These are the gravel, races and rides to take part in

Gravel advocate Katherine Moore talks you through the different kinds of social and speedy off-road events in the UK and beyond, to help inspire you for your next big event or group ride.

Largely speaking, there are three different types of gravel events; races, which tend to have a strong competitive element, non-competitive events, which tend to focus more on the social element of gravel riding, and community rides, which tend to feature a regular schedule and bring together local riders.

All three options offer something a little different, and the great news is that they don’t need to be enjoyed exclusively either. Let’s delve a little deeper into each, and look at just a few of the popular options.

Gravel races

The range of gravel races both in the UK and worldwide has exploded in recent years. Where you could once count the number of competitive events on one hand, now you could probably race in a different part of the UK each weekend of the summer season. Here are just a few to whet your appetite.

Single-stage gravel races

Perhaps the most famous is the single-day, start-to-finish Dirty Reiver, with a range of race categories of up to a hefty 200km on the flowing gravel roads of Kielder Forest in Northumberland.

Head over the border into Scotland for a more recent addition to the calendar, The Gralloch, which follows a similar format but is part of the UCI Gravel World Series.

Enduro gravel races

Taking notes from the popular mountain biking discipline, a number of gravel races are run in an enduro format, with shorter timed sections linked by non-timed transfer sections. This allows you to be a bit more sociable on the linking roads and trails, and really go for it on the timed climbs, descents and technical sections. If this sounds like your cup of tea, check out Mid Wales’ Gritfest, hosted by the organisers of Battle on the Beach, the international Grinduro series, which combines racing and a party-like festival atmosphere, and Gravelfoyle’s Duke’s Weekender. The Gravelfoyle team also run some other great events including the Grand Old Dukes (111 miles with 10,000ft of climbing) and the new Gravelfoyle 10, where you ride as many laps of a 25-kilometre circuit as you can in 10 hours, either solo, in a pair or team.

Multi-day stage races are less common, though you should check out the four-day Raiders Gravel if that sounds like your cup of tea.

Ultra endurance gravel races

If riding a very long way tickles your pickle, then you might want to check out ultra endurance gravel racing. These races combine fitness and technical ability on the bike with mental resilience and practical skill; often testing how well you can cope with mechanicals, bad weather, poor sleep and unexpected road blocks (literally and metaphorically).

British-based options for off-road riding include GBDuro and the Great British Divide, both spanning England, Wales and Scotland although via different routes. You could argue that the 600km Dales Divide sits somewhere between gravel and mountain biking territory, and likewise with Wales’ new Headstock 500.

If you consider heading over to continental Europe, then your options widen considerably. Badlands is a classic gravel bike friendly 800km route through the remote and mountainous Spanish desert from Granada, while The Traka features shorter distances of up to 360km from Girona in Catalunya further east.

Taunus Bikepacking is a popular German event, taking on a new route each year, while the appeal of a warmer climate takes many riders to take on the Granguanche Audax Gravel, island-hopping across the volcanic Canary Islands by bike. At over 1,100km, the Bright Midnight race is another meaty challenge, taking you across the mountains of fjords of Norway.

If you’re looking for a more extensive list of ultra endurance gravel events, visit Apidura’s event calendar for more global options. Check out Albion’s site for more awe-inspiring options too.

Taunus Bikepacking - credit www.biteofme.com or @bite.of.me

Non-competitive gravel events

Wanna ride somewhere new and get to know some new like-minded folk without having to take it too seriously? Then the huge range of non-competitive gravel events will be right up your (dirt) street.

Themes and formats vary greatly, from single day rides to festival weekenders and multi-day rallies. Here are just a few.

Brother in the Wild is a popular off-road weekend celebration, featuring camping, a series of suggested routes and great food offerings, set not only in the Purbeck Hills of Dorset, Shropshire and Lancashire, but also across Europe, hosted by Brother Cycles retailers in Munich and Bordeaux.

The Rapha Pennine Rally has proven to be a much anticipated feature in the British gravel calendar, taking in the 500km Second City Divide route from Edinburgh to Manchester with multiple options for more relaxed off-road touring or a heftier challenge on the ‘espresso’ option.

For women, non-binary and trans riders, the Sisters in the Wild Summer Gathering is a growing annual weekender of bike rides and good vibes hosted in the Lake District. Choose from a range of gravel routes, plus campfire sessions, inspiring talks, mechanics classes, guided rides and communal dinners. Besides the annual gathering, Sisters in the Wild also host some incredible guided trips all over the world from Spain to Bosnia and Kyrgyzstan.

For an amazing selection of day rides across the UK, Glorious Gravel offers non-competitive gravel sportives from the South Downs to the Scottish Borders, as well as weekend events. Expect signed routes, well-stocked feed station checkpoints, and mechanical assistance with a good range of route options.

Gravel communities

Annual events and races are all well and good, but what if you’re looking for something a little more regular? While traditional cycling clubs have been around for decades (or even longer) offering group road rides, the 21st century advent of gravel riding has seen the proliferation of new communities aiming to do things differently.

Most gravel communities in the UK tend to be more focussed on social cycling, rather than racing, with a heightened focus on inclusion. Many of these groups are women-led, and anecdotally speaking, participation tends to be significantly more diverse than the typical cycling scene, which is a joy to see.

One of the pioneers of the UK gravel communities is the New Forest Off Road Club, offering regular rides with different paces highlighted, so there’s something for everyone whether you’re bringing the whole family along or looking for a ride that’s more speedy.

In Bristol, multi-discipline community (and former brewery club) Newtown Park Cycle Club hosts a weekly ‘Trails and Ales’ social gravel ride ending with a different pub or brewery after each ride.

Heading east, the Field Trippers community brings together gravel riders in East Anglia for regular weeknight and weekend rides, based out of Saffron Walden in Essex.

Head up north for the Peak Gravel Gang and Lakes Gravel Gang, both offering women-led rides and events. Lakes Gravel Gang operates exclusively for women and non-binary riders, and both groups offer a wealth of off-the-bike activities too, such as mechanics classes and social events.

Down in Devon, Tors and Trails.cc is a Dartmoor-based social cycling community offering weekly summer evening rides that alternate between road and gravel cycling and a monthly women’s gravel social.

The School of Rocks is a global initiative born out of Bristol, with a curriculum designed to help empower riders in off-road riding. Women-led, and particularly welcoming women and riders from the LGBTQIA+ community, the 6-week terms progress in technicality to help build your off-road skills, while simultaneously building local community. Today, you can find schools across the UK in Cardiff, Bath, Reading, Oxford, London, Edinburgh, Penrith, Nottingham, Bury St Edmunds, plus in Indiana, US, Veluwe in the Netherlands, and Zurich, Switzerland!

These are just a small handful of regional communities, but there are so many more across the UK and beyond.

Check out more about the communities:

Ready to choose your next event, race or ride? I hope this helps you to explore somewhere new, be that on your doorstep or somewhere more far-flung, and perhaps make some new pals along the way.