Race Reports

Sore bodies and spent bikes enjoyed the fifth and final stage of the Gravel Explorer XLT, starting and finishing near the historic Kettle Valley Steam Train in Summerland. A classic day to finish a classic race 3T Stage 5 saw riders tackle a local favourite gravel loop in the hills above Summerland’s wine country. After 4 days of exploring the…

Racers’ tired legs enjoyed the shortest distance stage of the 2022 Gravel Explorer XLT, but what was short in distance still featured some serious elevation on challenging technical, loose, and rocky gravel.  The route, newly created and connected by Course Designer, Jessy Hoffman, gave our intrepid racers the opportunity to be among the first ever gravel cyclists to cover this…

The Gravel Explorer XLT ticked over the halfway point during Rapha Stage 3 as racers climbed away from the shores of Skaha Lake in Okanagan Falls for a “classic gravel kind of day.”  Changing of the seasons Racers would start in Okanagan Falls, climbing all the way up into the surrounding mountains for Rapha Stage 3. Described by many as…

The Gravel Explorer LT racers departed after the first stage, but Gravel Explorer XLT still had 4 days of epic adventurous routes waiting.  Both the Open Men and Open Women’s fields started to see separations in the overall GC over 79 km of Summerland’s most adventurous gravel. L’Esperance takes time on podium favorites With a nail-biting sprint finish fresh in…

After a big debut year in the Okanagan, the Gravel Explorer launched into year two with a big ride from Naramata to the edge of Kelowna, and back. The five-day XLT expedition racers were joined by the single-day Gravel Explorer LT field, a new event for 2022.  The mixed field made for exciting racing. Just 0.08 seconds separated Rob Britton…