"Discover the true essence of gravel riding – a spirit driven by adventure, boldness, and a desire to explore" is how the opening sentence reads on the website of the Bedrock Cycling Festival 2024. As a means of hooking you in and creating a mental image in your mind's eye of azure blue skies, dusty sun-kissed trails and evenings spent dining with friends in a bougainvillaea-draped taverna, the team behind the festival have hit the jackpot. Now in its third year of operation, the Bedrock Gravel Festival is the latest of the Gravel Union Recommended Events for 2024 and we wanted to give you some insight and inspiration into this brilliant event.
Image courtesy of Emmie Collinge
If you close your eyes and take a deep breath, you can practically smell the scent of freshly brewed coffee and spring flowers, as the warm early morning sunshine lights up the town square and invites you to take a seat and linger over your breakfast a little longer. That's exactly the kind of feeling that the organisers of the Bedrock Gravel Festival want to create. Although one day of the weeklong festival is all about speed, the rest of the week is based around discovering "the spirit of gravel" and exploring the beautiful island of Cyprus, where the event is held.
Images courtesy of Emmie Collinge
The Bedrock Cycling Festival is made up of two main parts - a weeklong "ode to all the adventurous riders out there" with daily guided rides and "local gastronomy, wine making, cheese farms and orchards loaded with fresh fruits calling you to taste them" with the culmination being the 51 mile/80 km Bedrock Gravel Race. Away from the bikes, there is the chance to partake in "Yoga stretching, learning traditional local skills including pottery, Halloumi making & Basket Weaving and Koupepia and Hummus making."
If you would like to find out what it's like to take part in the Bedrock Gravel Festival then check out Emmie's story from 2023 and if you'd like to find out more details or sign up, head over to the event website.
Gravel Union Member Competition
If you would like to win one of two free entries that we're giving away for the Bedrock Gravel Race 2024, which is being held on Saturday 20th April, all you need to do is to click on this link and we will enter you into the prize draw.
We will announce the winner's name on Monday 11th March.
The competition is available to members only, so if you haven't already signed up, then you can do so here. The prize is a free entry and does not include accommodation or travel. There are no cash alternatives.