Klassmark's Gravel Earth is an international gravel race series
The six Gravel Earth events aim to promote gravel in a positive way around the world
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The Welsh gravel event is the first in the UK to join the international gravel racing series
There is no question about the booming popularity of gravel bike racing, and as a response to that, Girona-based event organiser Klassmark has announced Gravel Earth - a series of gravel events from around the world, all aiming to “take gravel to another level” in 2023.
- 2023 UK gravel events - the best off-road races of the year
- Best gravel bikes under £1,500 in 2022 - drop-bar machines that won't break the bank
- Best gravel wheelsets 2022 - fast and furious off-road wheels
The six events featured in the 2023 series include the Migration Race in Kenya, the Rift in Iceland, Nordic Gravel Series in Sweden, the Traka in Spain, Octopus Gravel in Switzerland, and Nature is Bike in France. And as a cherry on top, there is an Earth Final, where the best racers of the 2023 edition will be crowned.
What unites these events? Klassmark says that the Gravel Earth Series promotes remote areas little visited by the general public, to find genuine contact with the Earth. The landscape value and the natural environment in which the events occur must be the first premise. Respecting nature, the event organiser is devoted to offsetting any carbon emissions that come from organising and participating in the six events.
2023 Gravel Earth Series MigrationGravelRace.jpeg, by Suvi Loponen
“What we wanted is to choose different kinds of styles of races but all in amazing places – to provide more of an experience than a competition,” Cristina Freixes, Klassmark co-owner, said.
The values of this sport, respect for the environment and love for the territory must prevail over any competition - yet competition is still ingrained in the series. A points system will determine the top male, female and non-binary finishers of each event - and the number of points gained is weighted differently depending on the difficulty of the course.
Klassmark says this classification format rewards the most regular and versatile bikers of the year - but that doesn't mean you need to travel the world as only two events' top scores make the total score for each rider. In developing the system, Klassmark has taken advice from professional riders like Nathan Haas and Lachlan Morton.
2023 Gravel Earth Series TheTraka.jpeg, by Suvi Loponen
The series will kick off in April with Klassmark’s original event, the Traka, in Girona and finishes in July with the Rift in Iceland - and the Earth Final date will follow this with the date to be announced.
You can find the full details of the series on the website below.
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