Events: The 2026 Spring Event Calendar
It’s hard to think about spring cycling rides when it’s a punishing zero degrees outside with a foot of snow forecasted in the next couple of hours. Shoveling the office parking lot, salting the sidewalks, and squinting through coffee mug steam at the outside view while muttering, “Yup. It’s a-coming down out there,” hardly gets us thinking about outdoor riding. At least we have Maasmechelen to watch for the time being.
Over the years, the spring calendar has been a mixed surface affair. It’s what spring classics do best: gritty weather, gritty courses, gritty determination, complete with polished stories of triumph. Our spring event calendar has grown over the years. We have actually split the articles into two, one for the myriad of organizers up and down the northeast and a separate post for Kermesse Sport spring events. We chop the calendar off at the summer solstice, typically the zenith of the road racing schedule and, coincidentally, the extinguishing of major non-competitive events. Also, obviously, it’s the official start to summer.
Some of the spring rides featured below have been completed by one of our writers. If you want to see notes, use the search tool on the site to read a previous year’s event. Rides like Monkey Knife Fight have been ridden a handful of times. Battenkill Race, despite being a race is featured here, was resurrected last year, and our notes are posted as proof. The Black Fly Challenge has been covered a handful of times. Meanwhile some long sought after events take our focus and prioritization in hopes to finally get to them this year. Not all events have opened registration, but if you have plans to ride any of the following gatherings, post a comment below to see who else will be lining up.
Rasputitsa - Jay, VT - March 28
Right now, the high in Jay, VT, is -7 degrees. I’m not really sure what that has to do with anything, but I want to reiterate that it’s the high for the day. Rasputitsa Dirt is a proper mixed surface event. Don’t let the 100 kilometer distance fool you. The climbs are sudden and intense, especially considering much of the route’s front parts are mellow. This community event welcomes all walks of life, encouraging diverse backgrounds of participants in an effort to disrupt the status quo of big exclusive cycling events seen in magazines.
Rasputitsa is more than just a sixty-mile ride. It’s a weekend celebration that includes a community ride, bands, and gatherings to celebrate beyond the bicycle, beyond the mixed service route, and settles in somewhere between the rider and the bike. Who rides the bike is more important to Rasputitsa than what bike or which preferred surface you select. Given that this is the farthest north event on our list, it’s one of the more difficult rides to access. Parts of the course overlook Canada! The idea, though, is to stick around and spend some time getting to know other people within our community instead of breezing through town, riding the course, and firing back home. Each year there are muddy sections to Rasputitsa, but something tells us, there will be a little bit of snow on the course, too, for 2026.
Monkey Knife Fight - Trexlertown, PA - April 11
In 2025, Monkey Knife Fight, a gravel fundraiser for Dream Come True, moved operations to the Valley Preferred Velodrome in Breinigsville, PA. Monkey Knife Fight offers three gravel distances between thirty, fifty, and seventy miles as well as a ‘clean’ gravel-free route that is sixty miles. The gravel options have a minimum of five unpaved sections. The long course politely offers the brute climb of Goat Hill Road, one of the few hills anywhere around that has forced me off my bike.
Also in 2025 was the freak late season snow storm that created quite the scene for participants. However the uniqueness does not end there. For Monkey Knife Fight, expect smaller group sizes (the event numbers are capped) as well as unexpected custodians of the gravel climbs. There have been volunteers offering espresso shots at summits. The top of Goat Hill offered bacon and green beans off of a grill. There has also been a secret gravel pit stop that shan’t be mentioned here - you’ll have to geocache that yourself.
The event benefits the Dream Come True Lehigh Valley children’s charity for children. Follow the Monkey Knife Fight social pages to see the event’s involvement in the community and just how much is given back.
Monkey Knife Fight 2022 article can be found here. Please note this edition left from the Emmaus Recreational Center.
Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo - Jenkins Township, PA - April 26
This might be the year we register for the Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo to join an elite circle of riders. Located in NEPA’s Jenkins Township, composed of Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton, the one hundred mile route includes nearly 9,000 feet of climbing (per ridewithgps) and doesn’t hit its highest point until mile 77. The long course is made up of approximately 65% paved roadways and 35% gravel.
