‘Tis the season — registration season that is! If you haven’t planned out your 2026 cycling season yet, you’d best get to it because the biggest gravel events are selling out fast.
To make things a little easier on you, you can find some of the biggest events of the gravel calendar, their event dates and registration details below.
Events in North America
Unbound Gravel
Registration: Unbound is a lottery-only event. The lottery for all distances opens November 1 and remains open through the 15th. The lottery winners will be notified on November 21.
Event date: May 29 – May 31, 2026
Location: Emporia, Kansas
Unbound Gravel is a mass-start event held in the Tallgrass Prairie and Flint Hills around Emporia, Kansas, in the middle of the United States. With five race distances on offer and five thousand participants, Unbound has become the world’s marquee gravel event.
The famous 200-mile course is a true test of endurance, self-sufficiency and equipment. In addition to needing to fuel oneself for 11+ hours of riding, the sharp flint rocks are notorious for slicing tyres and dashing podium aspirations. Along the way, riders also need to contend with the undulating terrain, exposed sun-baked roads, headwinds and, if at all wet, tyre-sucking mud.
For those seeking the ultimate challenge, there’s the 350-mile option called the XL. There are also 25-mile, 50-mile and 100-mile options.
Due to high demand, the event organisers cannot accommodate everyone who wishes to participate. Therefore, a random selection process determines who will be allowed to participate in the 2026 event. When registration opens, you’re entered into a lottery. Those selected to participate in Unbound 2026 will be notified on November 21.
SBT GRVL
Registration: Now open. Closes October 31.
Event Date: une 27-28, 2026
Location: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
SBT GRVL has gone through an odyssey of sorts over the last few years. Outcries from local ranchers forced the race to dramatically alter its course in 2024, before it had to shift again and reschedule in 2025. After two years of upheaval, however, the race finally seems to have some stability, returning to downtown Steamboat Springs in 2026 with pro and amateur races.
The race is divided into four distances, with the Black course hosting the weekend’s racing. Separate pro men’s and women’s starts will precede the amateur racers, while the other courses will be considered rides focusing on recreational participation.
With a return to normalcy, SBT GRVL hopes to recapture its position as the second-largest race in America after a step back in 2025, when it had to pivot to a unique split format. Surely, many riders will be happy to see the tried-and-true format return and will be back in Steamboat this June, even if the calendar remains busy at the beginning of summer.
(Image credit: Specialized)
The Belgian Waffle Ride Series
BWR Arizona: Registration open
Event date: February 28, 2026
Location: Cave Creek, AZ
BWR California: Registration open
Event date: May 3, 2026
Location: Del Mar, CA
BWR Utah: Registration open
Event date: June 16, 2026
Location: Cedar City, UT
BWR Montana: Registration open
Event date: June 20, 2026
Location: Bozeman, MT
The Belgian Waffle Ride is now entering its 14th season and has settled into its position as the second biggest off-road (or unroad, as they say) series in the United States behind the Life Time Grand Prix
When Michael Marckx created the original Belgian Waffle Ride in 2011 in San Diego, California, he never aimed for it to be a gravel race. He modelled the race after the spirit of the Belgian Spring monuments, meaning long distances and tough, technical terrain. In lieu of cobblestones, however, Marckx routed his participants over dirt sectors.
As the years went on, Marckx and his participants embraced increasingly technical and off-road terrain. Today, BWR has become more and more centred on a group of four BWR-branded races that represent the “Quadruple Crown,” which provides an ample prize purse to those who manage to do well in all four of the premier BWR events.
That isn’t the full extent of the BWR races; the number changes as different events are added and cycled through, but they are the ones with the most attendees. Arizona, in particular, has been on the rise in recent years, offering a great course with gravel-bikeable singletrack, massive cacti, and fantastic weather.
There are several race distances on offer, but all promise plenty of “suffering over sinuous, bone grinding roads fraught with arduous climbs, mud, choking dust, leg-numbing sleet or heat and winds.”
Mid South
Registration: November 1
Event Date: March 13-14, 2026
Location: Stillwater, Oklahoma
Mid South, formerly known as Land Run, is gearing up for its 13th edition, for a second year in a row (we’ll cover that later). It is considered by many to be the gravel season opener. Every year, more races in warmer places stake claim to that classification, but spiritually, it is a key harbinger for what is to come. With that growing status as one of the fundamental races of the global gravel calendar, thousands of racers make the trek to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to contest the infamous red-clay roads in either the 50-mile or 100-mile race.
While the racing within the peloton is fierce, perhaps the biggest competition, however, comes from the weather and the consequent road conditions. Every year, the race is defined by the state of Oklahoma’s red dirt. If dry, the red roads are hard-packed and fast. If wet, the clay turns to thick, soul-sucking mud that’s barely rideable and is known to destroy many a drivetrain.
