Hey guys, we’re back with round two of scheduling talk. This time: the Indiana Gravel calendar. Surprisingly, this is a really short calendar considering all the great gravel we have all around the state! I’m a little late getting this out as 2 events have already passed, but the idea here is to make this a yearly thing and hopefully the calendar fills as the years roll on.
3/8 – Glacial Drainage – Madison
3/15 – Death March – Hoosier National Forest
4/5 – Get Buried – Greencastle
5/3 – Garbage Mountain Gravel Grinder – Terre Haute
5/3 – Karst Crusher – Nashville
6/28 – Gravel Grinder National Championships – Greencastle
7/26 – Dust Bowl 100 – Eminence
9/27 – Harvest 50 – Zionsville
11/8 – Gravel Grovel – Story
As Glacial Drainage has already passed, it would be a good time to highlight the season opening race! The 2025 edition featured some 60 riders attacking some of the most brutal climbs that Indiana has to offer. Andrew Dillman captured victory after opening up 30 seconds on Kyle Kalish. The pair stayed away from the group most of the day and rode a great race. This event is growing and hopefully becomes a mainstay on the Indiana calendar. Timothy Howard captured some great shots from the event.
The very next weekend, Death March was planned to happen in the Hoosier National Forest. Unfortunately, the Indiana weather gods had other plans. A pair of tornadoes caused major storm damage to the Hoosier National Forest and the race had to be cancelled a mere 2 hours before the event. Trees were down everywhere, roads were impassible in many places and power was out in many area towns. I was staying in French Lick ahead of the race and our hotel lost power at about 5am. It was a rude wakeup call when we evacuated for the tornados!
Next up is Wes Kendall’s awesome ‘spirit of gravel’ event: Get Buried. This event is FREE. That’s right FREE!! In 2025, how many chances do you get to say that word? I had the absolute pleasure to attend this event in 2023 and it was awesome. The vibes were high from the morning meeting, to the neutral rollout through the amazing SAG stops, up some very sharp central Indiana climbs through the end where we had a small welcome waiting for us. I don’t think I can catch this years race, but I highly recommend you checking it out.
Looks like our short calendar also has an overlap with the Karst Crusher and the Garbage Mountain Gravel Grinder on the same day. Facebook informed me that I had missed this race in my initial searches. I wonder if this, coupled with the same date as an already well attended date during a busy portion of a light schedule might put this Griffin Bike Park event on shaky ground before it starts. Support the little guy and ride in western Indiana that day! I’ll be running the Mini-Marathon so I’ll miss both events.
Finally, DINO Series takes the spotlight. Do INdiana Outdoors has made a name for themselves getting dirty with a statewide mountain bike and trail running series as well as running a pair of off-road triathlons. This year they are adding the Gravel Grinder National Championships to their resume. This is a non-USA Cycling event, which works out really well as DINO owner Brian Holzhausen knows how to have an awesome grassroots kind of party. If you want to get a preview of the course, Get Buried rides some of the same roads as this race. Albeit backwards!
Gravel Grovel caps off the season. The final DINO event and one you are sure to enjoy. Based out of Story, Indiana this race might be better suited on a MTB as the Nebo Ridge Trail features prominently in the route. I wanted to highlight the date specifically as it has moved away from its historical Thanksgiving weekend Saturday and moved ahead to the first Saturday in November. I think this will lend to better weather and bigger fields. I look forward to seeing what effect this has on the event.
All in all, the gravel calendar is sparse, but consistent. One can race nearly every single month from March through October with only two holes in the calendar. Here’s hoping someone puts together a race in august and October to fill out the schedule.
My name is Eric Hall. I am a certified cycling coach ready to get you to your gravel finish. Contact me for more information on plans and packages. I also offer triathlon and running coaching as well. I look forward to hearing from you!
