2026 USA Cycling Gravel Nationals returns to La Crescent, Minnesota on September 12, with official course maps now confirmed at 107, 68, and 31 miles through the bluffs and coulees of the Driftless Region. Here's what to know about the course and how to build a Best Bike Split race plan for the Stars and Stripes.
If you're racing USA Cycling Gravel Nationals 2026, you're chasing the biggest prize in domestic amateur gravel racing: a Stars and Stripes jersey. The race returns to La Crescent for the second straight year, again routing through Houston County's Driftless Region, a landscape of steep river bluffs, hidden coulees, and gravel roads that locals already call the "champagne of gravel." USA Cycling released the official 2026 course maps in late July, confirming three distances: 107, 68, and 31 miles, all starting and finishing in downtown La Crescent, with the 107-mile route deciding the elite national titles.
Race Overview
USA Cycling Gravel Nationals is the sport's newest national championship, first contested in Gering, Nebraska in 2023 before moving to La Crescent for a two-year run in 2025 and 2026. The race draws both elite pros racing for a national title and prize money, and age-group amateurs racing simply for the jersey and the bragging rights that come with it.
The 2025 edition, the first held in Minnesota, set the tone for what riders should expect this year. Lauren Stephens won her third straight women's title in 5:09:51 over the 100-mile course, calling it the hardest edition yet with somewhere between 6,000 and 8,000 feet of climbing. Bradyn Lange took the men's win with a late solo move off the final technical section into town. Both races were decided not on a single defining climb but on a string of punchy bluff-country ramps that wore riders down over five hours.
For 2026, organizers rebuilt the course around La Crescent and the neighboring city of Houston, and the official maps confirm the route USA Cycling teased earlier this year: a stretch through an apple orchard and a working gravel quarry. But the changes go well beyond those two additions. A direct comparison of the 2025 and 2026 course files shows the route shares its opening and closing miles with last year but replaces the entire middle third, roughly 47 miles, with terrain that wasn't part of the 2025 course at all. Organizers say the update responds directly to 2025 feedback, trimming community impact while keeping the climbing that made last year's edition memorable. Portions of the course cross private property, and USA Cycling has asked riders to stay off those sections until they're officially opened on race weekend.
Course Description
The confirmed 107-mile course (106.54 mi as modeled) rolls out from downtown La Crescent, sharing its opening 20 miles with the 2025 route before turning into new terrain for a roughly 47-mile middle section that returning riders won't recognize. The course rejoins the 2025 route around mile 67 for a long stretch that includes the Chicken Ridge climb, then breaks off again for a new run to the finish. Total elevation gain across the full distance comes in at 6,247 feet per the course's BBS model, though raw elevation data from the course file itself suggests the true figure may run higher depending on how it's smoothed, worth treating as a solid approximation rather than an exact number. The climbing doesn't come as one or two defining efforts, it comes as roughly two dozen short, punchy pitches scattered across the route, most in the range of a quarter mile to just over a mile long and 50 to 500 feet of gain each, cresting flat bluff-top ridges before dropping back into the next valley along a stream. It's a sawtooth profile with no single mountain to save yourself for, and the pattern repeats often enough that pacing pitch six like pitch one is the fastest way to arrive at pitch twenty with nothing left.
New for 2026, the quarry crossing comes early, folded into the shared opening miles around mile 15 of the course. The apple orchard sits at the other end of the race, arriving right after Chicken Ridge as part of the new finishing stretch, both routed through private land that USA Cycling has closed to pre-riding until race weekend. Chicken Ridge itself is confirmed carried over from 2025 largely unchanged, still producing a genuine sustained climb late in the race. Whether the muddy stretch near Hokah and the marsh crossing that helped split the 2025 field survived into 2026 is harder to say, they may sit within the new middle section that's no longer part of the course, so treat that specific feature as unconfirmed until race week materials or a pre-ride confirm it.
The steepest, most decisive pitch of the day comes late, a short but sharp climb averaging around 8% that comes before the course turns downhill for good. From there, the last five miles run mostly on pavement, with a short gravel kicker pushing back up into a La Crescent neighborhood before a steep, curving paved descent drops riders into the finish. Surface mix across the full course leans gravel, but the paved connectors between coulees and the finishing descent mean this isn't a course to model as one uniform surface.
