2026 Real West Gravel

2026 North American Spring Classics

The 81st edition of Omloop Het Niewsblad on February 28th marks the start of the European Spring Classics, and North America hosts a plethora of events that pay homage to the cobbles and dirt tracks of Northern France and Belgium

The brutal but legendary one-day races including the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Strade Bianche draw huge crowds and audiences to watch the hardest Pros do battle over infamous cobbles and climbs, often in the most terrible weather conditions imaginable.

Every year, across North America, dozens of events pay tribute to the European Spring Classics. There's no need to cross the Atlantic, when you can enjoy Beer and Frites (French Fries) with Mayo in your own back garden.

Luckily, North America has over a 1.4 million miles of gravel and dirt roads that host some of the most unique challenges in the form of the Gravel Grinder, some these events are very challenging.

A lot of these races can be tackled on a range of bikes, but Gravel Fondo specific bikes are fast becoming the norm, with clearance for wider tires and disc brakes that can handle 650 and 700 wheel sets. Gravel bikes have blurred the lines between traditional road (Gran Fondo) and off-road (Gravel Fondo) riding, and so have many events that now feature large sections of both tarmac, gravel and even worse terrain, where shouldering your bike on some parts, is all part of the early season "fun".

North America invented the Gravel Grinding genre, which is catching on fast around the world. As Europe and North America, Gran Fondo and Gravel collide - a new buzzword emerged in 2016, the Gravel Fondo. Think big fun, lots of gravel, endurance, good bike handling skills, self reliance and lots of beer afterwards!

For those riders looking to start training or hone their form before the Road and Gravel season gets into full swing, these events can kick-start your season.

Date Event Location Routes Diff  Type My Rides
Jan 04 2026 Red Rock Roubaix Austin TX 105 miles D GRAVEL
Jan 24 2026 Texas Chainring Massacre Gainesville TX 35, 50, 75 miles C GRAVEL
Jan 25 2026 Low Gap Sebastopol CA 43 miles, 6,164 feet C GRAVEL
Feb 01 2026 Old Man Winter Rally Lyons CO 50, 100 km C GRAVEL
Feb 07 2026 The BMC Rock Cobbler Bakersfield CA 50, 95 miles E GRAVEL
Feb 21 2026 Huffmaster Hopper Maxwell CA 59, 89 miles E GRAVEL
Feb 22 2026 Uwharrie Forest Gravel Grinder Troy NC 29, 55 miles C GRAVEL
Feb 22 2026 Gravel Miami Homestead FL 47, 94 miles D GRAVEL
Feb 27 - 28 2026 Fourth Annual Belgian Waffle Ride Arizona Cave Creek AZ 27, 79, 122 miles D GRAVEL
Feb 28 2026 Rouge Roubaix XXIV St Francisville LA 52, 93 miles D GRAVEL
Mar 01 2026 Sourland SemiClassic Flemington NJ 64 miles C GRANFONDO
Mar 07 2026 Road Apple Roubaix Garrettsville OH 25, 50 miles C GRAVEL
Mar 07 2026 Dirty South Roubaix Alto Pass IL 50, 100 km C GRAVEL
Mar 07 2026 Dirty Pecan Gravel Ride Monticello FL 40, 60, 80, 100, 150, 200, 150, 200 miles F GRAVEL
Mar 07 2026 Valley of Tears Turkey TX 45, 70, 115 miles D GRAVEL
Mar 08 2026 Stokesville 6040k Stokesville VA 40, 60 km C GRAVEL
Mar 12 - 15 2026 The Mid South Stillwater OK 50, 100 miles D GRAVEL
Mar 14 2026 Strada Rossa Redlands CA 35, 66, 100 miles D GRAVEL
Mar 15 2026 Real West Gravel Pendleton OR 47, 67 miles C GRAVEL
Mar 21 2026 The Hairy Roubaix Thaxton VA 17, 50, 100 km D GRAVEL
Mar 28 2026 King Ridge Duncans Mills CA 65, 91 miles C GRAVEL
Mar 28 2026 Hell of the Wind New Liberty IA 50, 100km B GRAVEL
Mar 28 2026 Mine Creek Gravel Battle Mound City KS 50, 100 km C GRAVEL
Mar 28 2026 Rasputitsa Spring Classic Jay VT 53 miles C GRAVEL
Mar 28 2026 Melting Mann Cass County MI 24, 39, 58 miles C GRAVEL
Mar 29 2026 Jeremy's Roubaix Pitt Meadows BC 30, 60, 50, 80, 100km C GRAVEL
Apr 04 2026 San Ysidro Dirty Century San Ysidro NM 58, 73, 83, 98 miles D GRAVEL
Apr 04 2026 Hell of Hunterdon Blawenburg NJ 54, 78 miles D GRANFONDO
Apr 11 2026 Castell Grind Castell TX 50, 75, 100km C GRAVEL
Apr 11 2026 Strada Bellamy Newberry FL 212 km F GRAVEL
Apr 11 2026 Flint Hills Gravel Ride Americus KS 30, 80, 120 miles C GRAVEL
Apr 11 2026 Sasquatch Duro Carlton OR 40 to 60 miles C GRAVEL
Apr 11 2026 Dirty 30 Gravel Grinder Saranac MI 6, 16, 30, 50, 130 miles C GRAVEL
Apr 12 2026 Gran Fondo Ephrata Ephrata WA 45, 85 miles E GRAVEL
Apr 12 2026 River City Gravel Fondo Campbell River BC 32, 71, 115 km C GRAVEL
Apr 18 2026 Barry Roubaix Hastings MI 18, 36, 62, 100 miles D GRAVEL
Apr 25 2026 Muddy Onion Spring Classic Montpelier VT 20, 40, 55 miles C GRAVEL
Apr 25 2026 Waterloo G and G Gravel Road Race Grass Lake MI 11, 31, 62 miles C GRAVEL
Apr 25 2026 The Fleche Buffoon New Hope PA 75 miles D GRAVEL
Apr 25 - 26 2026 Coal Country Roubaix Lisbon OH 35, 62, 100, 300 miles D GRAVEL
Apr 26 2026 Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo Duryea PA 40, 75, 100 miles C GRAVEL
Apr 26 2026 Gorge Gravel Dufur OR 52, 67, 93 miles D GRAVEL
Apr 26 2026 Paris to Ancaster Bicycle Race Paris ON 45km, 70km, 110+ km C GRAVEL
Apr 26 2026 Miesville FiftySix Miesville MN 56 miles C GRAVEL
Apr 26 2026 Dairy Roubaix Bagley WI 54, 107 miles D GRAVEL
May 02 2026 Black Fork Gravel Grinder pb Lauf Glenmont OH 23, 30, 54 miles C GRAVEL
May 02 2026 Oregon Coast Gravel Epic Waldport OR 37, 60 miles C GRAVEL
May 02 2026 Dirty Dutchess Clinton Roubaix Salt Point NY 20, 40, 62 miles C GRAVEL
May 02 - 03 2026 15th Annual Belgian Waffle Ride California Del Mar Polo Fields CA 35, 70, 110 miles F GRAVEL
May 03 2026 Jersey Gravel Grinder Bedminster NJ 50, 100, 150, 200 km D GRAVEL
May 03 2026 Wahkiacus Gravel Premier Goldendale WA 50, 88 miles E GRAVEL
May 03 2026 PastryBIkePastry Aurora IL 25, 50, 60, 100 miles C GRAVEL
May 09 2026 Battenkill Cambridge NY 14, 23, 47, 63, 85, 106 miles C GRAVEL
May 17 2026 West Coast Slugger Port Alberni BC 45, 70, 111km C GRAVEL
May 23 2026 Roughneck Gravel Roubaix Titusville PA 14, 25, 40, 62, 100 miles C GRAVEL
May 31 2026 Cowichan Crusher Gravel Fondo Lake Cowichan BC 25, 55, 100, 160km  C GRAVEL
 

