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The Best New Gravel Events of 2020

Dave Malwitz

In the process of writing up the Top 12 Most Influential Gravel Events of 2020, we came across so many other great rides and races from across the gravel universe. And while many of them are well established, for others this will be their first year. These yet to be experienced races have the potential to take our sport into new territory with innovative new formats and uncharted host locations. So as a follow up to our previous list, we bring you the Top 5 New Gravel Events we’re most excited about for 2020.

1. Mammoth Tuff

#ExploreyourTUFF

PC: Dakota Snider

At the top of our list is the all-new Mammoth Tuff, located in one of our favorite mountain towns, Mammoth Lakes, California. The fall event will run on September 19, 2020, and feature two routes at 45-miles and 100-miles. Organizers Dave Sheek and Amanda Nauman have poured their collective energy and experience into creating what will certainly be the perfect gravel event recipe with its community, a wonderful host city and incredible terrain. But don’t slack on your training, this Sierra Nevada crusher is a full 1000ft higher in altitude than Steamboat Springs, sending riders up 8,000 feet of elevation gain on its 100 mile course. We love that they’ve also paired the race with the local Oktoberfest festival, with the finishing celebration set in the beautiful Village at Mammoth. The event is limited to 850 participants, and 10% of entry fees will benefit the preservation of surrounding public lands. Hope to see you there!

2. Frontier 300

“WE LIVE ON AN ISLAND, EVERYONE SHOULD RIDE ACROSS IT AT LEAST ONCE!”

Suggested to us by our friends at the recently launched Unpaved Podcast is this brand new gravel adventure known as the Salsa Frontier 300, and it looks good! You may have heard of the Coast to Coast, well this one is similar but it crosses the entire island of Great Britain. The Frontier 300 is a UK epic stretching from the Irish Sea in Scotland to North Sea on the east coast of England. Journey with fellow riders through the heart of the old Border Marches to arrive at a party fit for kings. The fully supported 300 km epic kicks off before sunrise in hopes to finish before sundown, although many will not. Riders have the option of doing the event solo or as a pair. Paired riders will have designated ‘hand over’ points along the route where one rider can pass the timing baton to the other. We look forward to seeing more from this new Salsa event, minus the chaise.

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3. The Appalachian Journey

#Gravelachia doth provide

The first of two Virginia races to make our top 5 new gravel events in 2020 is The Appalachian Journey. Set among the primitive groads of Floyd County, Virginia, The Journey will be a race to some, but a unique cycling experience for all. Run as a “partner format event”, racers will pair up in duo teams and coordinate on the entire ride from preparation to finish. The 110 mile “Long Doggie” features some of the best and wild parts of the Floyd Plateau including the Eastern Divide and Indian Valley. We look forward to seeing how this adventure unfolds, and as they say: “Fast or slow its all about The Journey.”

4. BWR Asheville

The Hell of the North (Carolina)

PC: Wil Matthews

The time has finally come for America’s spring classic to expand its reach for Tripel the suffering. For years, Belgian Waffle Ride promotor Michael Marckx dreamed of delivering a road race that would attract the highest level of competition. With its punishing dirt sectors, Oasis antics and always talented field of riders, what resulted has become one of the most respected gravel races of our time. For 2020 the BWR swells to 3 events including this one in Asheville, North Carolina. Staged in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and hosted by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, the course is said to feature over 144 miles of everything mixed-surface dreams are made of. And if you can’t make this newbie in Asheville, check out the 3rd crown in Cedar City, UT.

5. Mountains to Meadows

THE “ORIGINAL GRAVEL ENDURO”

Perhaps more familiar than you think, the all-new Mountains to Meadows replaces Grinduro in Quincy, CA for 2020. M2M maintains its timed stage gravel enduro roots, as well as its strong connection to local trail advocacy. According to Greg Williams, Executive Director of the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, “Quincy Mountains to Meadows will build on this success with the goal of incorporating more multi-use activities, evolving into a celebration of outdoor recreation in the Lost Sierra.” From the creators of the Lost & Found Gravel Grinder, riders can expect live music, camping and that world-class Quincy gravel.

Other New Stoke Worthy Events

Although these didn’t make our top 5 new gravel grinders for 2020, here are a few other all-new gravel events worth checking out:

Broken Spoke Challenge | March 28, 2020

Nova Eroica | April 4, 2020

Chinkapin Hollow Gravel Grinder | May 1-2, 2020

The Heywood | May 16, 2020

GraVista | June 20, 2020

Salt Creek Ramble | August 1, 2020

Stetina’s Paydirt | Sept 19, 2020

BWR Cedar City | October 17, 2020

Big Sugar | October 24, 2020

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