The inaugural running of the Octopus Gravel event on 2nd July 2022 is definitely something to add into your gravel event calendar if you’re big fans of amazing alpine scenery, great riding and a fantastic festival atmosphere.
It’s being put on in Andermatt, Switzerland in an area traditionally known for its epic road riding, but according to event organiser Janosch Wintermantel it’s much better suited for fans of gravel riding. We chatted with him recently and asked him about the inspiration for the event and its unique format “The area is famous for its road riding, but in my view the gravel riding is even more spectacular and there’s obviously no traffic to have to worry about [except the occasional Swiss cow perhaps?]. The gravel routes offer more adventure and an overall nicer ride, but we had one problem – many of the best trails lead to a dead-end valley with no easy means of connecting to the next one. So, we came up with the concept of organising an event using the dead end valleys, but after each one the participants will return to the main arena. The beauty of this is that you can ride as much or as little as you like”
He continued “For anyone who chooses to ride all seven passes, the total distance would be 155kms and you would keep 4350m so it’s a big day out! But you can choose how hard you want the event to be. We have included three enduro-style timed climbs with distances of between 4kms and 7kms and the fastest women and men will receive prizes. We’re also running a raffle competition with prizes available for every climb each participant completes – the more climbs you complete the greater your chances of winning a raffle prize.”
But it’s not just about the riding, there will be great food and music too, all held in the main square of Andermatt. For anyone who wants to make a weekend or a proper holiday in the area, the organisers have done deals with campsites, hostels and hotels – you can find all the details on their website.
The event is proving super popular and they already have riders from 36 different nationalities signed up, including some big-name pro riders. The event is limited to 350 riders, so if you’re interested in taking part, don’t delay – entries cost CHF99 (around £80/€100) and you can sign up here.
We have some good news for Gravel Union members – we’ve got a pair of free tickets to give away. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is send us an email at info@gravelunion.cc and we will enter you into prize draw. This competition is open to members only, so if you haven’t done so already, you can sign up for a free membership here. We will pull the name of the lucky winner out of our digital hat on Wednesday 8th June so don’t delay if you’d like to win!