Gralloch UCI Gravel Race 2025: Full Race Recap & Rider Insights

Located in Gatehouse of Fleet, the Gralloch might just be the best UK gravel race and with it doubling up as a possible qualifying opportunity for the Gravel World Championships later on this year, I headed up to attempt to qualify and this is how it went.

The Route: Gralloch Course Profile & Conditions

The Gralloch is tough. There is no denying that. The course is brutal. To paint the picture the first 12 km is nearly all uphill, right out of the blocks. From here you descend the rough gravel tracks before you’re treated with a brief bit of rest with a few kilometres of smooth tarmac to catch your breath before you again dive back onto the gravel. For the next 80 kilometers the course dips and dives through the Galloway Forest, taking in the sights before you finally return to the tarmac for the final 10km stretch to the finish line.

This year the 110km long course was extremely dry and dusty and even though you climb just over 1,700 metres the course was running extremely quick this year. So fast in fact I averaged nearly 32 km/h!

My Gravel Bike Setup for the Gralloch

Not only is the Gralloch deemed extremely physically tough but it is also extremely tough on your equipment. Sharp dagger-like rocks line the course and the wrong gravel bike setup for racing could make or break your race. With that in mind you want a setup that is not only fast but also durable to get you to that finish line.

The bike I was riding was the superlight Ribble Gravel SL, a bike that flies up the climbs yet is astonishingly agile and stable on the descents. I’ve ridden this bike on everything from Ultra Gravel events to muddy cyclocross races and it has always excelled, no matter the conditions or terrain. For the Gralloch I was running the Sram Force AXS groupset with a 44 tooth chainring on the front and a 10-44 cassette on the rear.

The wheels I was running were the Hunt 40 Limitless Gravel Aero Wheelset which have been engineered to be the fastest and most versatile gravel race wheelset on the market. They’re aerodynamic to save you precious energy yet are again extremely stable to give you the confidence you need in crosswinds or descents. They also have an extremely wide internal width which have been optimally optimised for 40 to 45mm tyres.

Punctures were a common theme once again at this year's edition of The Gralloch but thanks to the Pirelli Cinturato RC’s this wasn’t a problem. I was running the RC’s in a 45mm set up along with tyre inserts to help protect my rims from all of the rocks and other hazards out on course.

In terms of kit, aerodynamics is key! Saving as many watts as possible translates to more speed with less energy expenditure. With that in mind I used the brand new Sportful Fast Not Fun gravel specific skinsuit, with two convenient cargo pockets to store all of my gels and a race fitting fit it really helps redefine your limits.

The final thing was insurance. I heard some horror stories of mechanicals riders suffered and this acts as the perfect reminder of why I would never train or race without insurance. You never know when a crash or rock might crack your rim or even cause something worse to occur. That’s why I choose Laka who make insurance fair, not fixed. With no annual contracts with Laka works on a subscription basis so you’re never tied down and they cover you for everything from crashes to accidental damage and even theft and I can personally vouch for how incredibly helpful their customer service team is.

Nutrition & Strategy on Race Day

90 grams of carbs an hour is my magic number. It’s something I’ve tried a lot in training to find out what works best for me and this is it. Little and often is also key. I've found a Veloforte energy gel every 15 minutes is the perfect gravel race nutrition strategy. Each gel contains 22g of dual sourced carbohydrates as well as electrolytes making them perfect for hot days like this year's edition of the Gralloch.

What It's Like Racing in a UCI Gravel World Series Event

The Goal: Qualify for Gravel Worlds

Lining up at the UCI Gravel World Series, my goal was simple: qualify for the Gravel World Championships in the 19–34 category. But with gravel racing, anything can happen. One over cooked corner, one puncture or even one too little energy gels and your race can be over just like that.

Setting the Pace Early

With the first 12km being nearly all uphill I had one goal, set a pace hard enough that it would dispatch enough riders but not too many that no one would be left to help work together. The starting climb starts off very steep and so there is little advantage following someone's wheel so I knew I wanted to be on the front to set the pace to my liking. Gradually increasing the pace the front group slowly got smaller and smaller and as we crested the first climb there were around 30 to 40 riders left.

The next 20 kilometers were fast and flowy and with there still being a big group at the front it allowed me to surf the wheels and save my energy. Lost bottles, punctures and dropped chains were a common occurrence so even though the pace wasn’t crazily spicy it was crucial to stay switched on. I’ve raced the Gralloch UCI Gravel Race before and with this in mind I knew a technical, narrow section was fast approaching as we hit the 40 km mark. Moving up through the group I used my cyclocross skills to my advantage, pushing the pace through this narrow section to go clear. With it being such a narrow few kilometres the hope was that not many would have seen me slip off the front.

