The last time you could take part in a Grinduro event in the UK was back in July 2023. Since then, the global event series has focussed its attentions on locations in mainland Europe and across the world. In 2025 the event celebrates its tenth anniversary and the purple party will be heading to the stunning scenery of the Cairngorms National Park in the far north of the UK. Read on if you’d like to find out more details.
For anyone who hasn’t heard of it, Grinduro is described by the organisers as combining “the best elements of a mountain bike enduro with a gravel grinder-style road race.” Grinduro events follow a similar pattern – a Friday afternoon prologue, a full day of riding & racing on the Saturday, a big party on the Saturday night and an optional hangover ride on the Sunday morning. Saturday’s ride is described as “one long loop of pavement and dirt, where finishing times aren’t based on overall loop time, but four timed segments (each roughly five-to-ten minutes).”
Grinduro courses are famous for not being a stereotypical gravel event. While you will find sections of vehicle-width gravel road, the organisers will almost always throw in some surprises – rooty singletrack, steep climbs, rocky sections, drop offs, sandy sections, maybe even some slickrock. No two courses are alike and each one seems designed to ensure that whatever bike you bring will be perfect for some sections and completely wrong for others! Part of the fun is seeing just what the course has to offer and then trying to work out how to survive/succeed with the bike that you’ve chosen.
Grinduro is not just about the riding though – the organisers say that “It’s a celebration of cycling with as much emphasis on the fun as the ride, with excellent food, an impressive display of art and incredible handmade bikes, live music, camping and a festival atmosphere.”
After a temporary pause for Grinduro in the UK in 2024, the event is back in 2025 and this time it’s being held in the stunning landscape of the Scotland Highlands. Riders are promised “secret paths, ancient military roads, winding trails, wooded climbs and gripping descents.“ The event is being held over the weekend of 18- 20th July.
For 2025, the Grinduro organisers have secured access to a private estate close to the small Highland town of Kingussie. The Gaelic apparently translates as ‘head of the pine forest’, which seems appropriate as some of the route will take riders through the stunning forests that characterise this part of Scotland.
If you would like to find out more, head over to the event website. Entries open on February 14th.