Pastrami Shame Closet
Hidden Indulgence. Shamefully Delicious.
Every crew has a legend. Ours has Luke Stock — Arlington Heights' undisputed Pastrami King. While other cyclists fuel up on gels and electrolyte chews, Luke has been quietly perfecting the art of the pastrami stack for years, consuming quantities that would make a New York deli blush. When word got out, the people demanded a brand. Thus, Pastrami Shame Closet was born: a celebration of hidden indulgences, cured meats, and the beautiful moral gray area of eating a full deli sandwich at 6am before a 40-mile gravel grind. The closet is open. The shame is real. The pastrami is magnificent.
Mark-a-Ritas
The Legendary Post-Ride Refreshment.
There are bartenders, there are mixologists, and then there is Mark Baruch — a cocktail-making wizard of such legendary ability that the Graveleros simply refused to finish a ride without his involvement. After miles of gravel, mud, and suffering, Mark materializes like a mirage holding something cold, lime-forward, and salt-rimmed. Mark-a-Ritas is the official post-ride fuel of The Graveleros: the reward that makes the suffering worth it, shaken not stirred, with just enough tequila to make you forget the hill that almost broke you an hour ago. Ride hard. Drink Mark-a-Ritas. Repeat.
Smallie Spoke
Ride the Rivers.
Some people fish. Sean McGann communes with the rivers. Arlington Heights' foremost authority on small mouth bass, Sean brings the same quiet intensity to his fishing that he brings to grinding gravel — patient, methodical, and inexplicably successful in conditions where everyone else comes up empty. Smallie Spoke is where two worlds collide: the solitary focus of early-morning fishing and the gritty camaraderie of gravel cycling. Whether he's reading a riffle for bass or reading a trail for the smoothest line, Sean's eyes are always on the water. Tight lines, loose gravel, Smallie Spoke.