Gravel Earth Series 2026: Reshaping the Map - The Rift replaced by the Cuckoo

Words By James Ion - Photography provided by The Rift - Credit Thrainn Kolbeinsson

The Rift Gravel Race Iceland

Gravel racing is evolving fast, and 2026 will bring one of the biggest shifts yet. The Gravel Earth Series—the global race calendar that helped define the sport’s recent growth—will move from 25 events to just 12. This bold streamlining has sparked strong reactions, exposing underlying tensions in gravel’s identity as the sport matures.

Series co-founder Gerrad Freixes describes the decision as a conscious effort to focus on quality over quantity. “We are organisers, and registrations matter,” he says. It’s a reminder that even within gravel’s free-spirited culture, sustainability and participation are inseparable.

A Leaner Calendar

For 2026, the Gravel Earth calendar has been trimmed and tightened, creating deliberate gaps between major events while introducing a new rhythm to the season. Freixes admits that the original wide-reaching calendar had lost focus—spreading events across continents and diluting the sense of community the series was designed to foster.

Yet the new calendar has not landed without friction. Some riders are frustrated by scheduling bottlenecks around Unbound Gravel—the crown jewel of gravel racing. In particular, the Ranxo event now sits just eight days after Unbound, with the California-based Lost and Found close behind.

For riders chasing both global series points and iconic races, recovery and travel logistics will be difficult to balance.

Independence and Identity

Where the debate has truly intensified is in Iceland. The Rift—long seen as one of Gravel Earth’s flagship races—will no longer be part of the series in 2026; instead, the Cuckoo Gravel race will take its place.

The Rift organisers have chosen to go independent, prioritising an authentically Icelandic identity over the newly unified “By the Traka” branding introduced across the series.

After three seasons of partnership, The Rift team expressed that they wished the new Cuckoo Gravel race well but were surprised by its announcement—especially given that they had been under contract with Gravel Earth for the past three years.

Their focus now is on maintaining an independent event rooted in their local culture and landscape near Hvolsvöllur. They remain confident that riders will continue to choose The Rift for its prestige and character.

The Rift Gravel Race Iceland

A Cuckoo in the Nest

Gravel Earth’s decision to remain in Iceland by launching a new event called “Cuckoo Gravel” has drawn widespread attention.

The race will take place just two weeks before The Rift and roughly 50 miles away, on overlapping terrain.

Freixes insists the name and timing are coincidental, noting that Cuckoo Gravel has “been in development for three years” and is entirely separate from The Rift’s departure.

Still, symbolism matters. Naming a race after a bird known for taking over another’s nest, only weeks before the original event, has not gone unnoticed.

Even if unintentional, it risks appearing tone-deaf within a scene that values respect and collaboration.

Global Growth, Local Tensions

The Rift is not alone in choosing independence. Gravel Worlds in Nebraska—another popular standalone event—has also announced its exit from the series.

In a public statement, its organisers said they will focus entirely on their flagship race to enhance safety, community spirit, and long-term sustainability.

Freixes frames these departures as part of gravel’s natural evolution: independent organisers choosing their paths in a rapidly expanding ecosystem.

But the optics are complicated. Adding a near-mirror race in Iceland while two founding partners walk away creates unease about Gravel Earth’s overarching direction, even as it aims for a more professional global identity.

The Road Ahead

The 2026 season will close with “The River” in Belgium’s Ardennes—a race Freixes praises for its beauty and atmosphere, capping a season that seeks to refocus gravel’s soul.

The series still champions its environmental message, “No Nature, No Future,” and offsets CO₂ emissions from rider travel.

Critics question whether a global calendar can truly claim sustainability, but Freixes maintains the pledge is genuine.

As Gravel Earth moves forward, Freixes has called for unity rather than division, urging riders and organisers alike to remember the shared values that made the sport so inclusive and passionate in the first place.

Ultimately, this is less a fracture than a milestone in gravel’s coming of age.

The sport now straddles freedom and professionalism, independence and structure.

Riders, organisers, and fans will continue to shape what gravel means through the choices they make—by where they race, who they support, and what values they carry with them on the road.

As the dust settles over Iceland and beyond, one thing remains clear: gravel racing is no longer grassroots alone.

It’s growing up—messily, passionately, and on its own terms.