News: This weekend, the Schwalbe Gravel Games will celebrate their premiere at the Ewald colliery in the Hoheward landscape park. The focal point of the festival is the Expo area with 60 bike and equipment brands at the foot of the up to 152 meter high heap landscape. Interested parties can not only take a look at the top bikes and parts from the exhibitors, but also test them directly on site.
A festival all about gravel bikes - and that in the heart of the Ruhr area. The choice of venue is of course no coincidence. Due to its design and equipment, the gravel bike is the perfect bike for the many paths along canals, railway lines, heaps and forests in the Ruhr area. "Of course there are many bicycle festivals - but we want to offer the gravel bike scene, which has grown significantly in recent years, a kind of happening that people meet up for at this special place once a year," says Thomas Schlecking, owner and managing director of the organizer Bike Projects. In fact, the diverse region is one of the most popular cycling destinations in Germany. An ideal venue for the premiere of the Schwalbe Gravel Games with perfect test conditions. At the foot of the Hoheward heap landscape, which is up to 152 meters high, the test rounds start on and around the heaps.
You can also take part in two games, the ROSE GravelMaster and the RONDO GravelMinator. The ROSE GravelMaster is aimed at all gravel bikers who like to travel with bikepacking-style luggage. Teams of two have to collect points in different challenges at a total of five stations in the vicinity of the event site. Whoever succeeds best can win valuable prizes. The RONDO GravelMinator, on the other hand, adopts a sportier pace. As part of a qualifying drive, the goal on a marked circuit is not to be in last place at the end of each lap. The last ones have to finish the race. In intermediate and final runs, the strongest riders can qualify for the final. "The games do have a certain competitive character, but above all they should be fun and not be taken too seriously," Thomas Schlecking continues.
The festival site is open from 9:30am to 18:30pm on Saturday and 9:30am to 16pm on Sunday. Admission is free.
Website: www.gravelgames.cc