en
"Ultra Gravel Latvia" is a brand new experience in adventure-class gravel biking, where riders will have the opportunity to travel across the entire width of Latvia — from the tranquil south-east to the romantic west — along the unique gravel roads found here in Northern Europe.
Ultra Gravel Latvia, as the name suggests, will be an ultra-long cycling journey along a route starting in Zilupe, a village located along Latvia’s eastern border, and ending in Bernāti, a beautiful resort town just few kilometres away from Liepāja.
The route is designed to minimize encounters with cars as much as possible, allowing participants to fully enjoy the scenic surroundings, while still being able to ride at a good pace. This means that all the enchanting Latvian landscapes found along the route — sandy beaches,blooming meadows, open fields — remain undisturbed for the Ultra Gravel participants.
Ultra gravel Latvia will be remembered for its beauty, challenge, and all the excitement this three-day experience has to offer for all the participating cyclists, both Latvians and those visiting Latvia.
The race will start on May 4th at 10:00 and end on May6th at 22:00. A total of 60 hours are allotted for this 583-kilometer long journey. The most suitable bicycle for this ride would be a gravel-type bike with the fastest tires available, as the route mainly consists of gravel roads.
This race will see the debut of the new De Rosa gravel bicycle “SPIDER”! The specially developed carbon frame of the bike — which, together with the front fork, weighs in at 1320 g — combined with FULCRUM carbon gravel wheels and a RAPID RED CARBON and SRAM FORCE 1x12 groupset, makes it one of the most dynamic and fast gravel bikes De Rosa has to offer. Participants will have an opportunity to view and check out the bike at the starting and finishing areas of the race.
The race starts in Zilupe. The town can be easily reached from Riga by train. There are quite a few guest houses available in Zilupe, so if the participants wish to prepare leisurely in the morning before the start, it is possible to arrive a day before the race and stay in one of the houses overnight.
After completing the 580 kilometres and 2250 meters of elevation gain, the finish line will be reached in Bernāti, near the romantic city of Liepāja. The train Liepāja-Riga, departing from Liepāja station, will be able to take participants back to Riga.
Jānis Kārkliņš
bike enthusiast
Last edited on Apr 6th 2024.
