Events: The 2023 Spring Event Calendar
No sooner had the clock struck midnight to usher in 2023 than our event box was overflowing with invites. If organizer exuberance is any indication, 2023 has the possibility of being the most active cycling calendar in recent memory, and that’s not including the licensed crit races. What has left the mail box flap impossible to close are spring rides that have both just got started as well as numerous established classics. Two of the rides happen on the same date, so it won’t be possible to hammer through all thirteen of our featured events. The good news is that there are many to-be-announced events (TBA) that have not set a firm date or are in the final stages of securing an operator’s license. Most of these rides have been written about on our site; be sure to read about our experiences. Then check back to see what events have been added.
Sourland Semi-Classic - February 26
For the ambitious cyclist looking to pack miles into the first few weeks of the year, Kermesse Sport’s Sourland Semi Classic is it. Modeled after the European Spring Classic Het Nieuwsblad, Sourland Semi-Classic is the tune up event for the later Hell of Hunterdon. Similar roads from the Hell of Hunterdon are featured as well as five New Jersey unpaved sectors; this event is doable on road bikes. Expect the infamous Zion Road climb, a nearly two-mile climb out of Neshanic hamlet or the follow up, Montgomery Road, a climb that leads to an unpaved sector.
The ride tours through the Sourland Preserve, exploring skinny winding roads devoid of much traffic. The Preserve offers wooded passage as well as glacial till lining the roadsides. There is even a sign marking where a signer of the Declaration of Independence hid from Tories during the Revolutionary War. The rolling climbs and winding roads through the Sourlands are the hallmark of the event that starts and ends at V5 Cycles in Flemington, NJ. Registration is now open for one of the smallest events on the calendar.
Hell of Hunterdon - March 26
Until last year we had completed all but one Hell of Hunterdon, but we can say with confidence, the route is a beast. The numbers are quintessential challenges: seventy-eight miles (long course), twelve dirt sectors (18% of the course), and an arguable 5,700 feet of climbing. Some years the long route has nudged over eighty miles. Kermesse Sport is also offering a medium course at fifty-four miles and seven unpaved sectors. If the Sourlands is Het Nieuwsblad, Hell of Hunterdon is the Ronde van Vlaanderen.
The ride rolls through the central portions of Hunterdon County, NJ, and seeks out as many unpaved roads as possible. Each segment has its own personality and they change from year to year. Each completion of the Hell of Hunterdon has been completed on a standard road bike, so no special bikes are needed to complete Hell. In recent years, the organizers have added the special treat of sticking a five hundred foot climb in the final five miles of the event. Or one can heed the shortcut sign in front of Brick Tavern and ride back to the starting line, thus omitting the final ring of Hell. Considering the post-ride food and hosting, we never blame anyone for trying to get back early and get cracking on the Belgian-inspired catering. Registration will soon open for one of the largest events on the calendar.
Monkey Knife Fight - April 1
Monkey Knife Fight lives up to its name. There are three distances to choose from, but we have had a go at the 68-mile Gorilla distance at least twice. That route features a whopping 6,250 feet of climbing. Monkey Knife Fight is one of the distinguished events that has politely told us we suck by forcing us to walk up a climb. To survive a fight with roads outside of Emmaus means one summoned the strength of Furious George.
The event has so much going for it. For one, the route has a church parking lot as its central location. It probably should be used on account of the swearing that will happen on each incline. Repent each return. It also has fun quirks to it like fans grilling asparagus and bacon atop one of the gravel climbs. The first volunteer on course was brewing espresso at the top of one of the opening climbs. To understand Monkey Knife Fight is to simply ride it. But be sure to load up the Garmin with the route. The fight is also in making sure one is headed en route to the finish. We used a standard road bike and promptly regretted our choices. We managed to finish but the bike is still not talking to us nearly a year later. Registration has not opened but the date has been set.
Fleche Buffoon - April 22
One of the few paved events on the spring calendar is Flèche Buffoon offered by Kermesse Sport. Modeled after the Ardennes Classics, this event is for climbers, and the Delaware Valley has the right parcours for this. Starting in New Hope, PA, riders head north seeking all stiff climbs away from the Delaware River. Once in Upper Black Eddy, PA, the route crosses into New Jersey, heads north to visit a dilapidated authentic Dutch windmill, before heading south looking for more stiff climbs. Each climb has its own personality and difficulty.
