Gravel riding has become such a cool sector of the cycling world that it is set to have its first-ever British National Championships later this year.
The off-roading discipline will experience its inaugural national champs as part of the King’s Cup Gravel Festival in Suffolk, to be held on the weekend of 25th to 27th September.
The championships will host a mixture of events including a men’s and women’s gravel race and time trial, gravel fondo and team relay through the King’s Forest, just north of Bury St.Edmunds. There will also be a master’s age group category, too.
The routes for the men’s and women’s races are both 100% off-road although are designed to be suitable for bunch racing and overtaking. The men’s race will be 78km while the women’s will be 52km with the winners of both races getting a national champions jersey.
Beyond the riding, which organisers Golazo Cycling says is for all abilities, there will be music and camping – Covid-19 regulations allowing. There is also a full contingency plan to push the event back to October 2021 if necessary.
Pre-registration for the events has already opened and can be found here.
‘We’re thrilled to be hosting the first-ever British Gravel Championships at the King’s Cup Gravel Festival. This will be a truly exciting event, which will see all abilities of riders taking on various events throughout the weekend,’ said Caldwell.
‘Not only will those riders who like to ride on gravel and off-road terrains be able to ride alongside thousands of other riders but we’ll also get to see some top amateur riders race for the British title and jersey.
‘While these championships represent the pinnacle of amateur gravel racing, they are also a celebration of cycling as a whole.