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Tier 2

Tier 2 — The Contenders

142 races · Scored & ranked by Gravel God

Contender-tier races are the backbone of competitive gravel. Each one brings something distinctive — whether it's a legendary climb, a grassroots-to-big-time origin story, or a course that punches well above its profile. These are the races that regulars swear by and newcomers discover with delight.

79
BWR Utah (Belgian Waffle Ride Utah)
Cedar City, Utah
Utah red rock adventure—188km of high-desert gravel, 1,811m elevation, June heat, waffles.
117 mi · 5,940 ft · June
79
Dartmoor Legend Ultra Sportive
Exeter Racecourse, Kennford, Exeter, Devon, EX6 7XS, England
200 mi · 19,700 ft · July
79
Étape du Dales
Settle, North Yorkshire, England
106 mi · 10,500 ft · June
79
Flandrien Ride
Oudenaarde, Belgium
99 mi · 5,500 ft · April
79
Migration Gravel Race
Maasai Mara, Kenya
Four days through Kenya's Maasai Mara. Zebras on course.
404 mi · 26,000 ft
79
Mt. Fuji Hill Climb
Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan
15 mi · 4,600 ft · June
79
Race Across France
Dinan to Mandelieu-la-Napoule, France
1553 mi · 80,000 ft · June
79
The Rift
Hvolsvöllur, Southern Iceland
200km across Iceland's volcanic highlands. River crossings, lava fields, and the tectonic rift. Gravel's most otherworldly course.
124 mi · 8,530 ft · July
79
Transiberica
Oudenaarde, Belgium to Bilbao, Spain
1864 mi · 157,480 ft · August
77
Belgian Waffle Ride Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Blue Ridge brutality—129 miles, 10,000 feet, Belgian-style mixed terrain in Asheville humidity.
129 mi · 13,000 ft · May
77
BWR Montana
Bozeman, Montana
Montana Rockies adventure—AKA 'Hell of the Bozone': mountain gravel around Bozeman, waffles at the finish.
115 mi · 8,000 ft · June
77
Grinduro
Multi-Location Global Series
Where gravel racing meets enduro format - timed segments, untimed vibes, and a festival that actually delivers
60 mi · 7,800 ft
77
Hærvejsløbet — The Viking Gran Fondo
Flensburg, Germany to Viborg, Denmark
186 mi · 3,300 ft · June
77
NorthCape 4000
Rovereto, Italy to North Cape, Norway
2485 mi · 98,000 ft · July
77
Sierra Nevada Límite Gran Fondo
Cenes de la Vega, Granada, Spain
91 mi · 11,000 ft · May
77
Struggle Dales
Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
109 mi · 9,430 ft · May
77
Tour of the Peak
Bakewell, Derbyshire, England
113 mi · 9,500 ft · May
76
Graean Cymru
Llyn Brenig, North Wales, United Kingdom
North Wales forest racing: 113 kilometers, 99 percent off road, and almost nowhere flat.
65 mi · 6,795 ft · September
76
Grinduro France
Xonrupt-Longemer, Vosges, France
Enduro-style gravel festival that debuted in France's Vosges in 2024 — status uncertain, not on Grinduro's current series calendar.
62 mi · 6,562 ft · June
76
Grinduro Germany
Hellenthal, Eifel, Germany
Enduro-style gravel festival that ran in Germany's Eifel 2022-2025 — status uncertain, not on Grinduro's current series calendar.
62 mi · 6,562 ft · May
76
Mammoth Tuff
Mammoth Lakes, California
UCI Gravel World Series qualifier at 8,000 feet—High Sierra alpine gravel where altitude humbles everyone.
89 mi · 7,500 ft · June
76
Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder
Central Oregon (multiple towns)
5 days. 5 stages. The Grand Tour of American Gravel.
350 mi · 30,000 ft · July
76
Rule of Three
Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville's three-surface problem: tarmac speed, sharp Ozark gravel, and climby singletrack on one bike.
