Meet new people, ride new places
Taking part in an event or group ride is the best way to discover new routes and meet like-minded graveleurs. Here’s a list of what we know is happening and what we’re riding in 2021.
- All year – Monday Night Gravel (Beechworth)
- Feb 21 – The Great Otway Gravel Grind (Forrest)
- Feb 26 – The Vic Divide 550
- April ANZAC Day weekend – Can’t share what it is yet, but keep the weekend free (Beechworth)
- May – King Valley Gravel event (King Valley)
- May 21 – The Dirty Yack Gravel Track (Yackandandah)
- Late July – Tour de Beechworth (Beechworth)
- Spring – The (mini) High Country Breweries Grind (Beechworth, King Valley, Bright)
If you have an event you’d like us to list here, please get in touch.
All year – Monday Night Gravel in Beechworth
Join us on Monday evenings at 6.00pm for a social loop around Beechworth’s gravel roads and tracks. Meet in front of the Old Beechworth Gaol for a 6.00pm sharp departure.
- During spring, summer and early autumn we finish up on dusk by 7.45ish.
- From mid-April to mid-October good quality lights are essential – we recommend 1000 lumens minimum on your bars plus a helmet light if you have one. We’re riding gravel roads, dirt tracks and occasional singletrack in the dark, so you’ll need to be confident in your lights, equipment and bike handling.
The routes vary each week and cover 20-30km. Ending the ride with a pint at Bridge Road Brewers is a regular occurrence, and sometimes we stop in at The Stanley Pub. (Note: the pubs are only just reopening, so sometimes we BYO a Little Bling for a halfway refresher.)
Feb 21 – The Great Otway Gravel Grind (GOGG)
For the last 5 years the Rapid Ascent crew have run the GOGG race the day after the famous Otway Odyssey MTB race in Forrest. Last year Marty rode the Odyssey 100km MTB marathon, this year the Gravelmob crew are loading up the Sagwagon and heading to Forrest to ride the GOGG.
If this event is anything like the Odyssey (and we’re expecting it will be), then it’ll be a ripper – the Odyssey is well-organised, the atmosphere at the footy oval start/finish village is great, and the singletrack is fantastic.
The 97km GOGG gravel route winds its way in a figure 8 through the Otway forest down to the ocean and back. We love the inclusion of timeout stops on the way out and back. We’re racing the clock, but it stops at 33km, 57km, 66km and 83km so that riders can chill out with a coffee and snack! Sounds pretty good to us. There’s a 49km option too if 97 clicks seems like too many for a Sunday.
See you there?
Feb 26 – The Vic Divide 550
The Gravelmob crew were hoping to ride this epic bikepacking event this year, but various things have ended up getting in the way. But don’t let that stop you … pack your kit, load up your MTB and ride the challenging 550km+ route from Melbourne to the Murray River.
April ANZAC Day weekend – Gravel Event in Beechworth
We can’t share what this is yet, but book some accommodation now and get up here for the weekend. It will involve beer, bikes and gravel and you don’t want to miss it.
May – King Valley Gravel event
Not much is known about this event just yet, but the King Valley gravel roads are primo gravel riding, so we’re sure this will be one to remember.
May 21 – The Dirty Yack Gravel Track
Part of the G50 series, this is ride 2 in the weekend’s double header in Yack. Ride the MTB 50 on the Saturday then the Gravel 50 on the Sunday. We’ve worked with the Big Hill Events crew to put this route together, and it includes a couple of .. ahem .. bumps in the road early on followed by a fast and loose descent back into Yack to finish. It promises to be a great weekend of riding.
Late July – Tour de Beechworth
This annual celebration of cycling and beer is run by Bridge Road Brewers, Beechworth’s well known independent craft brewery. Gravelmob curated the route for the 2019 and 2020 Tours, and we’re expecting to doing the same in 2021.
The TDB has gained a reputation as an unmissable gravel event. The main Saturday 80km and Sunday recovery 30km rides were both very popular in 2019 and this year will be no different. Donuts, homemade slice, hot soup, cold beer and A-grade gravel. Make sure you’re here in town for the 2021 edition. More details at Bridge Road Brewers soon.
Spring – The (mini) High Country Breweries Grind
In 2020 we tried to run this ride twice, and old mate coronavirus claimed it twice. We’ll be trying again in spring 2021. A shortened version of our Gravelicious High Country Breweries 550 bikepacking route, this ride is a social 3 day, 2 night bikepacking ride that takes in four of the High Country breweries and includes plenty of the spectacular High Country gravel riding that the region is famous for.
Watch for more details soon.
