Focal Events, organiser of the Panaracer Dirty Reiver, SCOTT Frontier 300 and crankbrothers Gravel Rocks events, has unveiled a new gravel race, Dalby Grit, in its 2025 calendar.
Held on the weekend of June 27-29, 2025, and heading to the North York Moors National Park, the event will aim to bring together some of the sport’s best gravel riders from at home and abroad. Riders will descend on Yorkshire to do battle over 110km of access roads and forest trails within the expansive Dalby Forest.
Focal Events notes that, after the racing action… ‘the community element of the gravel scene will flourish with an evening festival atmosphere enticing riders to stay for the weekend and join social shakedown rides on Sunday.’
Event Director Bryan Singleton said “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.
“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 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 bike racing heritage.
Dalby Grit is the latest addition to Focal Events’ gravel-focused portfolio of rides and races:
- The Panaracer Dirty Reiver sells out year on year, and is positioned as a highlight event in any gravel rider’s calendar. It takes place around 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.
- The crankbrothers Gravel Rocks event combines a mix of social riding and racing, paired with a festival atmosphere.
“Dalby Grit is for the racers,” added Bryan 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.”
