Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas and the team behind SBT GRVL have announced FNLD GRVL, a new gravel event in Lahti, Finland, planned for June 2023.
The inaugural FNLD GRVL will offer two course distances with a €20K pro prize purse. It is aiming to attract 1500+ gravel riders from around the world. A full weekend of activities and entertainment will include an expo, schedule of events and will be tied to advocacy efforts around environmental sustainability and climate change.
Seeking to create ‘the premier gravel event in Europe’, FNLD GRVL is a partnership between Valtteri Bottas, SBT GRVL co-founder and owner Amy Charity, and marketing agency co-owner Chris Lyman. Registration will open in the autumn/fall of 2022.
“I’ve been riding gravel around my hometown of Lahti, Finland for years, and discovered SBT GRVL in Steamboat Springs, CO (USA) in 2021,” said Valtteri Bottas. “I was impressed with such a world-class event.
“When Amy Charity and Chris Lyman reached out to me about partnering on a race in Finland, I saw it as a tremendous opportunity to build something similarly special in Lahti.”
Lahti, an hour’s drive (or train ride) north of Helsinki, is the 2021 Green Capital of Europe. It sits at the edge of Finnish Lake Country, a region defined by more than 55,000 lakes that dot a forest-covered plateau, including a UNESCO Global Geopark.
The region’s gravel roads, which weave through and around the lakes, make for extensive route combinations.
“Lahti shares so many similarities with Steamboat Springs and what we feel has made SBT GRVL successful: incredible scenery, endless gravel roads, and a community that understands hospitality and infrastructure for hosting a major sporting event,” said Amy Charity.
Chris Lyman added “When we first approached Valtteri with the idea it was evident how passionate he is about gravel riding and his community, so with our combined backgrounds, it was natural for us to team up to create a world-class gravel event.”