Forecasted Weather
Mid-September in La Crescent sits at the edge of the seasonal turn, with average highs around 71°F (22°C) and morning lows dropping into the low 50s°F (around 11°C). Given the race's position along the Mississippi River valley, expect cool, sometimes foggy starts that burn off by mid-morning, followed by mild afternoon temperatures that stay comfortable for most of the field's finishing window.
Rain is the bigger variable than heat this time of year. The Driftless Region sees regular precipitation into September, and the coulee terrain drains unevenly, so a wet week before race day can turn already-loose gravel sections greasy, and turn the Hokah-style technical stretches into the deciding move of the race regardless of category. Checking soil conditions in the days leading into race weekend is worth as much attention as checking the sky.
Wind is worth planning around too. The course heads south out of La Crescent through Houston and Hokah before turning back for the finish, and with typical early-September patterns in this part of the Upper Midwest, a rider fighting a crosswind on the outbound miles could well find that same wind sitting at their back for the return leg, roughly the closing 15 to 20 miles. That's a read on the course's shape rather than a locked-in forecast, so confirm the actual wind direction and speed against the forecast in the days before race day and adjust your plan's yaw assumptions accordingly. Riding the last 20 miles on an assumed headwind that turns out to be a tailwind is an easy way to leave time on the table.
Why This Course Rewards a Best Bike Split Plan
Gravel Nationals is a race decided by repeated short efforts rather than one big climb, which makes it easy to under-plan. With roughly two dozen pitches instead of one defining mountain, riders tend to treat each one as a moderate effort and end up with nothing left for the back half of the course, let alone the steep pitch that comes right before the final descent. A BBS race plan for USA Cycling Gravel Nationals 2026 will:
- Set a repeatable target across two dozen short pitches. With gain spread across so many climbs instead of a few long ones, the mistake isn't going too hard on any single pitch, it's not having a consistent number to hit climb after climb. A plan built around your actual FTP gives you that number, so pitch fifteen costs the same as pitch one.
- Flag the new private-land sections before race day. The orchard and quarry segments are closed to pre-riding, so most riders will see them for the first time on race morning. A course-modeled plan tells you what to expect there before you're deciding in the moment.
- Give you a number for the steepest late climb. The sharp, roughly 8% pitch right before the course turns downhill for good is the last place to spend reserves you don't have. A plan that accounts for fatigue from everything before it sets a realistic ceiling instead of a number that assumes fresh legs.
- Model the wind shift on the return leg. If the outbound miles through Houston and Hokah bring a crosswind that swings tailwind for the run back into La Crescent, that changes your sustainable power for the final 15 to 20 miles. A plan built with real yaw angles for both directions keeps you from pacing the return leg like it's still fighting the wind.
- Account for the finish's shift to pavement. The closing miles swap gravel for a paved run split by one last gravel kicker and a fast, curving paved descent into town. A plan that treats the whole course as one surface will misjudge your speed on both ends of that finish.
Interactive Race Plan and Course Map
This power plan was modeled for an athlete with an average CdA of 0.3418, an FTP of 250 watts and weighing 165 lbs. Want to see what your time would be on the 2026 Gravel Nats course? Try the Time Analysis feature below, where you can quickly adjust Drag, Power, Weight and Crr to your own values. Check out our demo race plan to see what a premium race plan looks like.