With still 70 km to go, pacing was going to be crucial. I knew that this later part of the race would suit a group better than a solo rider thanks to the wider, smoother gravel tracks and so knew I just had to go all in to establish a gap. The elite race had started 5 minutes in front of us so it was at this point I started to see riders in the distance who had been dropped which made for great motivation to help the kilometers tick by.

Fuelling Strategy

It was also crucial to stay on top of my fuelling strategy so that I wouldn’t run out of steam towards the end of the race. Another thing a lot of people find unusual is I don’t have a power meter and ride completely off of feel. I’ve been doing this for the past 2 years and find it really beneficial for situations such as this and knowing what your body can and cannot handle. I do think power meters are extremely useful for training and also to compare performances but personally during races I like to go off of feel.

Passing the 25 km to go checkpoint I had no idea what the situation was on the gravel, how many riders were behind me and how close were they? I had no idea and for all I knew there could have been 100 riders 20 seconds behind me chasing me down. With that in mind I kept the chain as tight as possible, choosing my lines carefully so as to not have any problems with the loose rocks out on course that could have easily caused me to have sliced a tyre or even worse, crashed.

Luckily a put down a smooth, safe ride and exited the gravel onto the final 10km road stretch to the finish. I knew I had won if I could just carry on at this pace. By this point the hills had really opened up allowing me to finally see a few kilometers back to check no one was on my tail and potentially cause me heart break right at the end.

Crossing the Line

5 Km to go soon turned to 1 and before I knew it the finish gantry was in sight and that moment knowing you’ve won hit me. Not only had I won but I had also guaranteed myself a spot at the Gravel World Championships later on this year.

I couldn’t have asked for a better day out and to win solo after nearly 70 km attack is the best feeling and best way to win. A huge thank you goes out to each and everyone of the brands and people who support me in helping me chase results such as this and it’s results such as this which provide the perfect testimony to the equipment I’m using. So a huge thank you once again and I guess it’s time to start planning gravel worlds!

Tips for racing the Gralloch

If this blog has inspired you to tackle the best UK gravel race next year or you would like to qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships next year then these are some top tips I have from winning this year's 19-34 year old category!

  • Train to be able to race full gas for 110km. This was a mistake I saw a lot of people make and although they had been doing lots of easy endurance riders this is not the same as a full gas 3.5 hour race. For reference my average heart rate was 164 bpm!
  • Get a gravel specific bike. Now this may be obvious but a gravel bike is going to be far more comfortable as well as faster than a CX or mountain bike. If you’re looking for a bike that can do it all then the Ribble Gravel SL is a great option.
  • Upgrade your wheels and tyres. As mentioned the gravel at the Gralloch is relentless so you want a set of wheels and tyres that are specifically designed for gravel riding and racing to help you tackle this. The Hunt 40 Limitless Gravel Wheelset combined with the Pirelli Cinturato RC’s were faultless and I couldn’t recommend more.
  • Insure your bike and accessories. If you’re going to do one thing then make sure it is this. You never know what might happen during a gravel race, but having someone such as Laka can give you complete peace of mind so you can focus on the racing knowing someones got your back in case sh*t hits the fan.
  • Wear something comfortable. A long day in the saddle can be made to feel even longer without the correct kit, get yourself a gravel specific skinsuit with cargo pockets to store all of your fuel for instance.
  • Don’t try anything new on race day. A saying you’ve likely heard before so make sure to try out everything you will be doing on race day including your fuelling strategy. Energy Gels vs Energy Chews for instance, how many grams of carbohydrates an hour. These are all things to find out before the big day.
  • Practice training for warmer conditions and make necessary adjustments where needed. This year's edition was close to 25 degrees yet some riders only took one litre of water with them. Personally I drank nearly 4 litres throughout the race and had practiced riding in full winter kit on warmer days to try to replicate these warmer conditions.
  • Practice your gravel skills. Cornering on gravel is very different to cornering on the road so practice ahead of time. Some tops include looking through the corner to the exit as well as doing your breaking before you get to the corner. However it’s certainly a skill to practice!
  • Enjoy it. I think this might be the most important point. Gravel racing is meant to be fun so take in the views, the fast descents and relish the tough climbs.

I hope that inspires you to tackle your first ever gravel race and hopefully these top tips for racing are useful to help you tackle your gravel race in confidence.

This blog is written by a Laka ambassador as part of a paid partnership. All views are the author’s own. Insurance is provided by Laka and subject to terms and conditions.