2024 Race Info Packet is here!

Bronze Course – 8:00am

 This is a brand new course for 2024! 

The Bronze Course is for those who are gravel curious, new to gravel or who do not want the pressure of a “race” situation. It is also a good course for older kids. The Bronze Course starts with the Silver Course at 8:00am and follows the same course for the first 7ish miles. At the end of Cold Springs Rd you turn left and head back up the Peak to Peak Highway. At the top of the hill you will turn right onto Indian Peaks Dr. and stay straight for 1 mile where you will turn left onto CR126. At the bottom of the hill you will turn left onto Caribou Rd and rejoin all other courses. 

Silver Course – 8:00am

At about 20 miles and 2,200’ of climbing, this race is no slouch. Starting at Guercio Field you will head north on the Peak to Peak to HWY and climb for about a mile before turning right onto Ridge Rd. which turns into Cold Springs Rd. This section is a lot of fun with a few punchy up hills and fast descents. At the end of Cold Springs you will hang a right onto the P2P again for another long road climb to CR103 which is guaranteed to be one of your most fun descents ever. You’ll keep that downhill train rolling for 4 miles before tackling the last hill of the course. It’s a grinder for sure. You will turn right onto CR126 and grind for 3 more miles before turning onto Caribou Rd for a 3 mile downhill to the finish!

Gold Course – 7:30am

The Gold Course is one (big) step up from the Silver Course. Redesigned for 2023 we removed the most technical sections to make it more gravel bike friendly.  It is 50 miles with 5900’ of climbing. This course really has it all. You start at Guercio Field and you will head north on the Peak to Peak to HWY and climb for about a mile before turning right onto Ridge Rd. which turns into Cold Springs Rd. This section is a lot of fun with a few punchy hills and fast descents. At the end of Cold Springs you will hang a right onto the P2P again and follow it for 6 miles and then turn right onto Gold Hill Rd. This section is another tough section with steep climbs and fast downhills.  You will hit your second Aid Station in Gold Hill before heading down Gold Run Rd for 4 miles. In the townsite of Wallstreet you will hang a right onto Four Mile Canyon and gradually climb to Sunset and Switzerland Trail. This section is mainly railroad grade between 2% and 6%. it is sandy and bumpy but not too technical.  Once you reach the top you will hang a left onto Gold Hill Rd where you will hit the rolling hills again. Once you hang a left back onto Peak to Peak you will hit a long, fast downhill back to the 103 aid station. Enjoy the next 3+ miles downhill on CR103 and P2P until you start climbing again and hit the last real climb on CR126 before a 3 mile long descent back into town and the finish! 

Tungsten Course – 7:00am

This is the premier event of Ned Gravel! It is 70 miles and has 8,300′ of climbing. Tungsten is new for 2023 and is proudly part of the CO Summer of Gravel!

The Tungsten Course follows the same route as all the other courses, with the start at Guercio Field, up P2P and right onto Ridge Rd. and Cold Springs Rd. The courses split off when the Tungsten course turns right onto Sugarloaf Rd. After a short steep climb, you’ll fast long downhill. Once you hit pavement you will climb the steepest pitch of the course (17%!). Then you will hang a left onto Sugarloaf Mtn. Rd for a mile long climb. At the top you will head left on Switzerland Trail. This section is mellow (2%) climbing but is loose and bumpy. At the end you will pass your first aid station and turn right on P2P.  You’ll hang a right onto Gold Hill Rd with some punchy climbs before turning left to head down Sawmill Rd. You will turn right onto Lefthand Canyon Rd for a super fast paved descent. After 6 miles you will hang a right onto the Rowena Trail. This is a tricky and technical climb. There will be designated, optional dismount zones. From there you will grind up Sunshine Canyon back ups to Gold Hill where you hit your second aid station. Enjoy the beautiful town of Gold Hill for a second before heading down hill on Boulder St/Gold Run Rd to Fourmile Canyon. There you will head right at Wall Street and continue up to Sunset and back on to the North end of Switzerland Trail. This is a railroad grade climb that can get a bit sandy but isn’t too technical. At the top you will head left onto Gold Hill Rd, then hang a left onto P2P where you will rejoin all the other courses at the 103 aid station again. You will head down CR103 to CR126 for the last climb and then the same fast 3 miles to the finish! 

Ultra Course – 5:00am

When we talk about one of the hardest courses, this is what we are talking about. The length, climbing, technical terrain, and high elevation all combine to create one serious challenge. This course is no joke and not for the faint of heart. This course is limited to 140 total riders.

The course starts in Nederland and heads south along the Peak to Peak Highway into Gilpin County. It then heads west on Tolland Rd before turning South onto Mammoth Gulch. Mammoth Gulch is a long (4.5 miles), rocky climb. You will gain about 1,500′ and top out at 10,500′ in elevation. The initial descent is going to be very loose and rocky, so take it easy. When you hit the ghost town of Apex you will have a smooth and fast descent for several miles. At the bottom of Apex Valley Rd will be your first aid station with just basic fluids and a few snack. You will then climb again up Hughesville Rd and make your way over to Missouri Gulch and Gamble Gulch both are moderately maintained county roads that can be a little rough but not bad. You will then get a few road miles as you head South again on the Peak to Peak but it still won’t be easy! You will then descend on South Beaver Creek Rd as you make your way back into Nederland where you will turn right onto 1st St and then onto Snyder in front of Salto/Tin Shed where your next aid station will be. Continue on Snyder to cross Boulder Canyon onto 3rd St. From there you will then tackle the Tungsten Course as described above. 

A few things to note:

– The first half is largely self supported but we will have medical staff in place along the course. Be prepared for a couple hours with no support. 

– You must get back through the Tin Shed checkpoint (~mile 46) by 10:30am (5.5 Hours). The next cutoff is at the Gold Hill aid station at 2:30pm (9.5 Hours) and you must be through the CR103 aid station (mile 106) before 4:30pm. The CR103 aid station is not a cutoff but the aid station will be closed by 4:30. All of this is for your safety and that of our staff.  

– If you drop out of the race you MUST report back to race staff at either an aid station or at Guercio Field. Notifying a flagger or Police Officer does not suffice. If we don’t know that you dropped, we will have to come looking for you on the course. Please be considerate!

Equipment Recommendations

Lights

Because of the road sections and for safety reasons front lights are recommended and rear lights are strongly recommended.

Lights are required for Ultra Riders

Bikes

A gravel bike is recommended (duh!) but we are all about riding what you got. Mountain Bikes are great, road bikes are less great but can handle the Silver Course.