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The 2026 Gravel Race Season

The 2026 Gravel Race Season
Grinduro, 2025

Note: No affiliate links ever, just some random person’s thoughts. All human made. Enjoy.


My first gravel event was the first-ever Grinduro in Quincy, CA in 2015. The 2015 Santa Cruz Stigmata had just come out in a gorgeous orange, fitting big-at-the-time 40mm tires. Well, tire, really, because I seem to remember the WTB Nano tire being just about the only thing folks ran in that size back then. I built up an attempted copycat bike from an orange Salsa Las Cruces frame with Paul canti brakes. I loved that bike dearly, but descending Mount Huff on 38 Panaracers was something I’m glad I only did once. 


2026 will be my first real gravel race season. I’ve done lots of timed gravel events, but I don’t feel like I’ve ever truly raced them. I’ve never paid attention to anyone else or how I am stacking up during an event. Last year I managed 7th place at Bovine Gravel (Feisty) and 19th at Sea Otter Gravel on the 60 mile course and mid-pack at Grinduro.  I hit something in the first dozen miles at the Truckee Tahoe 100 mile race last year that led to an exploded rim, a broken shoulder, and two months off the bike. 

This year I have something to prove.

My 2026 Race Calendar

The bulk of my calendar consists of the Grasshopper Adventure Series:

That’s one race per month from January to May with age group categories for each race, and an overall podium per age group for the series.

In June I’ll be in Girona for my first bikepacking event - El Piri, a 500 mile epic through the Pyranees.

In September I’ll be at Grinduro again, this time with a mountain bike.

In October I’m planning to tackle the Megahopper, a 400-mile bikepacking event that I’ll be treating as a shakeout and gear check for my 2027 goal — The Tour Divide. More on that later.

Also in October is The Bovine Classic, the most chill and fun gravel party race thing.


Lessons I’m bringing into this season

I’ve learned a lot over the years that I’m bringing into this season. Strong opinions, loosely held, right? I am sure I’ll learn a lot this season, and revisit some assumptions, so I wanted to outline the big ones here before the race recaps begin.

Coaching is incredible

Having a supportive, insightful, and empathetic coach who pushes you and is a great cheerleader is truly incredible. I’m very lucky to have found the best coach and couldn’t be more supported in these efforts.

Nutrition is paramount and Carbs are King

Working with a nutritionist has gotten me to my lightest and fittest human adult form and I’m so grateful for all of that. The only way you can thrive in multi-hour endurance efforts is with a very keen eye on not just race nutrition, but carb loading ahead of time, and general nutrition throughout the year. Also, the carb revolution is here to stay. I routinely fuel with 160g of carbs per hour during races and I can’t imagine going back to the days of bonk. I highly recommend reaching out to Kyla at Nutritional Revolution if you're curious to learn more.

Power durability is essential in gravel

Having a baller FTP is nice, and dropping watt bombs on friends on your 1-hour town lap is sick, but digging deep on big climbs in hour 4 of a race is what separates the pointy end from the pack in a gravel race. I need to be there when those moments come, and be prepared to throw down to make a difference.

Hydration isn’t just fuel 

I’ve been on the CARBS! tip for a while now, but at Sea Otter last year I admittedly bonked. Hard. That last insanely steep climb scorched part of my soul. I stupidly chose not to refuel at the last aid station becase there were “only” 7 or so miles left. I had chews and gels on me, after all. I have always and forever used mix in my bottles and hydration packs, but it took this bonk to remind me that water is actually also good for like, actual hydration. Water, even without carbs, is good, actually, and quite necessary during a hot race. Noted.

Fat tires are faster

You know it’s a gravel race if you see hundreds of questions posed about tire choice. My gravel race bike is an Enve MOG, fitted with Schwalbe Thunder Burt 2.1” tires. This is my setup 99% of the time. Fat juicy tires, at lower pressure, are faster, more comfortable (which is also faster), and lets you make more bad line choices, than a skinny tire. I feel like “what tire should I use?” is really trying to say “how skinny can I go?” when I think the answer is almost always — as fat as your bike can handle.

A race plan should be straightforward

Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face, right? Races can be like that too. If your race plan has 20 different tactics for you to remember, you’re gonna have a bad time. Do enough research on the course, look at past race results, gauge various efforts (MyWindsock is great for this), and build a sketch of your plan. Make a fueling plan for sure. But keep it simple.

The power in vibes

Similar to the one above — don’t be afraid to race on vibes. Sunshine enhances. Dry or muddy influences descending. Following a group you get along well with helps. The race plan you made is probably a little too focused on you. Race awareness, the moves of others, and the vibes of the day can be important, too. Listen to them.

Calm is fast

One of the reasons your straightforward race plan is a smart one, is it keeps you calm. When you are calm, you are also focused. Calm and focused makes power come easier. Calm. Is. Fast.

Don’t plan to make up time on descents

LESSON LEARNED at Truckee Tahoe gravel. I wasn’t even descending all that fast (30mph), and I honestly don’t think I could have done anything differently, but I did have a race plan that had me pinning descents in order to keep up a high average pace, and I don’t think that’s so smart. Don’t lose places on descents, but maybe don’t plan to gain 5 places, either. As the motto on all my helmets proudly proclaims, “Go fast, don’t die”.

Curate a race soundtrack 

No, I won’t share mine with you ;) Curating a playlist of songs you can tolerate hearing over an hours-long event is no small feat. You don’t want non-stop bangers, because this ain’t a sprint, but you also can’t afford any lull in the action. Aim to build up a few hours if you can and put that baby on repeat. The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are fantastic and keep your ears open to hear your competition whining behind you.

Soak it up

“The suffering is a gift” — a phrase I like to reflect on often. It gives me the space to acknowledge how lucky I am to have the time, fitness, health, and ability to be riding a bike on some dirt trail somewhere with a few hundred other weirdos. Soak that shit UP. Soak it up. Look around once in a while. Peep that sun cutting through the trees. Check out that lake. Appreciate the rise in the trail and remember, this too shall pass.


Check back for race recaps!

No matter how the race goes, I’ll write up a recap and share it here. I’ve always felt that race/event recaps were lacking in various ways, so this is my turn to deliver. See you on the trail!