Last year, the weather posed the ultimate challenge when extreme winds sparked wildfires the afternoon before the event, forcing its cancellation. While a one-in-a-hundred weather event won’t likely happen again anytime soon, it is a testimony to just how volatile it can be.
For next year, the race is evolving its schedule to include a separate elite 100-mile race on Friday afternoon. That means the event is now a full two-day affair, with a 50K ultra trail running event on Friday morning before the pro race in the afternoon. For everyone else, Saturday is the main event, with the 100-mile and 50-mile mass-start amateur races running as normal. What’s more, those with energy to burn can sign up to do “the double”: a 50K running race followed by a 100-mile gravel bike race the following day.
(Image credit: 241 Photography)
Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder
Registration: Open now
Event Date: July 8-12, 2026
Location: Bend, Oregon, among other Oregon towns
The Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder entered the gravel fray in 2019 and quickly became one of the biggest stops on the gravel calendar as the five-day stage race throughout Oregon’s Cascade Mountains is a true one-of-one event and one of the key U.S. stops of the Gravel Earth Series.
The crux of the race is that it mixes bike racing with a travelling summer camp for adults. Every day, the peloton rolls out from the start and tackles a point-to-point stage before ending at a new campsite with everyone’s belongings sitting in huge tote bins, ready for everyone to set up their camp for the night before doing it again the next day. The hanging out between he races is almost as celebrated as the beautiful riding itself.
While the six editions since have been successful, the race is a massive lift for the organisers, stretching from the months of snow removal and roadwork before the event through the frantic five days of logistics during the race. Due to that strain, the race has come out and said it’s on the clock. Only four editions of the events remain, so if you are interested in a tour of the Cascades, get on it while the getting is good.
Rebecca’s Private Idaho
Registration: Opens Novermber 17, 2025
Event Date: Labor Day Weekend, starting Thursday, September 3, 2026
Location: Ketchum, Idaho
Rebecca’s Private Idaho is the brainchild of celebrated endurance racer Rebecca Rusch. Nicknamed “The Queen of Pain”, Rusch a professional athlete, entrepreneur, filmmaker, author, philanthropist and firefighter. She’s got seven world champion mountain bike titles to her name along with a long list of national and world titles in whitewater rafting, adventure racing, orienteering and cross-country skiing.
Yet, despite being a racer at heart, Rusch’s main reason behind launching her Rebecca’s Private Idaho gravel event in 2013 is showcasing her chosen home in central Idaho many, many miles of scenic, unpaved roads.
A challenging event, RPI is a race for some, a ride for others and a great party for everyone. It’s well-recognized as one of the world’s largest and most popular gravel cycling races.
The event consists of a four-day Gravel stage race and several one-day gravel grinders ranging between 18 and 100 miles.
Barry Roubaix
Registration: Opens November 15, 2025
Event Date: April 18, 2026
Location: Barry County, Hastings, MI
The Barry Roubaix is one of the oldest gravel races in America and was started long before the gravel name had even taken hold.
“There’s a lot of hypotheticals out there as far as what really started ‘gravel’ racing in the area,” Scott TenCate, Barry Roubaix Co-Race Director, told Cycling Weekly.
“But here in Michigan we have very cold winters and coming into the spring, a lot of the mountain bikers couldn’t ride the local trails, because we had the freeze thaw that was going on. And so they were finding alternatives to being able to ride single track and from the stories that I’ve heard, it kind of started to migrate towards ‘Let’s ride some dirt, gravel, seasonal roads’…that kind of stuff.”
Nowadays, the Barry Roubaix is among the biggest gravel races in the world with 4,000 cyclists traversing the rolling Michigan terrain every year.
The Barry Roubaix offers four course options ranging between 18 and 100 miles, $40,000 in awards cash and prizes and a big afterparty for all.
Scenes from the 2022 Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder
(Image credit: Wil Matthews / OTGG)
PARIS TO ANCASTER
Registration: Open now
Event Date: April 26, 2026
Location: Ancaster, Ontario
Paris to Ancaster is widely seen as the original Canadian gravel event, finishing in Ancaster, Ontario, and, as the name suggests, starting in Paris, Ontario. There are a few quirks: three distance options have different start points, but the main event is the “Centro” point-to-point race, about 110 kilometres, with a 50-50 split between pavement and dirt roads.
The race began in 1994 and has stayed close to its roots with a low entry fee, an emphasis on the local community, and a simple approach to bike racing. The race has modernised in some ways over the past few years, serving as the Canadian Gravel Nationals in 2023 and joining the UCI Gravel World Series last year.
APPALACHIAN JOURNEY
Registration: To be announced
Event Date: April 4, 2026
Location: Floyd, Virginia
The Appalachian Journey is a deep cut on the U.S. gravel calendar, a hidden gem that surely will appeal to a large swath of riders. The race is unique in its format: a two-person race in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Everyone who starts must have a buddy to ride with until the line. It is like Cape Epic, but on gravel.
