Regional Roundup · 23 Races

Best Midwest Gravel Races for Spring 2026

23 Races Rated & Ranked · Published March 01, 2026

Looking for gravel races in the Midwest this spring? We found 23 events happening between March and May 2026, all rated by the Gravel God scoring system.

23 RacesAvg Score: 57/100T1 The Icons: 3T2 Elite: 7T3 Solid: 6T4 Grassroots: 7
T1 The Icons 83/100

The Mid South

Stillwater, Oklahoma
106.9 mi · 6,506 ft · March

Oklahoma's weather lottery with a $100K purse and a guaranteed Bobby hug.

T1 The Icons 80/100

Unbound Gravel 100

Emporia, Kansas
103 mi · 4,373 ft · May

The little sibling that still kicks your ass. 100 miles of Flint Hills gravel—all the suffering, half the existential crisis.

T1 The Icons 77/100

Little Sugar MTB

Bentonville, Arkansas
30 mi · 3,500 ft · April

New LTGP MTB race—30 miles of technical Bentonville singletrack, pairs with Big Sugar Gravel, pro field guaranteed.

T2 Elite 76/100

Rule of Three

Bentonville, Arkansas
115 mi · May

Bentonville's three-surface problem: tarmac speed, sharp Ozark gravel, and climby singletrack on one bike.

T2 Elite 74/100

Le Grand du Nord

Grand Marais, Minnesota
110 mi · 6,000 ft · May

Minnesota's North Shore gravel classic at Lake Superior—110 miles through Northwoods and Gunflint Trail terrain.

T2 Elite 69/100

Highlands Gravel Classic

Goshen, Arkansas
67 mi · 4,850 ft · April

One of the US qualifiers for UCI Gravel World Championships. 67 miles of Ozark smashfest.

T2 Elite 64/100

Crystal Bear

Laona, WI to Crystal Falls, MI
192 mi · 8,000 ft · May

192-mile overnight bikepacking odyssey from Wisconsin to Michigan's Upper Peninsula where darkness, cold, and solitude break you down and build you back.

T2 Elite 64/100

Dirty French

Chillicothe, Ohio
100 mi · 9,000 ft · May

Ohio's Appalachian suffer fest - 9,000 feet of vertical brutality in the heartland

T2 Elite 63/100

Dirty 30

Saranac, Michigan
100 mi · 3,500 ft · April

Early season Michigan gravel with cold starts, mud risk, and MGRS community.

T2 Elite 63/100

Iowa Wind and Rock

Winterset, Iowa
340 mi · 8,000 ft · April

340 miles of relentless Iowa gravel where the wind never stops, the terrain never flattens, and 40 hours of continuous riding reveals who you really are.

T3 Solid 56/100

Trans Iowa

Checkpoint, Iowa
320 mi · 9,000 ft · April

300+ mile self-supported Iowa gravel ultra-distance challenge.

T3 Solid 53/100

Gran Fondo Ozarks

Eureka Springs, Arkansas
65 mi · 6,000 ft · March

Arkansas Ozark Mountains gravel in Eureka Springs.

T3 Solid 51/100

Barry-Roubaix Killer Gravel Road Race

Hastings, Michigan
62 mi · 4,000 ft · April

62-mile Michigan gravel with 1000+ riders in Hastings.

T3 Solid 51/100

Ouachita Challenge

Mount Ida, Arkansas
65 mi · 6,000 ft · March

Arkansas Ouachita Mountains gravel in Mount Ida.

T3 Solid 50/100

Hungry Bear 100

Cable, Wisconsin
100 mi · 5,000 ft · May

CAMBA's northwoods century on Chequamegon fortified gravel.

T3 Solid 47/100

Switchgrass

Leonardville, Kansas
65 mi · 3,500 ft · April

Kansas Flint Hills gravel in Leonardville.

T4 Grassroots 47/100

Spring Valley Wilder 100

Spring Valley, Minnesota
102 mi · 5,174 ft · May

100 miles of self-supported gravel through Minnesota's Bluff Country.

T4 Grassroots 44/100

Bear 100

Laona, Wisconsin
103 mi · 3,500 ft · May

Chip-timed spring gravel through Wisconsin's Nicolet National Forest.

T4 Grassroots 44/100

Hart Hills

Hart, Michigan
55 mi · 2,500 ft · May

Hart Hills. 55 miles of gravel through Hart.

T4 Grassroots 44/100

Melting Mann

Vandalia, Michigan
62 mi · 2,500 ft · March

Southwest Michigan spring thaw gravel in Vandalia.

T4 Grassroots 41/100

Heywood Ride

Northfield, Minnesota
50 mi · 2,000 ft · May

Heywood Ride. 50 miles of gravel through Northfield.

T4 Grassroots 41/100

Silver City Century

Silver City, Iowa
100 mi · 3,000 ft · May

Century ride featuring the Wabash Trace Trail through Silver City, Iowa.

T4 Grassroots 40/100

Kalona Horseshoe

Kalona, Iowa
50 mi · 2,000 ft · May

Kalona Horseshoe. 50 miles of gravel through Kalona.

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