British Gravel Championships Set to Bring Festival of Cycling to Dalby Forest This Weekend

The British Gravel Championships will see the Brownlee brothers racing around Dalby Forest this weekend.

The British Gravel Championships are poised to electrify Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire, this weekend, with a three-day programme of intense racing and festival activities from 12 to 14 September 2025.

This premier cycling event, taking place near Pickering, is billed as the ultimate test of skill, endurance, and perseverance, designed to crown the country's best gravel racers across Elite, Junior, and Masters categories in both the Gravel Race and Time Trial disciplines.

Maximilian Wussler, co-founder of the event, says there will be a range of events over the weekend catering for different racers.

"The event itself kicks off Friday and then runs for three days.

On the Friday we've got the gravel time trial the inaugural event there.

Saturday is all about masters racing, so that's age groups from the youngest junior category, 16 to 18 year olds. All the way to 80 pluses will be racing for National Championships in their age groups.

And then Sunday is all about the elite racing. So the men's and Women's Elite National Championships will take place here and crown the very best gravel racers in the country. 

The event boasts a strong line-up of athletes, including the acclaimed Brownlee brothers, Johnny and Alistair, both of whom are on the start list.

"Both Brownlee brothers are currently on the start list, Johnny and Alistair.

Alistair's been a regular at our events and red off sports events across the country for a number of years now. Really excited about gravel and what we're doing. And Johnny joined us last year for the British Gravel Championships when they were up in Scotland.

We're really excited to have them, both fantastic individuals great racers, really incredibly competitive. And it should be a fantastic perspective as well to come out and and enjoy them racing. "

Max says the championship races will be run on a "lap basis" to provide a dynamic and spectator-friendly experience, with the main events stretching across four laps.

"With the British Gravel Championships we run this event on a lap basis.

So racing is across four laps to make it as spectator friendly and as exciting as possible.

And therefore designing a very exciting, interesting lap that sort of, you know, guarantees  good racing, but also good viewing opportunities and making it manageable from a logistics point of view was key.

So we found that here,  it's all fully contained within Dolby Forest.

It's, a mixture of the rigs and then dropping down to the Dales coming back out of those. So it's four key climbs per lap, about 500 meters of climbing. And across the four laps you're looking at about 113 kilometers of racing.

So it's gonna be a tough all day out for everyone on the bikes. 

Mr Wussler explained that this design offers "an opportunity to see racers pass numerous times," allowing supporters to witness their friends and family in action. The Elite and Masters races will cover 120km with 2000m of climbing over 30km laps, while the Time Trial spans 13.8km with 150m of climbing.

The event boasts a strong line-up of athletes, including the acclaimed Brownlee brothers, Johnny and Alistair, both of whom are on the start list. Jonathan Brownlee, one half of the famous Brownlee brothers from Leeds, expressed his excitement, noting, "Racing at home always feels more special – the crowd and support in Yorkshire is incredible". Having participated last year, he added, "I absolutely loved it and couldn’t stop talking about the event. This year, I’m coming back more prepared and hoping to do even better," embracing gravel as "honest and pure racing in beautiful places".

Local talent will also be competing, with Great Ayton rider Harry Tanfield set to race with his team, Ribble Outliers. Mr Tanfield called it "a home event," having grown up "just the other side of the North York Moors". He encouraged everyone to attend "not just for the racing but the atmosphere in general," anticipating "a bit of a party atmosphere" post-race. Mr Wussler also highlighted that "heaps of world tour riders" and "top cyclists" are finding their way into gravel, further enhancing the spectacle.

Dalby Forest, "nestled in the heart of North Yorkshire," provides an "iconic venue for gravel cycling". Mr Wussler noted that this marks "the first time the British Gravel Championships are...in this part of the country".

It's the first time the British Gravel Championships are. In this part of the country. So it's quite exciting for us as well.

Obviously a venue steeped in, in cycling history and has some really exciting events and to be part of that storyline now is, it's really great. It's a fantastic venue.

We've got, riders are very excited about racing here for the first time and really bringing gravel and gravel cycling into a venue which is obviously more, more well known for mountain biking, but offers fantastic gravel trails as well. 

The official event website describes the forest as a "premier destination for outdoor adventure," celebrated for its "diverse terrain, breathtaking scenery, and well-maintained trails". Its "rich sporting heritage" includes hosting the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 2010 and 2011, and featuring in the Tour de Yorkshire in 2015.

Malcolm Smith, co-founder of Red On Sports, the event organisers, affirmed that:

"North Yorkshire is the perfect home for the Championships. Dalby Forest offers world-class trails, stunning scenery, and a welcoming community".

Beyond the racing, the British Gravel Championships are designed as "more festivals than just races," with an event village, offering "free to access" for spectators, which will host a "large expo," "demo cycling opportunities," and "food vendors" throughout the weekend. Live music is scheduled for Saturday night, alongside kids' activities, panel talks, and on-site camping. A special "sundowner charity ride" will also take place, with entry fees benefiting Prostate Cancer UK. Mr Wussler explained this initiative was prompted by his co-founder's recent prostate cancer diagnosis and absence for surgery.

"what we do with our events are always looking to design them as more festivals than just races.

So there's there's a large expo, there's demo cycling opportunities, there's food vendors here all weekend.

The event Village is free to access for any spectators. There's live music on Saturday night as well, and then we've also got a sundown or charity ride.

My, co-founder, he was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and is missing this event for his surgery.

And so it prompted us as well to you start up this charity initiative in native prostate cancer UK. And so the Sun Downer charity ride is open to attend and the entry fee go towards prostate cancer UK "

The event is set to "shine the spotlight on North Yorkshire". Visit North Yorkshire, the destination marketing and management service for North Yorkshire Council, has partnered with the organisers to encourage participants and supporters to extend their stays and make return visits to the county.

Cllr Mark Crane, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for open to business, emphasised that such events "put the spotlight on North Yorkshire and provide an excellent opportunity for visitor economy businesses locally to promote what they do". Tony Watson, North Yorkshire Council’s head of tourism, added that these events "allow us to showcase why North Yorkshire is the perfect outdoor playground year-round". Malcolm Smith from Red On Sports highlighted that the partnership "brings economic impact to the region, highlights its appeal as a cycling and adventure destination". He also noted that Visit North Yorkshire’s investment in live coverage will allow the event to be shared "nationally and internationally," showcasing "the sport and the beauty of North Yorkshire to a global audience".

There are more details about the event at https://www.britishgravelchampionships.com/

The Full even programme can be seen at https://www.britishgravelchampionships.com/event-programme