That alone makes the race quite appealing but the course itself also stands out. The East Coast is not the most prolific gravel region; most of the big races are in the West or Midwest, but don’t let that deter you. The Journey is a beast of a ride, filled with over a thousand feet of climbing per every 10 miles of distance, and there’s plenty of fast, technical downhill to keep you on your toes. It is truly a one-of-one opportunity to challenge yourself while also connecting with a friend in a beautiful place.
ENVE GRODEO
Registration: To be announced
Event Date: June 19-20, 2026
Location: Ogden, Utah
The Enve Grodeo is a non-race race that provides riders with a few things other “real” races can’t:
one) a glimpse into the inner workings of an important American bike brand;
two) a custom bike show;
three) a relaxed day of riding over incredible terrain.
Of course, the races don’t have the same beautiful franticness that most gravel races have, and for some, that is a deal breaker. But if you can see past it, it is an event that plugs into a facet of gravel enthusiasm that offers something different. That all being said, no one is stopping you from riding as hard as you can; there is room for that, too.
Events outside North America
(Image credit: Gravel Earth Series)
THE TRAKA
Registration: registration is open but filling up fast
Event Date: April 29, 2026
Location: Girona, Spain
The Traka is Spain’s —and maybe even Europe’s —premier gravel race, offering 100k, 200k, and 360k route options and drawing some of the world’s best gravel racers to Girona. The event may be promoted on its website as ‘a non-competitive bike ride whose values are ethics, camaraderie and respect for the environment,’ but with the attendance of top racers, there’s no doubt that Traka is a competitive environment.
Girona, known for its pro cyclist residents and picturesque landscapes, is an ideal backdrop for this event. It has grown steadily in popularity due to its challenging courses and top-tier competitors.
DIRTY REIVER
Registration: Sold out, but waitlist spots are available
Event Date: April 24-26, 2026
Location: Kielder Forest, UK
UK’s answer to American gravel racing comes in the form of the Dirty Reiver. Now in its 10th year, the Dirty Reiver is the biggest gravel event in the UK and is held in the Kielder and Wark Forest on the border of England and Scotland.
Big forests, lots of hills and endless kilometres of unpaved trails make the perfect location for a gravel event, which takes its participants to new vistas and areas of the wooded region year after year.
The mass-start event offers challenges of three lengths, 65km, 130km or 200km —all held exclusively off-pavement.
What gravel in Colombia looks like
(Image credit: Scarab Cycles)
TRANSCORDILLERAS
Registration: Open now
Event Date: February 22-March 1, 2026
Location: Paipa, Boyacá, Colombia
Of all the continents that should have a lot of gravel events, South America should sit very high on the list, as the continent is filled with beautiful gravel roads criss-crossing the mountains and jungles of countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. It is a gravel cycling treasure trove, and the Transcordilleras gravel stage race in Colombia is a fantastic window into this world.
The race is an eight-day stage race that crosses several of Colombia’s most intense mountain ranges, with the ho,t humid weather of February in Colombia providing an interesting wrinkle for the riders. The race is self-supported, meaning you must bring everything you need each day, so it can also be a nice introduction to bikepacking or bikepack racing without the pressure of the clock ticking. Plus, the race takes care of finding a nice place to spend the night between the 1,000 kilometres of intense gravel stages. Former WorldTour riders like Laurens ten Dam and Annemiek van Vleuten have challenged themselves here, so you know it’ll be a challenge.
RADL GRVL
Registration: Open now
Event Date: January 23, 2026
Location: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
In the past few years, RADL GRVL in Australia has replaced FNLD gravel at the top international event in the GRVL operation. The organisers of SBT GRVL have partnered with the Tour Down Under to build a U.S.-style gravel race around Adelaide, and the 112km course was an immediate hit with the race attracting several local pros and some of the favourites from the North American gravel scene.
Expect a hot race, with the date smack dab in the middle of the Australian summer. Nevertheless, the Australian cycling community is rich and has really embraced RADL GRVL as a staple of their calendar as the Tour Down Under grows year after year. Come for the gravel, stay for the WorldTour racing – that’s the idea.
(Image credit: RedOn Sports)
THE GRALLOCH
Registration: Open now
Event date: May 16, 2026
Location: Galloway Forest Park, UK
Held just across the Scots border from the renowned Dirty Reiver and comparable in terrain, next year will see the third edition of the Gralloch. It features miles of double track scoring both deep forest and open countryside, and numerous challenging climbs offering some tremendous views.
Based on the town of Gatehouse of Fleet, this is a proper race and has always been part of the UCI’s Gravel World Series, meaning the top 25% of finishers qualify to ride in the Gravel World Championship later in the year.
It’s a prized win in its own right, too, with the men’s event won this year by former WorldTour rider Petr Vakoc, taking the win in the men’s race after a close-fought battle with Matt Holmes, while Tessa Neefjes took the women’s race ahead of a slew of British favourites.
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