| Interval | Int. Time | Total Time | Int. Dist. | Total Dist. | Grade | Speed | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 00:03:54 | 00:03:54 | 1.08 mi | 1.08 mi | +1.08 % | 16.57 mph | 173 w |
| #2 | 00:03:23 | 00:07:17 | 1.12 mi | 2.20 mi | -0.92 % | 19.86 mph | 112 w |
| #3 | 00:00:07 | 00:07:25 | 0.04 mi | 2.24 mi | -2.70 % | 21.09 mph | 13 w |
| #4 | 00:01:25 | 00:08:50 | 0.33 mi | 2.57 mi | +3.19 % | 14.00 mph | 205 w |
| #5 | 00:00:49 | 00:09:40 | 0.26 mi | 2.83 mi | -2.30 % | 18.87 mph | 37 w |
| #6 | 00:06:24 | 00:16:04 | 1.88 mi | 4.71 mi | +0.71 % | 17.66 mph | 163 w |
| #7 | 00:00:40 | 00:16:44 | 0.23 mi | 4.94 mi | -3.83 % | 20.25 mph | 2 w |
| #8 | 00:02:12 | 00:18:56 | 0.60 mi | 5.54 mi | +1.22 % | 16.41 mph | 188 w |
| #9 | 00:00:45 | 00:19:42 | 0.25 mi | 5.79 mi | -3.11 % | 19.41 mph | 22 w |
| #10 | 00:00:06 | 00:19:49 | 0.04 mi | 5.83 mi | -1.10 % | 21.14 mph | 128 w |
| #11 | 00:01:49 | 00:21:39 | 0.33 mi | 6.16 mi | +4.68 % | 10.66 mph | 227 w |
| #12 | 00:00:47 | 00:22:27 | 0.25 mi | 6.41 mi | -4.18 % | 19.16 mph | 1 w |
| #13 | 00:00:10 | 00:22:37 | 0.07 mi | 6.48 mi | -1.15 % | 24.16 mph | 122 w |
| #14 | 00:07:59 | 00:30:37 | 1.97 mi | 8.45 mi | +1.87 % | 14.75 mph | 195 w |
| #15 | 00:00:15 | 00:30:52 | 0.07 mi | 8.52 mi | -3.96 % | 17.09 mph | 0 w |
| #16 | 00:09:26 | 00:40:19 | 1.33 mi | 9.85 mi | +7.29 % | 8.48 mph | 228 w |
| #17 | 00:01:22 | 00:41:41 | 0.52 mi | 10.37 mi | -3.80 % | 22.44 mph | 5 w |
| #18 | 00:05:55 | 00:47:37 | 1.58 mi | 11.95 mi | +0.53 % | 16.05 mph | 171 w |
| #19 | 00:02:27 | 00:50:04 | 1.25 mi | 13.20 mi | -7.45 % | 30.57 mph | 2 w |
| #20 | 00:03:20 | 00:53:25 | 0.86 mi | 14.06 mi | +1.62 % | 15.51 mph | 181 w |
| #21 | 00:01:35 | 00:55:00 | 0.52 mi | 14.58 mi | -2.56 % | 19.64 mph | 34 w |
| #22 | 00:13:38 | 01:08:38 | 2.30 mi | 16.88 mi | +5.59 % | 10.12 mph | 217 w |
| #23 | 00:00:52 | 01:09:31 | 0.39 mi | 17.27 mi | -5.08 % | 26.60 mph | 2 w |
| #24 | 00:03:23 | 01:12:54 | 0.68 mi | 17.95 mi | +3.99 % | 12.10 mph | 200 w |
| #25 | 00:00:27 | 01:13:21 | 0.10 mi | 18.05 mi | -2.11 % | 13.71 mph | 105 w |
| #26 | 00:00:40 | 01:14:02 | 0.25 mi | 18.30 mi | -4.86 % | 22.05 mph | 1 w |
| #27 | 00:04:02 | 01:18:04 | 1.00 mi | 19.30 mi | +0.94 % | 14.90 mph | 185 w |
| #28 | 00:02:50 | 01:20:55 | 1.29 mi | 20.59 mi | -6.21 % | 27.08 mph | 19 w |
| #29 | 00:10:33 | 01:31:29 | 2.96 mi | 23.55 mi | +0.81 % | 16.81 mph | 163 w |
| #30 | 00:03:52 | 01:35:22 | 1.34 mi | 24.89 mi | -1.82 % | 20.65 mph | 71 w |
| #31 | 00:16:45 | 01:52:07 | 4.00 mi | 28.89 mi | +2.69 % | 14.34 mph | 185 w |
| #32 | 00:01:02 | 01:53:10 | 0.47 mi | 29.36 mi | -6.68 % | 27.26 mph | 0 w |
| #33 | 00:02:57 | 01:56:07 | 0.96 mi | 30.32 mi | -0.78 % | 19.48 mph | 131 w |
