Header image courtesy of Struggle Events

Some of you might have noticed that the Gravel Union event calendar is looking a little sparse at the minute! Never fear though, it’s not being retired, it’s just being refreshed for 2025. But, just because the listings aren’t there at the minute doesn’t mean we don’t have gravel event launch news for you. In fact, November/December seems to be a prime month for launches. We thought we would showcase some of the amazing variety that has landed in our inbox recently:

21^st – 24^th March – Struggle Mallorca

Mallorca is perhaps best known as a destination for road cyclists, but recently the gravel cognoscenti have fallen in love with it too. Struggle Events have been bitten by the Balearic gravel bug and are organising their first gravel event there, which is being held at the end of March 2025. The trip includes three days of riding including two great 100+km days which take in Mallorca’s Via Verde and the iconic Col de Femenia via gravel tracks. Accommodation is in the 4* Cabot Hotel on a half-board (breakfast & dinner) basis. Prices start from £499 per person. More details can be found at the event website.

9^th – 11^th May – Marly Grav Weekend – Valkenberg, The Netherlands

Marly Grav Weekend, presented by Shimano, is the exciting new name on the gravel calendar. On May 9, 10, and 11, we will welcome the entire gravel community to the Shimano Experience Center in Valkenburg. This weekend replaces the well-known gravel events LtD Gravel Fest and Gravel Fondo Limburg. But Marly Grav is more than that. It’s an inclusive weekend packed with activities for everyone: social rides, UCI race, bike expo, workshops, festival vibes, clinics, and more. There are two events included at the weekend:

• Marly Grav Fest 2025 is a magnificent full Saturday event in the beautiful cycling hotspot South Limburg, Netherlands. Start and finsh are at the Shimano Experience Center in Valkenburg. We will take you over stunning gravel routes. There's a lot included: gravel, lunch at the Food Court, Kwaremont beer, coffee, finish festival and more! Entries cost from €54.95
• Marly Grav Race 2025 - For the third time the UCI Gravel World Series comes to the cycling hotspot of the Netherlands: Valkenburg, Zuid-Limburg. Start and finish are at the Shimano Experience Center in Valkenburg, Sunday May 11 2025. You can choose between appr. 100 km or 160 km gravel race. Entries cost from €75

You can find full details of both events at the event website.

16^th – 18^th May – Wild Wales Campout, Afan Forest, South Wales, UK

Now in its 4th year, the legendary Wild Wales Gravel Festival is back at a stunning new location. Join in the festive vibes for a weekend of epic gravel riding, camping, live music, fireside chats, great food and company. Soak up the amazing mountain scenes. Take it at your own pace on a choice of gravel roads and mountain trails.  Community-focused and Solo-friendly. Choice of distances and terrain. Chill fireside at the sublime basecamp. Soak in the sauna. Take a plunge in the pool or waterfall. Enjoy delicious wholesome meals and craft brews. All that + 3 night's camping included! We aim to create a wholesomely inclusive event where everyone feels welcome. Prices are from £165. More details can be found at the event website.

13-15^th June – Grinduro Italy, Massa Marittima, Italy

The beauty of Tuscany, and the perfect party to race ratio, combine to create possibly the most unmissable cycle event of 2025! In short, Grinduro Italy is just what the name suggests: gravel road race + mountain bike-style enduro = 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). But Grinduro is not just another gravel race. It’s a weekend long celebration of gravel cycling with as much emphasis on the fun as the ride, with excellent food, an impressive display of art, an incredible bike expo, live music, camping, and a festival atmosphere. You can find out all the details about the event (and the rest of the Grinduro Global series) at the event website.

13 – 15^th July – Gravel Rocks, Yorkshire, UK

With a unique format that spans seven stages of racing across two days, followed by social rides on the Sunday, Gravel Rocks offers an enduro-style gravel race which locks horns with a festival atmosphere. Held on the exclusive Duncombe Park Estate in the North Yorkshire Moors, the private landscape usually closed to the public features world-class off-road riding from an adventurous mix of pristine gravel to some flowing singletrack. The event offers something different to the rest of the calendar, from mystery timed segment locations to the weekend’s soundtrack of rock ‘n’ roll, ​ and Friday night’s Gravel Rocks In The Dark stages - a 10km ride with two timed sections to set the tone and rankings for day one. Saturday then features the biggest stage of the weekend with a prologue-style start kicking off a 45 - 80km loop depending on your preference, including five timed segments. ​ Combined times will then count towards the results and the final podium. Prices start from £75 (and there are plenty of free family events too) You can find full details at the event website.

27^th July and 9^th August - DBB Gravelux, Tara mountain, Serbia

Gravel cycling camp in Serbia with luxurious disposition and support cars. Five gravel-riding days with hundreds of kilometers of fully scouted routes — plus two days for getting there from Belgrade, and back, via breathtaking roads. Not counting the day-in & day-out, we’ll ride 54 km with 1640 m gain a day on average — and visit almost all prominent viewpoints and all four beaches in Tara. The nature around Tara is outstandingly beautiful — but accommodation is usually unassuming. Well, not this time: we’ll have somewhere special to stay in. Two cyclists share a room with twin beds (or an optional king bed). Every three rooms have private spa zones. We have a camp pool and a barbeque house on the rock. There will be two support cars to facilitate getting around Tara all at once — only 10 slots are available. Prices from €890 (with a free upgrade to a King size bed while stocks last for Gravel Union members). Full details available on the event website.

8^th – 14^th August – North East Gravel, Tynset, Norway

As a participant in NorthEast Gravel, you will get a rare nature experience. Get to know the best of the sturdy Österdøler and the mountain villages have to offer by; culture, food, mountains, Säterdaler, rivers and lakes. And not least all the nice cycle paths and roads. For some, it may be an escape from the daily routine: you want to get out of the "comfort zone" and experience days without thinking about time and place. Planning all the kilometers and hours on the bike seat will not always be 100% predictable, something unexpected will certainly come up. We recommend packing the bike smartly and preferably not exceeding 10 kg of luggage. The offer of accommodation will vary and you will find supplementary information on our website. Here you can choose whether you want to sleep under the open sky, or make use of the district's many cozy accommodation facilities. When you reach the finish line you will find a protocol that you must sign confirming that you have completed North East Gravel. The prize will be all the great experiences you've had along the way. Entry is 800NK (approx. £56/€70). Full details can be found on the event website.

11^th – 14^th September - GRVL x KLDR, Northumberland, UK

Kielder Forest, located at the very northern tip of England has some of the UK’s finest gravel riding. The vast scale of the forest and the rolling terrain make it a gravel rider’s dream destination. If you’ve never tried the riding on offer there before, or you have but you fancy going back for more, then the launch of the GRVL x KLDR event, which is being held in September 2025 could be just the thing you’re looking for! The organisers of the GRVL x KLDR weekend have arranged three rides (100 km, 81km and 43 km) which are “planned to offer an exciting and rewarding experience”. Riders will be provided with a GPX file for each of the routes. The GRVL x KLDR event gets around this by basing themselves at the upmarket Comb Lodge & Estate. Continental breakfasts and “delicious, professionally prepared dinners” are included in the price. Prices start from £495 per person and you can find out full details at the event website.