A pair weeks in the past, Lauf Gravel Worlds introduced some thrilling adjustments for the 2026 version of its signature occasion in Lincoln, Nebraska. Maybe most notably, occasion sponsor GOODLIFE Vitamin is placing up a whopping $150,000 skilled prize purse. Moreover, they introduced free dwell protection of the occasion on the Gravel Worlds YouTube channel and Exterior TV, free entry for juniors, and on-course enhancements to learn all members.
$150,000 Prize Purse
GOODLIFE Vitamin is predicated in Lincoln, Nebraska, the house of Gravel Worlds, and is totally sponsoring the huge $150,000 prize purse. Whereas it’s already one of many marquee occasions on the gravel circuit, the $150,000 payout makes Gravel Worlds the biggest single-day prize purse in gravel racing. This can be a main funding from the sports activities vitamin model GOODLIFE Vitamin and a milestone for the occasion and, arguably, for the game of gravel racing itself.
The $150,000 skilled prize purse shall be divided evenly between the lads’s and ladies’s elite fields, with payouts going ten deep. The winners will every be taking residence $25,000, which is a critical payday. Right here’s how the remainder of the prize payouts break down:
1st – $25,000
2nd – $17,000
third – $10,000
4th – $7,500
fifth – $5,000
sixth – $4,000
seventh – $3,000
eighth – $2,000
ninth – $1,000
tenth – $500
Gravel Worlds already attracts lots of the prime skilled gravel racers on the earth, and the large payday is prone to appeal to much more of the world’s greatest and make for an much more aggressive race. Gravel Worlds states that one of many targets is to deliver much more legitimacy to the occasion and contribute to the “professionalization of gravel racing.” Moreover, they hope the improved media protection will assist to extend publicity for athletes and the game of gravel using and racing extra broadly.
Gravel Worlds began as a grassroots occasion in 2010, lengthy earlier than most of us thought gravel using was cool. Now, 16 years later, the occasion is among the greatest and the highest-paying within the sport. However Gravel Worlds needs to maintain the spirit of gravel alive, which is why it’s necessary to notice that your entire prize purse is sponsored by GOODLIFE Vitamin, so it gained’t influence the price of entry for the remainder of the members. Gravel Worlds goals to stay an inclusive occasion, and this enables them to maintain entry charges regular for amateurs whereas nonetheless elevating the status of the occasion and the game usually.
Free and Discounted Racing for Juniors
“Supporting the skilled area issues,” Jason Strohbehn, Lead Director, added. “However it issues much more when that assist helps elevate your entire ecosystem across the race, from aspiring younger athletes to followers discovering gravel for the primary time.” To that finish, they’re decreasing the barrier to entry even additional. Gravel Worlds and GOODLIFE Vitamin are making it simpler for juniors to take part and get into the game by making the U18 classes of the 75-mile and non-competitive 35-mile distances utterly free. Moreover, the U23 classes for the 150-mile distance will price solely $50 to enter for up-and-coming racers.
“We’re extremely excited to proceed supporting younger riders as they discover their manner into gravel biking,” stated Sofia Gibson, Assistant Lead Promoter of Gravel Worlds. “By providing free and discounted entry to our junior classes, we’re decreasing obstacles to participation and serving to construct a stronger future for the game. Investing in younger athletes right now is how we guarantee gravel biking continues to develop in wholesome, inclusive methods tomorrow.”
On-Course and Occasion Enhancements
Lauf Gravel Worlds says that the elevated funding within the professional area will even profit the opposite 99% of riders who’re there to take part and benefit from the experience. This contains course marshals at each cease signal and extra regulation enforcement on the right track, each supposed to boost the bar by way of rider security. Different on-course enhancements embody extra water and support stations, spaced not more than 30 miles aside on the 150-mile course.
We’re additionally advised that they’ll be rising the efforts on leisure, via the week, and particularly “on the First2Last Social gathering which celebrates the riders ending after darkish, trying to make the 9:59:59 cutoff time. From the entrance of the pack to the ultimate finisher, Gravel Worlds continues to double down on inclusivity and expertise.”
The occasion has developed right into a full week of festivities, beginning with a short-track MTB race, a two-day trade expo, and the USAT Triathlon Gravel Nationwide Championships on Friday, main as much as Gravel Worlds. The gravel races go down all day on Saturday, and that’s adopted by an ultramarathon and half-marathon run on Sunday. The practically week-long Gravel Worlds occasion has one thing for everybody throughout the endurance spectrum, each for members and spectators alike.
Gravel Worlds 2026
Gravel Worlds takes place in Lincoln, Nebraska, this summer season, with the races and festivities spanning from August 19-23, 2026. The gravel race goes down on Saturday, August twenty second. To study extra in regards to the occasion or to enroll, head to the Gravel Worlds web site.
gravelworlds.com
About Gravel Worlds
Celebrating its seventeenth yr in 2026, Lauf Gravel Worlds has grown from a grassroots gathering of adventurous riders into one of the influential gravel occasions on the earth. Constructed on the rules of inclusion, self-reliance, and group, Gravel Worlds has at all times existed to have a good time the spirit and historical past of gravel biking whereas difficult what the game can develop into. Because the occasion continues to evolve, its objective stays unchanged: to honor the place gravel got here from, elevate the expertise for each rider, and push the game ahead in significant, rider-first methods.
About Gravel Worlds Basis
Based in 2025, the Gravel Worlds Basis serves because the nonprofit arm of Gravel Worlds, created to be a magnifying glass for the generosity of the gravel group. The Basis exists to show participation into influence—supporting biking, working, and fitness-related causes whereas reinvesting immediately into communities that make the game potential. By way of rider assist, companion commitments, and occasion initiatives, the Basis ensures that Gravel Worlds leaves a long-lasting legacy effectively past race weekend. Gravel Worlds Basis donated over $98,000 in 2025 and can match $50,000 in donations made via the GWF.
gravelworldsfoundation.com
About 1000 Girls of Gravel Initiative
In 2026, Gravel Worlds will once more pursue its 1000 Girls of Gravel initiative, an effort designed to encourage and have a good time ladies’s participation throughout all features of the occasion. For each girl who attends or volunteers, $10 shall be donated to NICA GRiT Nebraska, supporting applications that empower younger ladies via biking. The initiative displays Gravel Worlds’ dedication to rising inclusivity within the sport whereas serving to foster and fund the subsequent era of cyclists.