Of all the events listed, LLWH is the biggest in distance and climbing. That means it’s a spring classic right of passage for those looking to seriously test 2026 fitness. The route hugs the Susquehanna River for the most part while exploring the three counties of Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming. Once at the finish, LLWH swag is highly coveted, and if you’re like us, we do not pick up event gear unless it’s been completed in full. So think of the event pin, the top tube cap, or the hoodie when you’re a digit away from calling the sag wagon.
If you go, consider visiting Scranton, PA, and their pizza scene. Several friends of ours are former Scranton residents, and they insist the pizza is better there. Give it a try and report back as to whether Scranton pizza dethrones New York pizza.
Battenkill Race - Cambridge, NY - May 9
To have Battenkill Race return to the spring classics list in 2025 was one thing - nostalgia. But to have it confirmed for 2026 brings renewed optimism. Resurrected by Anthem Sports, the original owner of the event formally known as the Tour of the Battenkill, Battenkill Race’s 2025 was more of a celebration of the past. With the race - and subsequent accompanying fondos - returning, it means the upstate New York countryside, as well as the town of Cambridge are gearing up to host the mid- spring event.
I was lucky to race the 2025 Battenkill, but it was an absolute mud-fest. It downpoured right up until the finish. The bike took days to clean. The gear was gritty from the sandy gravel sections. Despite all of this, Battenkill was - and always is - an absolute joy to complete. The Battenkill Valley, named for the Battenkill River the course circles, is beautiful and challenging. It’s often joked that the Washington County gravel is smoother than the best Pennsylvania paved roads. The race aspect requires a USAC license; the fondos do not require a US Cycling membership.
If you go, I recommend staying in downtown Saratoga Springs. Cambridge, NY, is a bit light on accommodations. I stayed at the Brentwood Hotel, a refurbished motel that sits across the street from the Saratoga horse track as well as the Horseshoe Inn Bar & Grill. It was a delight to load the team car up while jockeys atop their race horses clopped right past the parking lot.
Battenkill Race article for 2025 can be found here. Even farther back, when it was Anthem Sports’ Tour of the Battenkill in 2015, that article can be found here.
Ride for Mo - Lyndon, VT - May 9
To honor Moriah Wilson, a gravel racer from the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, Ride for Mo is a gravel event that features three distances: 16.5, 26, and 52. Each route features nearly 100 feet of climbing per mile, and the two longest routes - the Kirby Cup and Victory Lap, respectively - advertise at least one stream crossing.
Ride for Mo is solidly on the list because it is not a race. The routes are designed to pass places that impacted Mo’s life. The event benefits the Moriah Wilson Foundation, whose mission is to promote healthy living and community building. Outside of the miles, the Ride for Mo community is set up to celebrate the hard climbs together with participation from Untapped Maple and Skratch. Lawson’s Finest Liquids will be on hand along with ceramic mug makers to go with the lawn games scheduled.
If you go, Ride for Mo’s registration offers a coupon code at The Wildflower Inn Restaurant and Pub, a participating accommodation.
Starrucca Crossing - Montrose, PA - May 16
“This is the most remote course we have come up with,” is the hook line for Starrucca Crossing. From the creators of Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo comes the second edition of this three-distance event. Starting in the small town of Montrose, PA, the route heads into the Endless Mountains/ Northern Tier area of Pennsylvania. With location names like these, it’s no surprise each course offers nearly 100 feet of climbing per mile as well as nearly two-thirds the distance with gravel. Starrucca offers 100, 75, and 50-mile options.
For those interested in doing both the 100-mile distance of Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo and Starrucca Crossing, the event offers entry into both at a remarkable rate for a short time. While the discipline of gravel continues to be hot, it’s great to see events showcase the remote roads of northeastern Pennsylvania. For those apprehensive about remote events, this is a great way to try it out. There is always the safety net of a sag wagon if things get challenging. Meanwhile the beauty of Pennsylvania will surely deliver one month out from the calendar start of summer.
Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder - Chatham, NY - May 17
The Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder is another event with changes for 2026. This year, the ride departs from the Columbia County Fairgrounds in Upstate New York before heading out for a metric century course that remains east of the Hudson River. The course gives a small salutation to Massachusetts for a bit before heading back to the finish. The Farmer’s Daughter was a reader suggestion a few years back, and frankly, we’ve wanted to make our way to Chatham, NY, ever since.
Having spoken to a few participants, the Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder course leans heavier into gravel with some single track. Think more rugged parcours than many of the events listed. FDGG requires more technical skills and a higher chance of walking certain parts than some of the events talked about. Farmer’s Daughter is another event that benefits the local community with proceeds going to land conservancy, the rotary club, and nearby pump track. With its home base south of Albany, the Farmer’s Daughter course is easily accessible by many in the Northeast.
The Ranger - Tunbridge, VT - June 6 - 7
Covered bridges? Party in the Pasture? Camping? We haven’t even mentioned The Ranger’s route, and we’re already intrigued. The Ranger is a weekend gravel cycling event with multiple experiences for participants, especially those who opt to camp at the event headquarters. There are several distances to choose from, and there’s even a kid’s ride. The Ranger also hosts a community ride amidst the flurry of routes.
The Ranger is a gravel enduro, meaning it’s a race of sorts. The Ranger uses segment times and adds them up to determine winners. The course touts Class IV Vermont gravel, consisting of roots, rocks, and mud. There are also standard smooth gravel roads. For number geeks, the sixty-mile course features nearly 8,000 feet of climbing, and consists of a spur loop that breaks from the forty-mile course and hosts 5,000 feet of climbing.
If you go, be advised of the camping expectations, specifically dogs and campfires are not permitted, there is a scheduled quiet time, and there are no showers. An event with campsite is unique to allow that long sought spirit of gravel.
Wilmington Whiteface 100K - Wilmington, NY - Cancelled
What was once a Leadville qualifier, the Wilmington Whiteface 100 K will not be taking place in 2026, per their website announcement. It was uncertain to list this race after Leadville announced their banning of drop bar bikes in 2026. Lifetime Fitness dropped the 100 K as a qualifier in 2022. With gravel bikes spotted in the WW100K in previous years, it was explored whether a rigid bike was possible to handle the all terrain roads around the Whiteface ski area. I guess we will have to wait until 2027 to see if the event will lean into a gravel movement or bring back the old mountain bike course that ascended portions of the ski mountain.
Black Fly Challenge - Inlet, NY - June 13
We highlighted Jay, VT, being -7 currently, so Inlet’s -27 in the morning should also get mentioned. The Black Fly Challenge, a gravel grinder in the Adirondacks, has shaken some things up for 2026. Originally a mountain bike challenge, the forty-mile route that changes directions have updated its terms to gravel bike categories alongside mountain bikes. The gravel bike category has a specific description of drop bars and tires less than 50mms wide. Anything outside that description defaults to the mountain bike category. There is also a tandem and e-assist category, but since the Black Fly is not a sanctioned race, no USAC license is required. According to the BFC site, podium winners receive cash prizes for each category.
I have crossed the Black Fly Challenge course three times: twice starting in Indian Lake, NY, and once from Inlet, NY. The route features twenty-five uninterrupted gravel miles as it winds through the Adirondack wilderness areas. To remind riders how remote the gravel section is, the volunteer search and rescue groups hand out water on course. There is no technical support. I note that the BFC is much like your local 5K race. The racers are up front while those simply trying to meet the five-hour cutoff cruise in the back. There is a shuttle to return participants back to the starting town of Inlet for a fee, but I’ve always opted to ride the forty-mile paved route back to my accommodations. But plan to hang around for the post-race party for a bit. And pick up some stylish swag from Bike Adirondacks, a prominent promoter of Adirondack events.
If you go, the hamlet of Inlet is the best place to stay. We’ve opted for Airbnbs in the past but there are private hotels nearby. It’s also recommended to arrive Friday to get a couple miles in on the gravel snowmobile trails winding around the area.
The Black Fly Challenge article for 2025 can be found here. The article for our experience in 2023 can be found here, as well as the direction of the 2022 event, matching the 2026 event can be found here.
