A gravel bike can best be described as a mix between a road bike and a mountain bike \u2013 as fast as a racer, but durable enough to handle gravel roads and light terrain.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cWe’re seeing a strong gravel trend right now, and gravel cyclists have a large community, so it feels great to now welcome them to their own start group,\u201d says Daniel M\u00e4kinen, Vasaloppet\u2019s Event Lead.<\/p>\n\n
For the Vasaloppet organization, the new start group also offers a chance to see how gravel bikes compare to mountain bikes.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThanks to this new start group, we\u2019ll be able to observe how it affects speed and flow during the race, so it will serve as an official test for us. We also want to learn more about how gravel cyclists experience the Vasaloppet terrain and our course,\u201d says Daniel, noting that the gravel start group is an option, not a requirement.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cAs before, gravel cyclists are welcome in all start groups in Cykelvasan \u00d6ppet Sp\u00e5r.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
FACTS\/ Cykelvasan \u00d6ppet Sp\u00e5r, 95 km, Gravel start group<\/strong> Did you know\u2026<\/strong> When Cykelvasan \u00d6ppet Sp\u00e5r takes place on Friday, August 8, those riding gravel bikes can start in a group exclusively for gravel cyclists. The start group sets off at 10:55 am \u2013 five minutes before the first regular start group in Cykelvasan \u00d6ppet Sp\u00e5r. 300 spots are reserved, and registration is open.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":603,"template":"","news_category":[],"sport_category":[3],"class_list":["post-596","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","sport_category-bike"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Date: Friday, August 8, 2025 at 10:55
Recreational race: No winner is declared.
Want to take part? Sign up at vasaloppet.se and select the Gravel start group. Registration fee: Same as for the regular Cykelvasan \u00d6ppet Sp\u00e5r. Already registered for Cykelvasan \u00d6ppet Sp\u00e5r and want to switch to the Gravel start group? Go to My pages and change your start group.<\/p>\n\n
\u2026 the most common type of bike used in Cykelvasan is a front-suspension MTB, hardtail, followed by full-suspension MTBs; these two dominate overall. But around four percent use other types of MTBs, gravel bikes, or other bike types. The choice of bike varies slightly depending on the race: for example, other types of MTBs are a bit more common among participants in Cykelvasan 45 and Cykelvasan 30.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"