Graval will enter 2026 with a sense of direction and identity that feels clearer than ever. What began as a single gravel adventure has become a trilogy of self-supported ultradistance challenges that stretch across Spain’s most evocative landscapes. The new season preserves the essence of the project while also expanding its reach with the ambitious trans‑peninsular Iberian Road.

There are three well differentiated events organized by the Spanish event organizer next year. All of them are correctly tagged as ultracycling due to their length and toughness, but they are unique enough to make you want to complete all of them. Points A to point B or loop. Road or gravel. It’s up to you to choose.

Graval Road | May 1st, 2026

The season will open with Graval Road, a demanding challenge on tarmac that stays faithful to Graval’s philosophy of solitude, effort, and endurance. Riders leave Valencia with 600 kilometers and over 11,000 meters of climbing ahead of them, tracing a route that leads them through the Spanish provinces of Valencia, Teruel, and Castellón.

The quiet mountain passes, the remote towns, and the long stretches of secondary roads shape a journey where the mind works as hard as the legs. The ascent to Picón del Buitre, at almost two thousand meters above sea level, serves as one of the route’s emotional and physical high points. From there, riders navigate through old forests, rugged mountain ranges, and narrow valleys, choosing when to rest or push, and how to manage the accumulating fatigue.

We took part last year, and although the organizers make the effort of finding new stretches of road to plan a slightly different route each year, our recap of the experience can be a good source of inspiration for those tempted by the challenge.

Iberian Road | October 7th, 2026

Graval’s newest creation, Iberian Road, is both an evolution and a drastic change to what the organizers have been curating for the past few years. Stretching roughly 1,000 kilometers from Santiago de Compostela to Valencia, it forges a diagonal line across the Iberian Peninsula, from the damp forests near the Atlantic Ocean to the sunlit Mediterranean plains. With more than 13,000 meters of elevation gain, the route will probably be a lesson in contrast: changing climates, changing altitudes, changing rhythms.

In many ways, Iberian Road is the purest expression of Graval’s philosophy. The solitude is deeper, the logistics more challenging, the distances larger, and the narrative arc of the ride more dramatic. Riders must manage everything alone while threading their way through mountain ranges, old pilgrimage paths, and the long inland mesetas.

The event promises to become one of Spain’s defining ultradistance road challenges, and its first edition in 2026 will set the tone for what could become a classic.

Graval Bikepacking Adventure | October 30th, 2026

Graval Bikepacking Adventure remains the beating heart of the project. At roughly 400 kilometers and 7,000 meters of elevation gain, it is a rugged off‑road bikepacking adventure that starts and ends in Valencia. The track brings together gravel sectors, forest paths, steep dirt climbs, rocky descents, and limited hike-a-bike stretches.

This time the route will bring participants inland and then north before guiding them back to The City of Arts and Sciences. Checkpoints in small towns like Yátova, Requena, Ademuz, and Higueruelas, provide the only fixed structure in an otherwise fluid journey. From the summit of Javalambre, the route’s high point, the descent toward the Mediterranean will feel like returning from a different world.

Whether participants try to do it in one go or split it over two days, the route will deliver unforgettable moments. The views riding past sunset at high elevation between Requena and Chelva are still etched in our minds, and although the 2026 edition will be very different from the truncated version of the Graval Bikepacking Adventure we finished in 2025, we can guarantee it will be one for the books.

Entries now open

For us, the 2026 Graval calendar offers not only new ground to cover but also a chance to reconnect with our own experiences from 2025. Our stories from riding earlier Graval events will help frame how we approach these new editions and routes. You can now also sign up for Graval Road, while the entries for Iberian Road and Graval Bikepacking Adventure open on January 19th.