115 mi · May
76
The Accursed Race (TAR)
Albania/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina/Kosovo
994 mi · 121,391 ft · May
76
Whiskey Off-Road
Prescott, Arizona
The OG Southwest MTB festival. Skull Valley will break you. Whiskey Row will rebuild you.
50 mi · 6,523 ft · April
74
GFNY NYC
New York City, New York, USA
100 mi · 8,500 ft · May
74
Gravel Burn
Great Karoo, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Seven days and 750km across the Great Karoo, with full-service Burn Camps and no hiding from cumulative fatigue.
466 mi · 27,887 ft · October
74
Gunni Grinder
Gunnison, Colorado
High-altitude Colorado mountain gravel with 10,000 feet of climbing and thin air at 10,000 ft.
120.5 mi · 9,785 ft · September
74
La Vaujany Cyclosportive
Vaujany, Isère, France
106 mi · 13,000 ft · June
74
Lauf True Grit Gravel Epic
Santa Clara, Utah
Where the Mojave, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau collide to humble your gravel dreams
84 mi · 9,000 ft · March
74
Le Grand du Nord
Grand Marais, Minnesota
Minnesota's North Shore gravel classic at Lake Superior—110 miles through Northwoods and Gunflint Trail terrain.
110 mi · 6,000 ft · May
74
London Edinburgh London
Chelmsford, Essex, UK
950 mi · 36,000 ft · July
74
Monaco Gravel Race
Peille, France (near Monaco)
Peille, high above Monaco—116km of steep French Alps climbs, ~2,500m elevation, iconic location.
72 mi · 8,202 ft · April
74
Nova Eroica
Buonconvento, Tuscany, Italy
Tuscan strade bianche—135km of iconic white roads, 2,800m elevation, medieval town charm, Italian gravel paradise.
81 mi · 6,529 ft · April
74
Ouray Gravel Grinder
Ouray, Colorado
Where gravel meets the sky - high-altitude suffering in Colorado's Switzerland
80 mi · 7,800 ft · September
74
Pirinexus 360
Girona, Catalonia, Spain
Trans-Pyrenean ultra-gravel through volcanic zones, medieval villages, and Costa Brava coast - Spain's answer to the 200-mile question
211 mi · 11,150 ft · September
74
Race Across Germany North–South
Flensburg to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
683 mi · 24,606 ft · July
73
Epic Gran Canaria
Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain
118 mi · 7,500 ft · February
73
Grand Tour 3 Cime Lavaredo
Auronzo di Cadore, Veneto, Italy
A 10,400-foot Dolomites gravel race where the last named climb crests after kilometre 100.
82.6 mi · 10,400 ft · June
73
Grasshopper Adventure Series
Northern California
The OG of gravel racing - 25+ years of Northern California dirt, redwoods, and pure cycling soul.
70 mi · 4,500-9,116 ft · January
73
Pisgah Monster Cross
Pisgah Forest, North Carolina (near Brevard; Pisgah National Forest)
Southeast gravel classic—69 miles, 8,777 feet of technical Appalachian terrain in Pisgah National Forest.
69.2 mi · 8,777 ft · September
73
Race Across Spain
Santander to Valencia, Spain
621 mi · 35,000 ft · September
73
Rasputitsa
Jay, Vermont
Vermont's early season mud fest—46 miles of Class 4 roads, self-supported suffering, and guaranteed mud.
53 mi · 5,300 ft · March
73
Škoda Ring of Clare Sportive
Ennis, County Clare, Ireland
100 mi · 5,000 ft · July
73
Seorak GranFondo
Gangwon-do, South Korea
129 mi · 11,500 ft · September
73
Tour de Romandie Cyclosportive
Lausanne, Switzerland
100 mi · 8,500 ft · April
73
Tour of Thekkady — Kerala Gran Fondo
Kottayam to Thekkady, Kerala, India
90 mi · 9,800 ft · March
73
Trans Balkan Race
Dinaric Alps, Slovenia to Montenegro
870 mi · 98,425 ft · May
71
The Bootlegger
Lenoir, North Carolina
Wilson Creek Gorge, Maple Sally Road, and 7,250 feet of climbing across the official 85-mile North Carolina long course.
