We’re going to show our colours here and say that North London Dirt is our favourite ever gravel event. How is that possible for an event that is held in the hinterlands of a major metropolis, rather than somewhere stunningly scenic? We’re not alone in feeling like this and every year the event sells out ridiculously quickly. Luckily, we’ve got two tickets to give away to lucky Gravel Union members.
North London Dirt takes place over roughly 100kms of urban cut throughs, alleyways, canal tow paths, farm tracks, woodland trails and gravel roads. In fact, there aren’t many types of trail that organisers Andrew & Philip Diprose don’t manage to include each year. That’s what everyone loves about it – the sheer variety of riding. That and the magical feeling of setting off from urban London, heading (generally) northwards into the surrounding countryside, having a fantastic ride with 200 of your closest friends and somehow popping back out of the woods into London at the end.
It’s a surprisingly tough day out. Don’t be at all surprised if you find yourself sitting on the curb in a random petrol station forecourt somewhere, or grovelling up a steep climb through a leafy suburb on the way to the finish. But the effort is so worth it. That post-ride buzz where you sit around with your newly minted friends, drinking a delicious Magic Rock Brewery beverage and trying not to burn your mouth on a slice of freshly baked pizza. Unbeatable.
But seeing as the event sold out within about 20 seconds when entries opened, being on the start line this year might be a bit of a challenge. Luckily though, for two lucky Gravel Union members, we’ve got a complimentary ticket up for grabs. All you need to do is to send us an email. We’ll enter all the names into a big hat and pull out two winners at 9am on Tuesday 2nd May. Don’t hang around though, the competition closes at 17.00 BST on Monday 1st May.
Good luck and hope to see you at the start.