In 2026, Grevet is offering 28 regional events and three long-distance rides based on historic routes from the 1890s. The event series already recorded 850 participants in 2025 and is expecting over 1,200 starters for the coming season. The format is based on independent rides within time slots of several weeks instead of classic races with a starting gun and timekeeping.
Grevet concept
Grevet has been organising non-competitive long-distance gravel rides since 2021. Participants ride the routes on their Gravelbike independently within a set period of time. Anyone who completes the distance is listed as a finisher - without being ranked or timed. The routes consist of gravel, forest paths and unsurfaced sections, with tarmac routes being deliberately avoided.
The quartet format divides each region into four events with increasing distances of between 100 and 400 kilometres, making it ideal for Gravel bike beginners. The gradation enables a structured seasonal build-up from spring to summer. Each route remains open for several weeks. An additional social grevet per event offers a common start day without forcing group rides.
Regional Grevet Quartets
Bavaria starts on 3 April with distances between 140 and 300 kilometres, organised by Gravel Bavaria. The series runs until 9 August. Berlin/Brandenburg offers routes from 150 to 400 kilometres between 4 April and 26 July, organised by CXBerlin. The new Franconia region comprises 120 to 300 kilometres through Franconian Switzerland and along the Romantic Road to Munich. SALA Cycling Collective is organising the events between 15 April and 27 July. Hamburg covers 140 to 400 kilometres from the Lüneburg Heath to the Baltic coast of Mecklenburg. Northern Light(s) Road & Gravel is in charge of the series from 3 April to 26 July. The Lower Rhine covers the Rhine-Meuse region, the Reichswald forest and the Dutch border. The Cycling Club Düsseldorf is organising four Grevet events of between 100 and 400 kilometres from 20 March to 24 July. Austria offers 150 to 270 kilometres through Styria, organised by the Gravel Grinders Graz between 21 March and 26 July. Thuringia completes the regional quartets with 125 to 300 kilometres, organised by Gravel Eichsfeld Thüringen from 11 April to 12 September.
Each region is backed by a local team that knows the routes from their own experience with the Gravelbike knows. The routes are not created by external route planners or algorithms, but by riders who have travelled their routes themselves. Teams such as CXBerlin, Gravel Bavaria and Gravel Grinders Graz develop the routes based on local knowledge.
Historical Supergrevets
The three Supergrevets reactivate endurance bike rides from the pioneering era between 1892 and 1914. Vienna-Trieste starts on 25 July 2026 at 10:00 a.m. in Vienna Inzersdorf. The 650-kilometre route with 14,000 metres of elevation gain leads across Styria and Alpine crossings to the Adriatic Sea. The route was first organised in 1892.
Milan-Munich is a new addition. The transalpine endurance bike ride was first ridden in 1894. The 750-kilometre route with an altitude difference of 12,000 metres starts on 29 August 2026 at 10:00 am at the Porta Romana in Milan. The route leads over a high alpine transition at over 2,200 metres into the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. A finisher's party will take place on 3 September at 3 Mills Munich.
Basel-Kleve will be passable again for the first time since 1894. The 750-kilometre Grevet route starts on 26 September 2026 at 10:00 a.m. in Basel and follows the course of the Rhine. Fritz Opel won by seconds in a sprint in 1894. The finisher's party will take place on 30 September at Cycle Collective Meerbusch.
Historical context
The original endurance bike rides between 1892 and 1914 were ridden under extreme conditions. Steel frames weighed between 11 and 16 kilograms, the bikes had fixed gear ratios and stamp brakes. On descents, the riders rested their feet on pegs. After riding through dust and water, woollen jerseys weighed up to nine kilograms more than at the start. Founder Tim Sparenberg describes the motivation: "What fascinates me about the early endurance rides is the wild pioneering spirit: without gears, without freewheel, with stamp brakes over the Alps. These men were largely on their own for hundreds of kilometres. It is precisely this form of self-determined riding that we wanted to make accessible again - but without competition and rankings."
Info:
- Regional quartets: seven regions with four events each
- Regional distances: 100-400 km
- Supergrevets: 3 historic long distances
- Vienna-Trieste: 650 km, 14,000 m elevation gain, start 25 July 2026, 10:00 a.m. Vienna Inzersdorf
- Milan-Munich: 750 km, 12,000 m elevation gain, start 29 August 2026, 10:00 a.m. Milan Porta Romana
- Basel-Kleve: 750 km, start 26 September 2026, 10:00 a.m. Basel
- Route profile: gravel, forest paths, unpaved passages
- Format: Independent, multi-week time slot, no timekeeping, no rankings
Kristian Bauer
Editor