85 mi · 7,250 ft · April
71
Belgian Waffle Ride North Carolina
Hendersonville, North Carolina
The Hell of the East - where your gravel bike wishes it was a mountain bike and your legs wish they were someone else's.
100 mi · 8,000 ft
71
Falling Leaves Lahti
Lahti, Finland
One hundred nine miles of Finnish hardpack rollers with almost nowhere to hide.
108.7 mi · 5,203 ft · September
71
Giro Sardegna Gravel
Muravera-Villasimius, Sardinia, Italy
Southeast Sardinia coastal gravel—107km, fast and non-technical, Mediterranean views, May warmth.
66.5 mi · 4,100 ft · May
71
Granfondo do Porto
Porto, Portugal
81 mi · 5,200 ft · April
71
Gravel Brazil
Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Brazilian coastal mountains—113km, 1,778m elevation, steep technical terrain in beach town paradise.
70 mi · 5,833 ft · March
71
Heck of the North
Two Harbors, Minnesota
Technical snowmobile-trail gravel through Minnesota's North Shore at peak fall foliage.
100 mi · 3,400 ft · September
71
Khomas100
Windhoek to Gross Barmen, Namibia
Windhoek to Gross Barmen on 143 kilometers of fast, rugged Namibian gravel.
88.9 mi · 7,546 ft · August
71
Low Gap Grasshopper
Ukiah, California
A dirt-heavy January opener on private Mendocino timber roads.
59 mi · 6,585 ft · January
71
Nordsjørittet
Egersund to Sandnes, Norway
96 mi · 4,900 ft · June
71
Race Around Rwanda
Kigali, Rwanda
621 mi · 62,335 ft · February
71
Southern Cross Gravel
Dahlonega, Georgia
Punchy Georgia mountain gravel with a winery finish and the best post-race party in the Southeast.
50 mi · 5,500 ft · March
71
The Gralloch
Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
Britain's gravel qualifier: 111 kilometers, 1,761 meters of climbing, and more than 80 percent gravel through Galloway Forest Park.
69.0 mi · 5,778 ft · May
71
Tour Aotearoa
Cape Reinga to Bluff, New Zealand
1864 mi · February
71
Ukiah Mendo Gravel Epic
Ukiah, California
A redwood-heavy series finale with 8,420 feet, private roads, and no free coast to the line.
76 mi · 8,420 ft · May
71
Vermont Overland
West Windsor, Vermont (starts at Ascutney Outdoors; course also touches Reading and Woodstock)
OG gravel since 2009—55 miles of Vermont pavé, 7,000 feet of climbing, and Paris-Roubaix dirt roads.
55 mi · 7,000 ft · August
70
555 Corsica
Porto-Vecchio to Biguglia, Corsica, France
A 500-kilometer self-supported crossing of Corsica with 10,000 meters of climbing and roughly 100 kilometers of forest track.
310.7 mi · 32,808 ft · May
70
Chequamegon MTB
Cable, Wisconsin (Chequamegon National Forest)
The Cheq—four decades of mass-start MTB speed from Hayward to Cable through Wisconsin's Northwoods.
41.7 mi · 2,561 ft · September
70
Garden Route Giro
Mossel Bay to Wilderness, Western Cape, South Africa
Six stages, seven Western Cape towns, and a Grand Tour-shaped gravel race from ocean to Karoo and back.
April
70
GFNY Philippines
Subic Bay, Philippines
84 mi · 4,000 ft · March
70
Granfondo Alpe Adria
Villach, Carinthia, Austria
100 mi · 6,800 ft · July
70
Del Fuego Race
Puerto Natales to Caleta María, Magallanes, Chile
A 1,050-kilometer line from Puerto Natales to the end of the road.
