Shimano Gravel Muster returning to Alice Springs in 2025 with spots filling quickly
A ‘niche event’ is returning to the Red Centre, bringing cycling royalty with it as well as promising the winner ‘massive bragging rights’ – and more. Find out more.
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“Massive bragging rights” are up for grabs in a “niche event” set to return to the Red Centre this year, which is promising to take “diehard” cyclists through some scenic parts of Central Australia alongside an Australian cycling great.
The Shimano Gravel Muster has locked in its return to Alice Springs from August 21 to 24.
The gravel muster is a four day, four stage race which starts and ends in Alice Springs, covering 384km throughout.
Participants will be riding through the East MacDonnell Ranges, where race director Sam Maffett said riders would head to a “couple of remote cattle stations” and “experience the outback on their bikes and swags”.
“This is a niche event that attracts more diehard cyclists from around Australia and overseas – not a ‘mass participation event’ that everyone can do, it’s pretty darn hard,” he said.
“We’ve limited the numbers to 100 riders so it remains friendly and so we don’t overwhelm the services and facilities we rely on to conduct it.”
The gravel muster was in Alice Springs last year, and registrations are now open for the 2025 iteration.
To sweeten things, organiser Rapid Ascent has already confirmed Australian professional cyclist and Tour de France yellow jersey holder Simon Gerrans will be there.
Last year’s inaugural winner Ella Boor said she had a blast tackling the muster.
“The beautiful thing about gravel is that there is so much variety – and the outback offers so much of this and more,” she said.
Mr Maffett said winners would not only get “massive bragging rights” – there were prizes from event sponsors too and more.
“(The winner will have) their name carved into our perpetual trophy which is a massive set of bull horns mounted on a plaque,” he said.
Participation is limited and registrations can be made online at the gravel muster website.
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Originally published as Shimano Gravel Muster returning to Alice Springs in 2025 with spots filling quickly
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