(logo whooshes in)
- [Narrator] Gravel riding is gathering momentum,
and more and more races and events
are springing up all the time, taking you away from tarmac
and on to the best dirt roads in the world.
(bike tire scraping)
Here are five of the very best for you here.
The gold standard for gravel road races,
the one everyone wants to win,
the Dirty Kanza is raced over 200 miles
in the Flint Hills of east central Kansas.
The remoteness and harshness of the Flint Hills prairie
makes the Dirty Kanza one of the
toughest tests for any cyclist.
Just making it to the end of the Dirty Kanza
inside the time cut is an achievement in itself.
But, even for the fastest riders
the Dirty Kanza 200 is a proper epic.
Last year the men's winner finished in just under 11 hours.
Reportedly the biggest gravel road race in the world
up to 3,500 cyclists descend on Barry County, Michigan
to start off the gravel season.
With courses ranging from 22 to a hundred miles,
the Barry-Roubaix is great for any ability of rider,
from those who are just dipping their toes
into gravel racing, to hardened, elite-level riders.
2018 saw the introduction of the hundred mile
Psycho-Killer route, with sections
specifically chosen to be so difficult
that riders will have to get off and walk.
- And off we go
- [Narrator] This could be described
as the UK's answer to American gravel races.
Riders cover 200 kilometers on graveled forest
access roads on the border between England and Scotland.
Organizers are keen to point out
that this is not actually a race,
it's more of a gravel sportive.
As if 200 gravel kilometers wasn't hard enough,
the Dirty Reiver also features
a significant amount of climbing,
around 4,000 meters to be exact,
which is about on par with the long route at the Maratona.
The first and only gravel stage race in existence,
this is a really different idea of what a bike race can be.
Run over four days, with three days
counting for the overall classification.
Day one involves 50 miles of gravel
roads and technical single track.
Day two is more like a mountain bike enduro,
featuring a 40 mile ride with a 5.5 mile uphill time trial.
Day three is an easy spin for recovery,
and finally day four is an epic 94 mile gravel race,
which is actually a standalone race in itself.
Fancy riding around Kyrgyzstan? Sure you do.
80% of this Central Asian country
bordering Tajikistan, Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan, and China, is incredibly mountainous.
Much of it remains pristine wilderness,
and a gravel track is likely the best road you'll find.
The PEdALED Silk Road Mountain Race is 1,700 kilometers
of self-supported, bike-packing heaven,
if you like climbing of course,
because there is 26,000 meters of ascent.
The route is predetermined, using gravel,
double track, and single track, with just
three checkpoints along the way.
It will take gravel riding to its
absolute limit, not for the faint of heart.
There you have it, five truly epic
gravel rides for you there.
Let us know in the comments, which of these
are on your bucket list, or if you think
there's an event that deserved to make the cut.
We'd love to know your thoughts.
If the idea of racing dirt roads appeals to you,
you can check out our video on how to prepare
for a gravel race, by clicking just down here.