652.4 mi · 26,762 ft · April
70
Grinduro California
Quincy, California (Plumas County)
OG gravel party—timed enduro descents, untimed climbs, legendary Quincy vibes since 2015.
51 mi · 7,200 ft · September
70
Paris to Ancaster
Paris to Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
Canada's Spring Classic. 110km of mud chutes, rail trails, and chaos (70km age-band option for men 65+/women 50+). The race that eats bikes.
68 mi · 4,000 ft · April
70
Tartu Rattamaraton Gravel
Otepää to Elva, Estonia
A thirty-year Estonian bike marathon becomes 93 percent off-road UCI gravel without losing its festival scale.
78.3 mi · 4,921 ft · September
69
Bluewater International Gran Fondo
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
93 mi · 2,800 ft · August
69
Final Frontier Patagonia
Southern Patagonia, Chile
1678 mi · 82,021 ft · March
69
Gran Fondo Coimbra Region
Coimbra, Portugal
91 mi · 6,500 ft · September
69
Gran Fondo Hainan
Hainan Island, China
68 mi · 4,000 ft · December
69
Granfondo Leiria Region – Sico Lands
Pombal, Portugal
92 mi · 4,846 ft · March
69
Granfondo Yunnan
Kunming, Yunnan, China
87 mi · 7,500 ft · November
69
Highlands Gravel Classic
Goshen, Arkansas
One of the US qualifiers for UCI Gravel World Championships. 67 miles of Ozark smashfest.
67 mi · 4,850 ft · April
69
Huffmaster Grasshopper
Maxwell, California
Ninety mixed-terrain miles where wind, mud, and the back-half climbs decide the race.
90 mi · 4,866 ft · February
69
Majka Gran Fondo
Krakow, Poland
73 mi · 5,200 ft · August
69
Race Around Austria
St. Georgen im Attergau, Austria
348 mi · 21,300 ft · August
69
Rock Cobbler
Bakersfield, California
California's early season classic—the Cobbler course runs 75-90 miles of Central Valley rocks, dirt, and February weather roulette.
82 mi · 8,700 ft · February
69
The Rad Dirt Fest
Trinidad, Colorado
113 miles through Trinidad's high desert and Spanish Peaks—long climbing, thin air, and a 31-mile unsupported stretch.
113 mi · 10,613 ft · September
67
BWR Arizona
North Scottsdale / Rio Verde, Arizona (Ranch Road Staging Area)
Hell of the North Desert—100+ miles of sand, rock, and technical singletrack through Arizona's high desert.
103 mi · 7,500 ft · February
67
Collegiate Gravel Nationals
Turkey, Texas
USA Cycling National Championship—100km of Texas Panhandle gravel, collegiate field, wind, red dirt.
50 mi · 4,921 ft · April
67
Sea Otter Fuego XL
Monterey, California
Where the major series begins and Leadville dreams are made in California sand
66 mi · 7,800 ft · April
67
Gravel and Tar Classic
Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand
New Zealand countryside gravel, January summer warmth — the UCI 'Classic' is elite-only; amateurs enter the companion 'Slicks and Stones Gravel Assault' instead.
75 mi · 6,175 ft · January
67
Roughneck Gravel Roubaix
Titusville, Pennsylvania
Oil-country gravel that climbs out of the Allegheny River valley.
101.9 mi · 9,985 ft
67
Grinduro Canada
Saint-Urbain-de-Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada
Race inside a 450-million-year-old meteorite crater where the party is as legendary as the singletrack
67 mi · 5,900 ft · August
67
Hong Kong Cyclothon
Hong Kong, China
31 mi · 1,200 ft · November
67
Jämtlandspilen
Östersund, Sweden
152 mi · 5,000 ft · August
67
Pyrénées Catalanes Gravel Tour
Font-Romeu, Pyrénées-Orientales, France
A high-altitude UCI qualifier built from three Pyrenean loops and a late trip to 2,006 metres.
62.1 mi · 7,500 ft · September
67
Velothon Berlin
Berlin, Germany
99 mi · 2,000 ft · July
66
3RIDES Gravel Winterberg
Winterberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Three days, almost no asphalt, and enough Sauerland climbing to make recovery part of the race.