About the 2026 North American Spring Classics

Barry-Roubaix in Michigan is by far the largest Gravel Race in North America, featuring around 3,500 riders and is already sold out.

Paris to Ancaster, "Canada's Spring Cycling Classic", is a 110 or 70km ride that does everything it can to pump up the hardness factor to Paris-Roubaix levels. There are a number of mud sections that see most riders shoulder their bikes and celebrates it's 33th edition this year.  

The 21st edition of the "America's Queen of the Classics", the Tour of Battenkill in upstate New York allows amateur cyclists to experience the 65 miles of rolling terrain on both dirt and paved roads as they travel through the world famous Battenkill Valley. Set in early spring, the race starts and finishes in the scenic village of Cambridge, New York and courses through covered bridges, family farms, and rural villages along the many challenging backcountry roads that traverse Southern Washington County, New York. 

15th Annual Belgian Waffle Ride in California, is "the most unique one day cycling event in the country", was created as an homage to the storied history of bike racing in Belgium—a wonderful country considered to be the epicenter of the hardest one-day bike races in the world. “A tribute to the beautiful—and equally grueling—races staged in Belgium during the early spring, this year’s route will once again be different than all of the previous years with some new and sinuous gravel, dirt, and rocky sections, and more climbing than rural Belgium could offer, promising more fun, more pain and more opportunity for excuses than ever before.

Each year the course changes, the Waffle is likely to be 107 miles with 7,500 Feet of Climbing, 25 Unroad sectors with Flemish names, 40% Unroad and 7 feed zones.

One ride that is due to sell out shortly is Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo which traverses the endless mountain region of Northeastern Pennsylvania that has grown to be a must do event for all cyclists in the Eastern United States. 

The Rasputitsa Spring Classic, Rasputitsa is Russian for “mud season", which gives you a pretty accurate preview of this 45-mile race for bragging rights in northern Vermont. In keeping with the Russian theme, the highlight of the course is “Cyberia,” a Class IV road that a former race participant described as “a scary backwoods where at any time a Yeti or Bengal tiger may jump out of the woods, bludgeon you with a blunt object, and either leave you for dead or drag you back into the woods for a nice little Saturday brunch.” It features Yeti's, maple syrup shots and, of course, Cyberia.

Remember gravel and dirt roads are not all created equally and each places very different demands on equipment.

Whatever you do, make sure you add at least one of these classics to your Bucket List next spring.

For a comprehensive, up to date and continually growing calendar of events througout the year, please visit:

2026 North American Gravel Fondo Calendar

2026 North American Spring Classics

Disclaimer

The above list represents, to the best of our knowledge, the North American Spring Classics in the North America in 2026. 

The above events are very challenging are suited to experienced cyclists who can ride all day, over long very distances and mountainous terrain, typically unsupported. For less experienced riders or beginners, we have a full comprehensive list of 2026 Gravel Fondos across North America. Some of the dates for 2026 events have not yet been confirmed, hence their exclusion. If you know that some of the above details are incorrect, please let us know. If you are an organizer or an experienced Gravel Grinder and you feel an event should be included, please let us know.

 
 
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