No: UGF2301

17 Jan 2023

Written By : Dave Macleod

Underberg Gran Fondo joins world gravel tour

Underberg- After a successful debut in 2022 the Underberg Gran Fondo gravel bike race has made global headlines by being included on the Gran Fondo World Tour ® Gravel Series calendar for 2023.

The expanded international calendar comprises sixteen events spanning all five continents, reflecting the worldwide explosion of interest in gravel bike riding, and Underberg Gran Fondo organiser Pierre Horn says they are thrilled to be included on the 2023 Gran Fondo World Tour ® Gravel Series schedule.

“We were excited by the enthusiastic response to the introduction of the Underberg Gran Fondo last year, as the interest in gravel bike riding started to really gain momentum in South Africa,” said Horn.

“It was equally encouraging to see the following for the event from beyond our borders,” he added. “The inclusion of the Underberg event on the Gran Fondo World Tour ® Gravel Series calendar will hopefully facilitate more riders from around the world travelling to Underberg this winter to enjoy our gravel routes.”

“Gravel is now the fastest growing genre in cycling with a huge increase in the number of participants (and events) worldwide,” said Gran Fondo World Tour ® founder Dani Buyo.

“Gravel is the new wave, a life style, a way of life. This is why we have included so many diverse types of gravel events in the 2023 calendar, because we do not want to trust in standardization,” said Buyo.

“We believe that gravel is diverse, with an outdoor adventure philosophy, with amateur cyclists around the world part of the global gravel community”, he added.

“We are excited to expand to all five continents with our gravel brand, a brand that is flexible, cooperative, understanding and appreciative of all our partner events. This is most exciting challenge for us since we started back in 2015, eight years ago”, continued Buyo.

The sixteen event calendar will start with the Great Otway Gravel Grind in Australia in February and will culminate with the iconic Belgian Waffle Ride in the USA in October.

2023 Gran Fondo World Tour ® Gravel Series calendar
Date - Event, Country
February 26 - Great Otway Gravel Grind p/b Focus, Australia
April 9-15 - Bedrock Gravel Festival. Cyprus
April 22 - Veneto Gravel, Italy
April 22 - Cyclo Sud Bourgogne, France
April (tbc) - Conquista Patagonia Gravel, Chile
May 12th - 14th - Human Fish Gravel Stages Race, Slovenia
May 22 - Jersey Gravel Grinder, United States
June (tbc) - Gorilla Gravel Race, Rwanda
June 18 - Korea Epic Ride, South Korea
July 30 - Underberg Gran Fondo, South Africa
August 12 - Grefillinn, Iceland
August (tbc) - Silk Way Gravel, Kazakhstan
September (tbc) - Italian Gravel Trophy, Italy
September 16 - Kettle Mettle Klassic, Canada
September 23 - Pirinexus, Spain
October - Belgian Waffle Ride Kansas, United States

More information can be found at www.underberggranfondo.co.za and www.granfondoworldtour.com

ENDS

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