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2025 MINNESOTA, WISCONSIN, AND THE U.P. GRAVEL BIKE RACES

Every single gravel race and event in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Filter by state, try something that's over your head, pick up some maple syrup energy packets, and just go ride your bike. To submit an event for free, email info@thenxrth.com

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Official Gravel Racing Partners

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Join the Nxrth+ to View the Gravel Calendar as a Map 

Featured Gravel Races

Hungry Bear 100

May 9, 2026

Cable, WI

The Heywood Ride

May 16, 2026

Northfield, MN

Epic Bike Fest

June 6, 2026

Cable, WI

Gordon Pine Barrens 50

June 13, 2026

Gordon, WI

Ride Across Wisconsin

July 11, 2026

Eau Claire, WI

Coon Fork 40

August 22, 2026

Augusta, WI

Gray Duck Grit

September 5, 2026

Cannon Falls, MN

Featured gravel events are a part of The Nxrth's partnership program. Contact us about growing your event with our promotional tools. info@thenxrth.com

The Nxrth+

12 Gravel Day Trips with Perfect Post-Ride Food, Drinks, & Hangouts

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All Gravel Races

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Guide to the 2025 Gravel Race Season

May 9, 2026

Cable, WI

30, 60, & 100 mi

The Hungry Bear was born in the days when gravel races were unsupported DIY events where you were lucky to get a paper cue sheet and find a tavern ...

May 16, 2026

Northfield, MN

30, 55, 110, 165, & 390 mi

The Heywood is a gravel road ride taking place in the rolling countryside south of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro plex. We call it Deep South Metro. ...

May 23, 2026

Grand Marais, MN

26, 50, & 110 mi

Le Grand du Nord is one of the most spectacular gravel courses in the United States. Beginning in downtown Grand Marais, riders will quickly leave ...

Jun 6, 2026

Cable, WI

Gravel & MTB

Get ready for a cycling festival weekend that will challenge you while being fun for your entire family and friends. Food trucks, cycling expo/festival, ...

Jun 13, 2026

Gordon, WI

25 & 50 mi

25 or 50 miles of Northern Wisconsin gravel

Jul 11, 2026

Freedhem, MN

46 & 86 mi

The origins of Freedhem Gravel: In 2012 a few local riders took inspiration from rides like the Almanzo 100 and embarked on a ride that took them ...

Jul 11, 2026

Eau Claire, WI

Epic Road Ride

Cycling around Eau Claire, WI offers a scenic and enjoyable experience, with a mix of well-maintained roads, trails, and picturesque views. The city is surrounded by lush forests, rolling hills, and rivers, creating a perfect backdrop for cyclists...

Jul 18, 2026

Copper Harbor, MI

40, 100, & 175 mi

Mass Start events are about community and doing hard things together. The Crusher MS format is harder than your average gravel event.

Aug 22, 2026

Augusta, WI

32, 44, & 88 mi

Traverse deep swaths of pine forests, classic Amish farm country, and picturesque Wisconsin waterways on beautiful gravel roads...

Sep 5, 2026

Cannon Falls, MN

50, 69, 111, 222, & 333 mi

Gray Duck Grit is a grass-roots gravel cycling event in Southern Minnesota. It forces you to push past preconceived mental and physical barriers. ...

Sep 26, 2026

Two Harbors, MN

19, 60, & 100 mi

2025 marks the 17th anniversary of The Heck of the North! This is the event that started it all...

Oct 10, 2026

Athens, WI

50,100, & 150 mi

Ready for adventure? With more gravel than ever before, riders are treated with miles upon miles on red granite, a gravel rider’s dream. Our ...

BRANDS WHO SUPPORT YOUR ADVENTURES & COMMUNITY

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Gravel Race Distances

Wisconsin, Minnesota, and The U.P. are incredible places to get lost racing gravel and building community. From the deep northwoods to rolling farm country, there is a massive variety of adventurous tracks to ride. Nearly every corner of our three states are have memorable gravel races to introduce you to beautiful terrain. Some are probably already full as you read this and others maintain a small event vibe and keep things a little quieter.

100+ Miles

Spending more than 5 hours on a single ride can be a really beautiful adventure. By nature, gravel roads are low traffic, low speed, and often take you the pretties off-grid places to ride and century rides are going to take you WAY off the beaten path. If you've never tackled one before (and even if you have), you'll want a training plan to get your body up to a level of fitness where you can grind all on gravel and have enough power to get you to the finish line.

50 Miles

50 miles can be a real sweet spot. You're still going to spend several hours on your bike but it's a race distance that's considerably less grueling to train for and a level of fitness that's also more manageable to maintain. Whether 50 miles is your personal mountain to climb or you're working toward a bigger 100 mile race, this is a really fun distance to ride and there's a large community of riders who spend their race days at this distance.

25 Miles

At a "quarter century", this is a fun challenge and is a great way to get a taste of gravel racing or bring friends who are new to riding gravel.

Gravel Racing Gear

Everyone's bike and gear setup is going to be different, but you'll want to make sure to think through some of these important pieces of gear. Having the right gear will help you keep rolling and have the energy you need to finish.

Gravel Gear Checklist

  • A bike with 38mm+ width is ideal. I prefer even wider as I ride 47mm. 

  • Multiple water bottles

  • Energy such as bars, gels, fruit, or candy

  • Spare tubes or tire plug and sealant if you're tubeless

  • Chain lube

  • Pump

  • Tire levers

  • Multi-tool

  • Navigation unit (phone or GPS)

How to Carry Your Gear

Having a few small bags on your bike will help you carry what you need. Ideally, your bags are easily accessible while riding and can be opened and closed with one hand.

Stem Bag

My all time favorite bag. I put all my snacks in my stem bag which is extremely easy to access while riding. If I'm out long enough, I'll even put two stem bags on. One to carry my snacks, and another for wallet, phone, and more snacks.

Top Tube Bag

These have a similar carrying capacity to a stem bag but is opened with a zipper and won't get by your knees when you're standing to climb.

Handlebar Bag

These are usually a little bigger than stem bags and top tube bags which means it could be only bag you need. It's a great place to ditch your long sleeve shirt after you get too warm.

Half Frame Bag

I keep a half frame bag on my bike at all times. It's where I keep my multitool, pump, chain grease, zip ties, and Voile straps. 

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