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Gravel racing has become fairly serious in just a handful of years, but luckily it also hasn’t strayed far from its fun-loving roots.
Gravel originated as an alternative to traditional road racing, which can feel intimidating and stifling to anyone who isn’t a professional cyclist. The requirements of gravel events are few — just a bike and a helmet, usually — and the rules and regulations can feel like close to none.
While people come to gravel events to ride and race their bikes, it’s often the things that happen out of the saddle that are most memorable. From group shakeout rides to film festivals to post-race burritos and beer, much of what makes gravel racing so fun is everything before and after the ride.
Here are five of our favorite gravel events that have kept the fun foremost.
The Mid South –Stillwater, Oklahoma
Come to Stillwater, Oklahoma in weather-fickle mid-March, they said. It might rain or snow or both, which could destroy your derailleur or spirits or both, they said. But come!
And, because of the Mid South, they did.
The gravel race formerly known as the Land Run 100 has been luring adventurous riders to the Oklahoma university town since 2013 but in the past five years, race organizer Bobby Wintle has upped the fun-to-race ante.
The Mid South kicks off on a Thursday with a limited edition beer release at local brewery Iron Monk, and it feels like the party doesn’t stop until Sunday. The bike racing — which includes 50 and 100-mile events — now also includes a 50k running race, is highly competitive. But somehow Wintle has made everything else that happens at the Mid South just as important.
There are pre-race shakeout rides galore, including a very popular one that requests you wear your finest denim. Then, there’s the music festival, which runs Friday to Saturday, and fulfills a lifelong goal of Wintle’s, which is to host a huge concert with a little bike race in the middle. The Mid South has a way of making all people feel welcome, from those who race their bikes for a living to those who have never pedaled past 50 miles.
For all of these reasons and more, when the Mid South ends, it leaves perhaps the longest trail of happy tears of any gravel race in the world. Participants wax nostalgic on social media for the days and weeks that follow.
‘Come to the Mid South,’ they say. And the people will come.
Rule of Three –Bentonville, Arkansas
Northwestern Arkansas is not short on bike races. At last tally, we counted around 25 events that take place in and around Bentonville, from UCI-sanctioned road races to gravel grinders to all manner of mountain biking.
The most fun one happens to combine all three disciplines.
The Rule of Three debuted in 2022 with the mission to do just that — keep bike racing fun. Its founders, Lauren Pickman and Andy Chasteen, also wanted to highlight the best of the region’s riding and couldn’t narrow it down to one type. Thus, they decided that the race should be divided into three: one part gravel, one tarmac, and the other singletrack. Riders can choose between 50- or 100-mile solo races or participate in teams of… three.
The format has proven to be a success for all types of riders. Pros from the region and afar go hard, while plenty of people ride party pace. Creek crossings become mid-race swimming holes, and the riders who are participating as teams must stop at various checkpoints to do silly things like push watermelons a certain distance with their heads.
We heard that this year, there was also a tie-dye station at the finish, a bike shorts leg tan contest, and everyone got a burrito, beer, and Red Bull in their post-race meal.
Haven’t yet ridden in NWA? The Rule of three is also a great intro to much of what northwest Arkansas has to offer — after a Friday shakeout ride, the Saturday race, and a spin to the Skratch Labs pancake breakfast on Sunday, you can get a pretty good taste of how fun it can be.
Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder –Bend, Oregon
The Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder has been called many things.
“The grand tour of gravel.’ An ‘all inclusive bike vacation.’ And our personal favorite, ‘bike summer camp for adults.’
Call it what you may, but the five-day gravel stage race located in the Bend, Oregon backcountry is, simply put, fun.
The race is put on every year in late June by bike promoter extraordinaire Chad Sperry’s Breakaway Promotions, and every year both the racing and the good vibes deliver. Participants spend five days riding, racing, and hanging out while the hard-working crew from Breakaway makes sure that all of their on and off-the-bike needs are met.
In terms of the riding, those participating in the ‘pioneer’ course will tackle 350 miles and 30,000 feet climbing over the five days. This equates to 50-80 miles per day with 4,500 to 7,000 feet of climbing. A strong pro contingent,which includes riders like Sarah Sturm, Sarah Max, Becca Fahringer, and Serena Bishop Gordon, will make it back to camp first, but eventually all riders will be back under the shade trees hanging out.
The ‘all inclusiveness’ of the OTGG means that everything is taken care of. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily, and the Oregon Trail Castelli Saloon, Beer & Whiskey Bar is open from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. Riders can retreat to their tent, RV, or indoor lodging if they need some alone time, but most don’t; hanging out by the river or playing yard games at camp are more popular options.
Here is pro gravel rider Pete Stetina’s review of the event, from a 2021 column in Velo.
“The racing was aggressive, but the lifestyle and scenery was what we all came for. Gravel is known for its communal coming together. It’s the power of that shared experience that makes all these events so special. At most events it’s quicker conversations between starting, finishing, and awards ceremonies. At the OTGG however, being in the woods for four days together really allowed me to meet, and then re-meet multiple folks from all corners of the gravel community. I got to have real conversations, deep conversations, and make new friends on a more meaningful level.”
Grinduro –Various Locations
Grinduro debuted in 2015 in Quincy, California with a truly unique formula: an enduro-style gravel race.
Basically, Grinduro courses are one long 60-ish mile loop of pavement and dirt. However, finishing times aren’t based on the overall loop time, but on four timed segments which are roughly five-to-seven minutes apiece. Riders are faced with the additional challenge of choosing a bike that can shred downhills and also zip up gravel roads.
The formula proved so successful that two years later, organizers took the event across the pond. In 2017, Grinduro Scotland brought the same good vibes to the UK. In 2019, the concept grew to include Canada and Japan, making Grinduro the first truly global gravel event series.
In fact, four of the five 2024 Grinduro events are not on US soil. France, Italy, Japan, and Germany will host races this year, and Pennsylvania will be the only US venue, with California on hiatus due to “a combination of factors, including rising costs, economic pressures on regional partners and sponsors and the challenging state of the bicycle industry in 2024,” according to the event’s website.
Wherever it goes, however, Grinduro’s “Perfect Party-to-Race Ratio” is foremost on the agenda. Grinduro is not just a bike race but rather a celebration of cycling with as much emphasis on the fun as the ride, with excellent food, an impressive display of art and incredible bikes, live music, camping and a festival-like atmosphere.
SBT GRVL –Steamboat Springs, Colorado
You know the saying ‘jack of all trades, master of none?’ Well, it doesn’t apply to SBT GRVL.
In just five years, the Steamboat Springs, Colorado gravel race has mastered most things about hosting an event, from attracting a deep pro field to partnering with various advocacy groups to hosting a bustling downtown expo. Despite the race’s size and scope — it brings close to 7,000 people to town every August — fun remains a central focus.
In 2023, the race organizers debuted a hill climb on Friday evening before the Sunday race. Race founder Amy Charity said that, to dissuade people from taking the climb too seriously, costumes were encouraged — and judged. These results weighed far more heavily than who got up the hill first.
On the Saturday before the race, riders can choose from a variety of industry-led shakeout rides, some that are fast and long and others that are very short and lead to ice cream cones at the finish. Back at the expo, you might find NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller refereeing a mini basketball tournament, and you will definitely find espresso, beer, and sparkling water under every tent.
On race day, SBT GRVL sends around 3,000 riders out on courses ranging from 25 to 125 miles. Each one takes in the rolling ranchlands of Routt County, where riders are exposed to an area rich in agricultural heritage. Back at the festival venue, a party — and often a later afternoon thunderstorm — awaits. Monday comes far too soon after.