80 mi · 9,843 ft · July
66
Birkebeinerrittet Sykkel
Rena to Lillehammer, Norway
52.2 mi · 3,986 ft · August
66
GFNY San Juan
San Juan, Argentina
96 mi · 4,265 ft · March
66
Gran Fondo San Diego
San Diego, California, USA
101 mi · 6,600 ft · April
66
Jackson Forest Grasshopper
Caspar, California
Thirty-two miles of redwood singletrack and gravel that belong on a hardtail, not a marketing spreadsheet.
32 mi · 4,138 ft · April
66
Lost River Classic
Mathias, West Virginia
West Virginia's Appalachian gravel grinder: 8,500 feet of relentless climbing through humid forest roads where heat management matters more than fitness.
85 mi · 8,500 ft · August
66
Nordic Chase Berlin to Copenhagen Gravel
Berlin, Germany to Copenhagen, Denmark
A self-supported gravel ultra from Berlin to Copenhagen through German forest tracks, Baltic wind, and Danish gravel.
454 mi · 13,123 ft · July
66
Nordic Chase Copenhagen to Oslo Gravel
Copenhagen, Denmark to Oslo, Norway
A self-supported Nordic ultra from Copenhagen to Oslo, with the final 2027 grand-depart details still pending.
497 mi · 23,622 ft · August
66
Pan Celtic Ultra
Wales to Ireland
1427 mi · 84,645 ft · July
66
Race Around Ireland
Trim, County Meath, Ireland
1336 mi · 72,000 ft · August
66
RADL GRVL
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Adelaide Hills adventure—127km of rolling Australian bush, ~2,200m elevation, South Australia gravel.
79.6 mi · 6,199 ft · January
66
UCI Gran Fondo Hangzhou
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
87 mi · 5,200 ft · October
64
Crystal Bear
Laona, WI to Crystal Falls, MI
192-mile overnight bikepacking odyssey from Wisconsin to Michigan's Upper Peninsula where darkness, cold, and solitude break you down and build you back.
192 mi · 8,000 ft · May
64
Dirty French
Chillicothe, Ohio
Ohio's Appalachian suffer fest - 9,000 feet of vertical brutality in the heartland
100 mi · 9,000 ft · May
64
Gran Fondo Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina
77 mi · 300 ft · October
64
Granfondo Bratislava
Bratislava, Slovakia
82 mi · 3,600 ft · August
64
Gravel Arteaga Mexico
Arteaga, Coahuila, Mexico
Mexico's first UCI gravel qualifier starts high, climbs for forty kilometres, and stays in the Sierra Madre.
82.6 mi · 5,407 ft · August
64
HYSK Gravel Classic Yakurai
Kami Town, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
Deep Tohoku gravel with 8,563 feet of climbing packed into 66 miles.
66.5 mi · 8,563 ft · August
63
Atlas Mountain Race
Ouzoud to Essaouira, Morocco
827 unsupported miles from Ouzoud across the Atlas to Essaouira.
827 mi · 81,011 ft · March
63
Dirty 30
Saranac, Michigan
Early season Michigan gravel with cold starts, mud risk, and MGRS community.
100 mi · 3,500 ft · April
63
Iowa Wind and Rock
Winterset, Iowa
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.
340 mi · 8,000 ft · April
63
Ned Gravel
Nederland, Colorado
High-altitude Front Range gravel with ghost towns and 8,000-foot starts.
70 mi · 8,300 ft · July
63
OG Classique
Wakefield, Quebec, Canada
Quebec gravel with a twenty-percent sting, a Paugan Dam crossing, and a finish built for small-group racing.
77.1 mi · 5,079 ft · June
63
Gran Fondo Pekan / Pekan Classic
Royal Town of Pekan, Pahang, Malaysia
101 mi · 2,500 ft · June
63
The Wolf
Dronninglund, North Jutland, Denmark
Denmark gets hilly in a hurry: castle cobbles, rugged forest roads, and three laps for the young categories.
