Focal Events Brings Elite Gravel Racing Back To England In 2025 With Dalby Grit
For immediate publication
Cumbria, 25th November 2024: Focal Events, organisers of the popular Panaracer Dirty Reiver, SCOTT Frontier 300 and crankbrothers Gravel Rocks events, has announced a new gravel race in the 2025 calendar - Dalby Grit.
Heading to the stunning North York Moors National Park, the event, held over the weekend of 27-29th June, marks a welcome return to gravel racing in England after a fallow year in 2024. The race will bring together some of the sport’s best gravel riders from at home and abroad, all descending on Yorkshire to do battle over 110km of access roads and forest trails within the expansive Dalby Forest. After the action, the community element of the gravel scene flourishes with an evening festival atmosphere enticing riders to stay for the weekend and join social shakedown rides on Sunday.
“We’re very excited to finally lift the lid on plans for Dalby Grit as it’s something we’ve been working hard on, alongside the Forestry England team on site, for some time now, aiming to bring gravel racing back to England,” explained Event Director, Bryan Singleton. “Dalby Forest provides the perfect race setting, with its pristine gravel and rolling parcours, for the very best gravel riders to descend upon and race head-to-head.”
The 110km race route will feature a testing 1800m of total ascent, with climbs and technical descents to navigate each lap across a fully off-road route of tracks and trails. Alongside the Pro/Elite race, there will also be rider classes for ages 18 and above, across both men’s and women’s categories.
Race entries start from £80 per rider, at early bird pricing. This includes riding across three days with practice sessions available on the Friday ahead of racing on Saturday and social rides on Sunday.
After cycling events such as the Tour de France’s Grand Depart, the men’s and women’s Tour de Yorkshire, and many other national elite races across multiple disciplines, Dalby Grit is the latest addition to Yorkshire’s impressive bike racing heritage.
Dalby Grit is the latest addition to Focal Events’ growing gravel-focused portfolio of rides and races. The Panaracer Dirty Reiver is a rite of passage in the gravel world and one that sells out year upon year, a highlight event in any gravel rider’s calendar around the impressive Kielder Forest with distances from 65km to 200km. SCOTT Frontier 300 offers either a one or two day endurance adventure from one side of the UK to the other across 300km of predominantly gravel riding. Whilst crankbrothers Gravel Rocks combines a mix of social riding and racing over a weekend of all things gravel, paired with a festival atmosphere for all the family.
“Dalby Grit is for the racers,” added Singleton. “This is really the event for those wanting to let loose their competitive spirit and test their skills against the country’s best riders. It's the natural addition to our portfolio, one that offers something for everyone whilst each carrying the same DNA - elite organisation, hand-selected routes and activities beyond just the riding.”
Events details including entry can be found at https://www.dalbygrit.cc/.
Images can be downloaded here.
To request a press entry for Dalby Grit or further information, please contact:
Tom Copeland
