The official Tire of the Belgian Waffle Ride
Whether you are racing to win, or just trying to survive the day, IRC has a tire for you.
The Belgian Waffle Ride is treacherous. The courses are designed to test your body, mind, and equipment to the limit. Tire choice is critical. IRC has worked with the organizers and a stable of experts to recommend the right tires for YOU. Scroll down, or click your event to find the race-day tire recommendations for your event.
California | N.Carolina | Utah | Kansas
San Diego, California
130 miles
10000 feet
47% off-road
Tire choice at the original BWR has always been a devilish choice. This year the course changes have made the decision even more difficult. The course is rougher, with more dirt that ever before, but still includes 70 miles of road and 10,000ft of climbing. As such, we have two recommendations for both Waffle and Wafer that let you optimize slightly for the tarmac or for the gravel.
The realities of the 2022 BWR course means 32mm is now the minimum size most riders will be comfortable running. The course can be completed on 25mm road slicks, but it is not an optimal setup.
Road optimized
The new Boken Plus 700x32 is the perfect tire for the riders who want road efficiency coupled with enough volume and traction to get you through the dirt. This is a true mixed-surface tire built with reinforced sidewalls that provide predictable cornering and strong cut protection. And because it is a Boken you know this compound grips!
Shop Boken Plus 32Gravel optimized
If you want to optimize your setup for the off-road sectors, which are rougher and more numerous than ever before, choose the Boken 36. The oversized diamond-file tread grips on the hardpack so prevalent in San Diego County, but doesn't slow your roll on the road. The Boken 36 strikes the difficult balance between grip, speed, and durability that you need to perform at your highest level.
Shop Boken 36
For the UNDER-BIKER
If you are an un-curable un-derbiker who wants to run the smallest tire on the un-roads of the BWR, we have a tire for you. The SeracCX Sand 700x30 BWR Edition. This tire was built for those who want to honor the spirit of the BWR by riding their road bike across the Hell of the North (county).
Shop Sand 30 BWR Edition
Scottsdale, AZ
DoubleCross 42
Details on the course are scarce but the organizers have told us definitively that you want the DoubleCross 42 for this course. No questions asked.
Trust the Intel
Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Boken 36?
Initial recon suggests you can do this course on a Boken 36; but you might be better off with a DoubleCross 38. More details to come.
Boken 36
Asheville, North Carolina
~120 miles
~13000 feet
~55% off-road
THE TIRE FOR (ALMOST EVERYBODY)
The North Carolina course for 2022 is adding 20-30 miles and another couple-thousand feet of climbing. You will want to ride a 36mm tire minimum, no matter who you are.
Whether you are in the break or riding with the grupetto, the Doublecross 38 is the best tire for the North Carolina course. This is still a fast tire on the road, but gives you the volume you crave for the off-road sectors. This burly tread is ready for anything Mother Nature throws at you as you ride 120 miles through a rainforest.
Shop DoublecrossThe Climbers Choice
Although we think the Doublecross 38 is the best tire for MOST riders, we should talk about the Boken 36. The Boken 36 doesn’t have quite the traction or durability of the Doublecross 38, but it saves a little weight and has slightly better aerodynamics. For those riders concerned with shaving every gram on those 13,000 ft of climbing, this is it.
Shop Boken 36
Cedar City Utah
130 miles
7860 feet
~75% off-road
DOUBLECROSS 42 (or 38)
The Hell of the South (Utah) is the first true gravel edition of the BWR. The course features a wide range of watt-sucking terrain from deep sand, to chip-seal, to double-track and single-track. You need a tire that can do it all.
Instead of a road race punctuated by off-road sectors, the Utah course is a gravel race punctuated by paved sectors. The IRC Doublecross was made for this kind of race. It handles incredibly well in the dirt, but still rolls fast on the pavement.
The fastest riders overwhelmingly choose the 42, but the 38 is a great choice for riders who want to save a little weight on their setup.
Shop DoubleCross
Michigan
DOUBLECROSS 42
The trouble with having a tire like the DoubleCross in your lineup is that it is hard to NOT recommend it for every race. The Michigan course is a little bit loamier and a little bit flatter than the other BWR courses, so the 42mm DoubleCross is a no-brainer.
42mm of fun
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
111 miles
8000 feet
86% off-road
DOUBLECROSS FOR EVERYBODY
The BWR course has a distinctly different character than other events in the region. The course designers have gone out of their way to find as many hills and water crossings and snake farms as possible. Fortunaelty for you, we have a tire engineered to withstand the knife-edged rocks of the flint hills region.
With over 3/4 of the course off-road, the go-to tire for BWR Kansas is the DoubleCross. This tire was engineered specifically for the terrain in Kansas. Choose the 38mm If you want a little more up-hill speed. Choose the 42 If you want a little more comfort. As with Utah, our sponsored riders overwhelmingly choose the 42.
Shop DoubleCross