Gravel Worlds picks 100 participants for new 300-mile ‘Long Voyage’ race

 The 300-mile self-supported race will run in conjunction with the event's other signature distances.

If 150 miles isn’t enough, in 2021, some Gravel Worlds participants will tackle 300.

New for 2021, The Long Voyage is a 300-mile, fully self-supported gravel race that will run in conjunction with the existing 150-mile, 75-mile, and 50km Gravel Worlds events, scheduled for August 21st, 2021 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Race organizer, Pirate Cycling League has selected 100 riders to participate in the challenge.

Much like Unbound Gravel’s XL, The Long Voyage will require riders to source their own food, water, and support. There is an increased appetite for this kind of grassroots event.

“We were expecting 25 riders for our first year and ended up with over 140 applicants,” said Jason Strohbehn, co-promoter of the event. “To pay homage to our first Gravel Worlds in 2010, we capped the event to 100 riders, the same as our first year. We’re stoked to have such is a deep lineup of experienced, accomplished ultra-endurance athletes, and we’re looking forward to hosting them in August.”

The 100 riders selected for the 2021 Long Voyage consist of 18 women and 82 men from more than 20 states and 3 countries. Many are veterans of the long-distance bikepacking race The Tour Divide. Yuri Hauswald, winner of the 2015 race formerly known as the DK (now Unbound Gravel) is also on the start list.

The event did not require an entry fee but rather participants could make donations to the Randy Gibson Memorial Fund. To-date, Long Voyage participants have donated more than $5,000, to be used for Lincoln Parks projects across the city. Randy Gibson was an accomplished cyclist and co-promoter of Gravel Worlds. He was killed by a drunk driver while riding his bicycle in 2017.

“Giving back to our community has always been our number one goal and we’re honored this event will give back to the community that has supported our entire gravel family,” Strohbehn said. “We’re so thankful for the generosity of the participants of the Long Voyage who’ve donated to the Randy Gibson Memorial Fund.”

Registration for the primary 150-mile Gravel Worlds, 75-mile Privateer, and 50km Buccaneer events opens Saturday, January 16th, 2021 at 8:00am CST. Registration is capped at 1,000 participants for the 2021 events.