities in the regions we serve,” Wells said.

The PLC protects 136 properties, with 9,541 acres conserved, according to its website, plcnh.org. The conservancy serves 26 towns within the state, including Francestown, Lyndeborough, Mason, New Ipswich, Temple and Wilton.

At the end of the ride, the participants are met with a lunch catered by Wilton Lyndeborough Women’s Club, which Wells said receives money from the PLC.

The ride has a capacity of 150, and Wells said it sold out on Aug. 13.  Wells said there is a wait list people can join, but it is unlikely that anyone from the list will be able to participate.

Compared to similar events, Wells said the Rose Mountain Rumble is quite small. He said many gravel biking events bring in hundreds of people, but he likes how this event is more community-focused because of its size.

“That’s actually what a lot of people say they love about it,” Wells said.