102.5 mi · 4,587 ft · September
63
Tour of Oman Sportive
Muscat, Oman
105 mi · 8,500 ft · February
63
UEC Gravel European Championships — Lahti 2027
Lahti, Finland
A European title on Finland's hardpack gravel. Qualification is real; the final course is not published yet.
July
63
USA Cycling Gravel Nationals
La Crescent, Minnesota (2025-26); previously Gering, Nebraska (2023-24). 2027 host not yet announced.
Stars and stripes on gravel—the national championship with open entry and a UCI Worlds pathway.
110 mi · 7,500 ft · September
63
Vapor Trail 125
Leadville, Colorado
125-mile high-altitude Colorado mountain gravel in Leadville.
125 mi · 9,000 ft · September
63
VeloTurk Gran Fondo Cesme
Cesme, Izmir, Turkey
57 mi · 3,400 ft · April
61
Boulder Roubaix Road Race
Boulder Reservoir, Boulder County, Colorado, USA
America's spring classic. 61% dirt, 39% pavement, 100% suffering. The original Paris-Roubaix tribute race on Colorado's Front Range farm roads.
30 mi · 1,200 ft · April
61
Cohutta Gravel Grinder
Chatsworth, Georgia
100-mile Georgia mountain gravel through Cohutta Wilderness.
100 mi · 9,000 ft · April
61
Finnish Gravel
Lahti, Paijanne Tavastia, Finland
The happiest gravel in the world. F1 glamour meets midnight sun in a UNESCO Geopark. Fast, flat, and fckng Finnish.
110 mi · 2,129 ft · August
61
Gran Fondo Badlands
Drumheller, Alberta, Canada
101 mi · 2,870 ft · July
61
Gravel Tour Hlinsko
Hlinsko, Pardubice Region, Czechia
Czech forest gravel in two acts: 86 rolling kilometres, then a second loop for anyone still racing.
80.2 mi · 5,174 ft · August
61
Gravel Weekend Tukums
Tukums, Latvia
Latvia's gravel festival is 91 percent dirt, sold out, and rolling almost every kilometre.
87.0 mi · August
61
Kindling
Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Three Karoo gravel stages from Graaff-Reinet to Blaauwater Burn Camp and back.
188.3 mi · 12,369 ft · April
61
Transcordilleras
Colombian Andes, Colombia
Colombian Andes mountain gravel adventure.
120 mi · 15,000 ft
61
WYO 131
Lander, Wyoming
Central Wyoming ultra-distance gravel through mountain and high desert.
131 mi · 7,500 ft · September
61
Yangyang Gran Fondo
Yangyang, Gangwon-do, South Korea
93 mi · 6,800 ft · October
60
Bighorn Gravel
Gypsum, Colorado
Colorado mountain gravel in Gypsum near Vail with high altitude climbing.
85 mi · 10,000 ft · June
60
Gran Fondo Curacavi
Curacavi, Valparaiso Region, Chile
75 mi · 4,500 ft · April
60
Okanagan Graveller
West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
A three-distance backcountry gravel race from Telemark Nordic Club into the forest roads above West Kelowna.
74.6 mi · June
60
THE EQUALIZER - Missouri State Championship
Marthasville, Missouri
Missouri State Gravel Championship through wine country — now raced in November cold.
62 mi · 3,786 ft · November
60
Truckee Tahoe Gravel
Truckee, California
California Sierra Nevada/Tahoe gravel in Truckee.
66 mi · 4,604 ft · June
60
Vuelta Altas Cumbres
Villa Cura Brochero, Córdoba Province, Argentina
Sierras de Córdoba mountain gravel through the Traslasierra Valley -- Argentina's first UCI Gravel World Series event.
75 mi · 6,330 ft · March
60
Wasatch All-Road
Heber City, Utah
Northern Utah mountain gravel in Wasatch Range near Park City.
82 mi · 10,560 ft · August
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