Local riders will hit one or two of the featured climbs in the Fleche Buffoon, but hitting all fourteen in one 76-mile course is a strong outing. The long course features a solid 6,000 feet of climbing; the 61-mile shorter course features 4,700 feet of climbing. For those who like to go up, this is the spring event. All hills and no gravel make for a route to prime the legs for summer events. A quick manifest of the climbs will reveal numerous challenges. Putting them together successfully is the ultimate feat. Registration is now open for the longest paved event on the calendar.
Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo - April 23
We list events not completed by staff members of creakybottombracket.com, though Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo has always been on the bucket list. Based in Pittston, PA, just outside of Scranton, Lu (Luzerne County) Lacka (Lackawanna County) Wyco (Wyoming County) sends riders over 100 miles and 7,600 feet of climbing for the long course. If one is looking for a single event to detonate the legs, this is your outing. If only moderate demolition is sought, Lu Lacka Wyco offers three shorter distances
In mid Atlantic cycling circles, Lu Lacka brings celebrity status. Broadcast that you’ve run the gamut, and those around you will start asking for autographs. Maybe that’s a little too far, but the Hundo is definitely a prestigious unpaved event. NEPA is a sparsely populated part of Pennsylvania. To send riders on unpaved roads is tinkering with wilderness. That is certainly the allure of the experience. Registration is open for the longest event on our list, but spacing is extremely limited.
Rasputitsa Dirt - April 29
Rasputitsa Dirt is more than just a gravel cycling race. It’s a social media presence that scoffs at the current state of mainstream cycling. While pros rave about the challenge provided by Rasputitsa’s (Russian for mud season) course - snow, mud, maybe even an overflowing pond or two - the organizers like to focus on the middle and back-of-the-pack riders. Follow their social media accounts, and one will find them dead center of entitlement debates. That’s how we learned about the event in the first place.
Rasputitsa Dirt is a race. But they focus on the quirky side of cycling. For instance, the race’s biggest prize goes to the last rider across the line. The organizers make it a cornerstone to seek out inclusivity. Instead of stacking the event with racers, Rasputitsa stays humble and true, shunning the markets grabbing at privateers. Set at the mathematical end of Vermont’s winter, Rasputitsa is no easy undertaking. But much like Roubaix, all want to race it. Registration is open for the most northern event (“I can see Sherbrooke from here!”) on our list, but spacing is extremely limited.
The Great North - May 6
A singular piece of cycling nostalgia was the yearly BikeReg race to register successfully for the event known simply as The Battenkill. Well ahead of its time, Anthem Sport’s Battenkill road race consisted of an ever-lengthening route through Washington County, NY. The race started in Cambridge, NY, and wound along the Battenkill River until eventually everyone except the winner exploded on Meetinghouse Road. Eventually the race was sold off, but recently Anthem has brought back an eerily similar event that is clarified “most certainly not the Battenkill race.”
Much like the Tour of the Catskills (also an Anthem Sports event) the Tour of the Battenkill opened with a long downhill before a covered bridge and the first unpaved sector. We all felt like professionals blasting through those features. The route sliced through a maple syrup farm and continued along pristine roads. Though it’s no longer a race, and “certainly not the old Battenkill race,” The Great North guides riders back through some of those roads when the Queen of American Classics dusted up the Washington County farm fields as well as miles in Vermont. With four distances to choose from, three of which featuring unpaved sectors, there is a spot for riders of every level. Registration is open and space is extremely limited for the third running of this event.
Pinelands Gravel - May 7
The newest big event from Kermesse Sport plants itself deep in the Pineland Region of New Jersey. After a highly successful first year, Pinelands Gravel is set to become a premier mid Atlantic event. The Pinelands Region is an eerie place, and that’s precisely why this event works. It’s the purported home of the Jersey Devil, a rare rattlesnake, and dark paths that go from gritty gravel to sand to…well the rider never came back to report what else. Event directors suggest off road pedals in the case of ‘portaging’ which has never been seen on a cycling event website. Yet we’re still intrigued.
This event is perfect for the time trialing gravel riders. The course is 33% gravel over the 75-mile loop. But pedaling will happen for much of that time as the route only finds 1100 feet of climbing. There are two shorter routes but they are hardly reduced in climbing. This is a flat part of New Jersey. Kermesse Sport has taken great pains to point out the culture of this unique feature of the mid-Atlantic seaboard. Perhaps the likelihood of a rider seeing the Jersey Devil increases with more participants. Registration is open for the sandiest event on our list.
Brandywine Valley Roubaix - May 7
A few years back we met up with riding friends and charged through the quiet roads of Chester County. When thoughts of returning led to research, we stumbled upon the Brandywine Roubaix, an event we’ve never managed to get to. Based on reports from finishers, the Brandywine Roubaix is a lot of fun with some cyclocross sections of dismounting. There are bypasses for the technical areas.
