2024 Oregon Gravel Series - FIND OUT MORE!

9 Toughest Gravel Grinders Out West

What's the toughest challenge in cycling? For weekend riders looking to test their mettle, it just may be Gravel Grinding, an emerging style of cycling that's done on unpaved, backcountry roads covered in crushed limestone, granite, flint, or whatever rock happens to be around.

Imagine pedaling over jagged marbles, or if it rains, through chunky peanut butter. In some places, gravel roads are like rutted, bone-jarring washboards.

"Think of the worst piece of asphalt you've ever ridden," says a top gravel-race organizer, "and it's just a little worse than that."

That these roads are unforgiving is the draw for gravel grinders: There's no traffic to compete with. There are 1.3 million miles of unpaved roads in the U.S., most just empty ribbons winding through remote areas. Over the past few years, gravel racers have begun appropriating them as a gritty new cycling frontier where there are no rules and no bureaucratic barriers and announcing 60, 100 or even 300 miles events.

Participation has been on the rise since 2005. The number of races scheduled for this season is up by about 50 percent over last year, while attendance at longer-held races has exploded.

Here's our guide to the toughest events on the West Coast of the U.S.:

For the latest list of upcoming Gravel events, please visit our North American Gravel Grinder Calendar.

Date	Event	Location	Routes	Diff	Type	My Rides
Mar 28 - Mar 29	Gorge Roubaix Race and Grinder	The Dalles, Oregon, USA	48, 75 miles	F	GRAVEL
Apr 26	SPY Belgian Waffle Ride	San Marcos, California, USA	130 miles, 10 miles dirt	F	GRANFONDO
May 09	King Ridge Supreme Hopper	Occidental, California, USA	83 miles	D	GRAVEL
May 31	Gran Fondo Leavenworth	Leavenworth, Washington, USA	87 miles	E	GRANFONDO
Jul 11	Crusher in the Tushar	Beaver, Utah, USA	70 miles	D	GRAVEL
Aug 15	Montana Hell Ride	Hamilton, Montana, USA	145 miles, 10,600 feet of climbing	F	GRAVEL
Sep 05 - Sep 06	Rebeccas Private Idaho	Ketchum, Idaho, USA	56, 94 miles	F	GRAVEL
Sep 26	Gran Fondo Winthrop	Winthrop, Washington, USA	80 miles	E	GRANFONDO
Sep 26	Oregon Coast Gravel Epic	Walport and Yachats, Oregon, USA	37, 73 miles	F	GRAVEL