The Gravel Earth Series returns for a second year with almost triple the number of off-road events, which now total 20 across 13 countries. The points system has been modified across the series and a new €12,500 total prize purse will be offered, split equally among the top 10 in male, female and non-binary divisions.
Among the new events on the calendar are two in the USA - the five-day Oregon Trail Gravel stage race in Oregon and Ukiah Mendo Gravel, which is the fourth and final event in next year’s Grasshopper Adventure Series in northern California.
“To see this spirit of cycling and competition spread around the world is awesome. Over the last 27 years we've seen a big change in cycling and we’re stoked to be part of this series,” Miguel Crawford, director and organiser of Grasshopper Adventure Series (GAS), told Cyclingnews.
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Crawford said he met Gerard Freixes, CEO of Klassmark that operates the Gravel Earth Series, in Spain when he was developing Girona Velo, week-long gravel trips for recreational cyclists. He said they “hit it off right away with our passion for life and all-things-two-wheels” and the new G.A.S. gravel event was invited to be part of the global umbrella.
“The focus on community building and the environment has always been a focus of the Hoppers. Also, creating events that appeal to the elite riders as well as age group contenders and those new to gravel looking to discover new routes and personal challenges has always been the goal of the Hoppers,” Crawford said.
“The Ukiah Mendo Gravel Epic is our series finale and also a fundraiser for the Moriah Wilson Foundation. So, to be part of the Global Earth Series will make for a stellar event in NorCal.”
Last year with seven total events on offer, the Earth Final decided the women’s champion when Annabel Fisher (Café du Cycliste) of Great Britain won the final race and jumped from fourth to the top spot in the women’s standings. Mattia de Marchi of Italy led the men’s standings all year with his win at The Traka 360 and secured the series title with a fourth-place finish in the Earth Final.
For a second year of the circuit of global challenges, The Traka, Migration Gravel Race and The Rift Gravel return. The trio will be joined by Oregon Trail Gravel and Falling Leaves Lahti in the Gravel Earth Global category.
There are 14 events on the calendar with the second-tier scoring, opening with X Santa Vall in Spain, a three-day stage race from February 16-18. The series has expanded to include a second event in Kenya, the Safari Race Series on March 10, and a first-time trip to South America, Saga Gravel Race in Chile on September 14 to wrap up the series.
Earth Final will return to Spain on October 12-13, which will be hosted at Ranxo Gravel. Ranxo, The Traka and Santa Vall are all events operated by Klassmark, the Girona-based company that operates the series and oversees environmentally-friendly sporting projects.
The global circuit, called a “revolution” for gravel racing by organisers Klassmark, will again be segmented into two regular-season categories and a grand finale. Top finishers in the main three divisions earn scores between 750 to 1500 points, based on the category. This means that the “best scores” may not reflect the “best results”.
Five Global challenges offer substantially higher points for riders in the top five, 760-1000 points, with 750 points the most a rider can earn at a standard event. Overall winners are determined by the total points, not finishes, from The Earth Final plus the sum of the two best scores from the other 19 events.
The Gravel Earth Series launched in 2023 as a traditional series, with six existing events across Europe and South Africa providing category-specific points based on difficulty of each event and the Earth Final in Spain. There was no prize money on offer.
Gravel Earth Series 2024 calendar
- Feb 16-18 - X Santa Vall, Spain
- March 10 - Safari Race Series, Kenya
- April 12-14 - Gravel Ibereólica, Spain
- April 20 - Iron Gravel IG360, Spain (two distances)
- April 27 - Utopia Gravel Fest Baza, Spain
- May 1-5 - The Traka, Spain (Global event)
- May 11 - Ukiah Mendo Epic, California, USA
- June 18-21 - Migration Gravel Race, Kenya (Global event)
- June 21-23 - Lauf Gritfest, Great Britain
- June 26-30 - Oregon Trail Gravel, Bend, Oregon (Global event)
- June 29 - Octopus Gravel, Switzerland
- July 6 - Gravel Mexico, El Mastranto
- July 20 - The Rift Gravel Race, Iceland (Global event)
- August 3 - Megre Gravel, Lithuania
- August 9-11 - Gravel Weekend, Latvia
- August 24 - NGS Bergslagen, Sweden
- August 31 - Nordic GRVL Grinder, Denmark
- September 21 - Falling Leaves Lahti in Finland (Global event)
- September 14 - Saga Gravel Race, Chile
- Oct 12-13 - Ranxo Gravel in Spain