With a length of 58 miles, the Roubaix chalks up 4,000 feet of climbing. Nearly half of the event is on gravel roads. No doubt history buffs will enjoy riding through the valley once famously fought over in the American Revolution. This is certainly an event that will leave riders plotting for their next cycling excursion through Chester County. The views are impressive and many of the roadways are peaceful. Registration is open for this event.
Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder - May 21
Shortly after placing the after-race food order for Black Fly Challenge (further down the list), another finisher struck up a conversation stating something along the lines that, “… if we enjoyed this race, check out Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder next year.” We moved on until a reader suggested we add it to this list. An even that spreads by word of mouth is definitely one to look into.
Based in Chatham, NY, and nestled into an area void of rides (for us at least), Farmer’s Daughter is a 65-mile long gravel event that features 6,400 feet of climbing. Claiming it’s one of the most challenging routes in the northeast is certainly backed up by those numbers. The event’s field limit is a combined 1,200, which is a respectable number considering most events on the list cap participation near 1,000. The route features unmaintained dirt paths and/ or double track. Considering the event claims 45 miles of the route is on unpaved surfaces, a cyclocross bike is the starting consideration. The website also states a hard tail mountain bike would work, too. Registration is open for possibly the only event on our list that climbs 100 feet per mile.
Whiteface Mountain Uphill Bike Race - June 3
We will admit that an uphill bike race is not something that jazzes us up. But the Whiteface Mountain Uphill Bike Race is a scant eleven miles in length. It also starts at 5:30pm. This means there is plenty of time to fret over the fact that riders will climb approximately 3,500 feet in such a short time. Like the next event featured on our list, Whiteface Mountain Uphill Bike Race is celebrating its 25th running. We enjoy round numbers.
Speaking of numbers, the climb is daunting. The route climbs the Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway for the final eight miles. The climb averages 8%. We have ridden up this sufferfest at least four times. The hazy memory is the byproduct of a long effort. With numbers that match France’s Alpe de Huez, Whiteface Mountain Uphill Bike Race promises panoramic views at the finish line. While the views may be rewarding, an eight-mile uphill ride means one thing- an eight mile descent. Channel the inner Tom Pidcock. Registration is open for our list’s biggest climb in the shortest time.
Black Fly Challenge - June 10
We raced last year’s Black Fly Challenge and have not stopped thinking about it since. One of America's original gravel races, Black Fly is going into its 26th year of operation. What makes this event unique is that the route direction is swapped each year. Last year we raced from Inlet, NY, to Indian Lake. This year the route starts in Indian Lake and finishes in Inlet. Though it’s one of the shorter events at forty miles, it is loaded with challenges. Of the forty mile route, twenty-five miles are unpaved. Road bikes will not work, but gravel bikes may be overkill. Let the event challenges begin.
We were certainly spoiled with perfect weather last year. Inlet featured sixty degrees and not a single cloud for the entire weekend. The camping road was perfectly dry. With four categories to choose from, this race is possible without a USAC license. This fact alone is reflected in the amount of people who showed up for the 2022 Black Fly Challenge. Over 1,000 participants lined the starting pens. One challenge to note is that this event is difficult to do solo. We did it solo last year with intentions to ride back to the Airbnb at the start of the race. That’s a good way to pack in a cycling weekend, but the return route was a little more than we bargained for, including headwind. And forget it if it snows like it did the weekend after last year’s race. But we still can’t stop dreaming about trying the route backwards. Registration has not opened yet (usually in February) for the shortest race on our list.
Gravel Grape Crusher - June 10
What better way to describe an event than one winding its way through three states? Based on the event’s description, the Gravel Grape Crusher is more overland than gravel ride. Though there are Strava segments along the way, it is stressed this is a ride and not a race. Based in the most southeastern Pennsylvania town possible, the route explores roads in Delaware and Maryalnd as well. For those who enjoy mountain biking, White Clay State Park is nearby.
With two distances, 60 and 100 kilometers, Gravel Grape Crusher has moderate climbing compared to many of the other events on the list, mostly due to its proximity to Delaware state. Past participants have stated cross and gravel bikes excel here; mountain bikes and roads bikes with chunky tires may also work. With a vast swath of bike possibilities, this may be the event targeting the most abilities. How many times has anyone ridden an event where they’ve crossed two state lines? Registration is now open for the most stately event on our list.
