Enduro-style stage racing and... gravel running – introducing the UK's newest gravel cycling festival

UK gravel aficionados now have another, rather different option on the calendar that is set to offer everything from racing with timed segments to a festival set-up and even a cross-country running event.

The Explorr event bills itself as an 'endurance festival' and in Banchory, near Aberdeen on 28-30 August this year. It's based around a one-day gravel 'stage race' of 120km with four timed sections totalling 76km, and which will also feature general, mountain and sprint classifications to add an extra dynamic.

If that isn't enough to tire you out, there's more, in the form of what organiser Red-On Sports is calling gravel running, and there will be a full programme of events for those who want to swap pedals for trail shoes, with everything from 5km to marathon distances.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Max Wussler of Red-On Sports said: "Gravel cycling remains our core expertise, but it's always been an ambition for us to expand that more broadly. We see from our existing community of cyclists that nearly 30% of them are into their running and off-road running as well."

Some would come for the riding, some for the running, but there would be an overlap of those who he expected would do both, Wussler said.

Of the new enduro-style format with timed segments, he added: "We've always tried to innovate a little bit with new formats. We've done stage racing over multiple days previously, but with events in this format we're trying to bring the best of true stage racing into one day – Explorr differs also from your more classical, sort of enduro-style races as we're doing, GC, sprint segments, sprint classifications, mountain classifications.

"We also know not everyone's got time for four or five days away on the bike, so we're bringing the best of that to a single day."

Just in case you still have any energy left after all the riding and running, there is also a charity night hike in the offing. Walkers will cover 7.4km (4.6 miles) as they ascend to local viewpoint the Scolty Tower, in aid of three charities: Prostate Cancer UK, Breast Cancer UK and Banchory Outdoor and Active.

As you might expect given the 'festival' tag, the event also features extra-curricular fun including live music, films, athlete talks and plenty of food and drink.

Red-On Sports has introduced the event to replace its Raiders event, which has been held around the same time for the past three years in Galloway Forest and is now on pause. Its well-established Gralloch event remains resolutely on the calendar as Red-On's flagship.

The new event explores new terrain well north of that venue, with Explorr situated not far from Aberdeen and in the foothills of the Cairngorm mountains.

Red On is currently offering early bird pricing for the gravel race at £68, while weekend camping (including for motorhomes) is also available for £45.