| #34 | 00:01:00 | 01:57:08 | 0.37 mi | 30.69 mi | -3.53 % | 22.04 mph | 42 w |
| #35 | 00:04:34 | 02:01:42 | 1.24 mi | 31.93 mi | +1.12 % | 16.23 mph | 183 w |
| #36 | 00:00:56 | 02:02:39 | 0.32 mi | 32.25 mi | -2.58 % | 20.50 mph | 54 w |
| #37 | 00:08:47 | 02:11:26 | 2.66 mi | 34.91 mi | +0.34 % | 18.16 mph | 156 w |
| #38 | 00:00:07 | 02:11:34 | 0.04 mi | 34.95 mi | -2.99 % | 20.21 mph | 26 w |
| #39 | 00:02:44 | 02:14:18 | 0.55 mi | 35.50 mi | +3.51 % | 11.93 mph | 216 w |
| #40 | 00:00:55 | 02:15:14 | 0.25 mi | 35.75 mi | -1.07 % | 16.21 mph | 138 w |
| #41 | 00:00:10 | 02:15:24 | 0.06 mi | 35.81 mi | -3.77 % | 19.35 mph | 0 w |
| #42 | 00:28:50 | 02:44:14 | 6.93 mi | 42.74 mi | +1.68 % | 14.42 mph | 181 w |
| #43 | 00:32:04 | 03:16:19 | 9.28 mi | 52.02 mi | +0.38 % | 17.35 mph | 153 w |
| #44 | 00:01:09 | 03:17:29 | 0.36 mi | 52.38 mi | -3.72 % | 18.51 mph | 18 w |
| #45 | 00:07:49 | 03:25:18 | 0.86 mi | 53.24 mi | +8.38 % | 6.56 mph | 236 w |
| #46 | 00:00:27 | 03:25:45 | 0.14 mi | 53.38 mi | -6.08 % | 18.10 mph | 0 w |
| #47 | 00:03:14 | 03:29:00 | 0.70 mi | 54.08 mi | +2.70 % | 12.99 mph | 191 w |
| #48 | 00:00:23 | 03:29:23 | 0.11 mi | 54.19 mi | -6.22 % | 17.51 mph | 1 w |
| #49 | 00:01:19 | 03:30:43 | 0.26 mi | 54.45 mi | +3.86 % | 11.65 mph | 220 w |
| #50 | 00:01:23 | 03:32:06 | 0.43 mi | 54.88 mi | -2.50 % | 18.39 mph | 89 w |
| #51 | 00:01:54 | 03:34:01 | 0.41 mi | 55.29 mi | +2.57 % | 12.82 mph | 188 w |
| #52 | 00:03:46 | 03:37:47 | 1.73 mi | 57.02 mi | -4.50 % | 27.51 mph | 22 w |
| #53 | 00:02:05 | 03:39:52 | 0.60 mi | 57.62 mi | +0.95 % | 17.14 mph | 184 w |
| #54 | 00:01:24 | 03:41:17 | 0.51 mi | 58.13 mi | -2.33 % | 21.88 mph | 68 w |
| #55 | 00:01:25 | 03:42:42 | 0.34 mi | 58.47 mi | +3.19 % | 14.23 mph | 215 w |
| #56 | 00:00:47 | 03:43:29 | 0.29 mi | 58.76 mi | -4.62 % | 21.88 mph | 2 w |
| #57 | 00:29:37 | 04:13:07 | 7.05 mi | 65.81 mi | +2.60 % | 14.27 mph | 181 w |
| #58 | 00:01:54 | 04:15:02 | 1.02 mi | 66.83 mi | -6.52 % | 32.15 mph | 0 w |
| #59 | 00:37:39 | 04:52:41 | 9.18 mi | 76.01 mi | +1.52 % | 14.62 mph | 180 w |
| #60 | 00:01:12 | 04:53:54 | 0.44 mi | 76.45 mi | -4.39 % | 22.08 mph | 0 w |
| #61 | 00:06:15 | 05:00:09 | 1.68 mi | 78.13 mi | +1.19 % | 16.07 mph | 156 w |
| #62 | 00:08:33 | 05:08:42 | 2.51 mi | 80.64 mi | +0.57 % | 17.60 mph | 157 w |
| #63 | 00:08:08 | 05:16:51 | 3.20 mi | 83.84 mi | -2.67 % | 23.55 mph | 50 w |
| #64 | 00:16:10 | 05:33:01 | 3.29 mi | 87.13 mi | +3.75 % | 12.20 mph | 203 w |
| #65 | 00:08:14 | 05:41:16 | 2.63 mi | 89.76 mi | -0.22 % | 19.17 mph | 142 w |
| #66 | 00:01:45 | 05:43:01 | 0.98 mi | 90.74 mi | -6.32 % | 33.53 mph | 0 w |
| #67 | 00:00:53 | 05:43:55 | 0.28 mi | 91.02 mi | +0.94 % | 18.56 mph | 171 w |
| #68 | 00:01:04 | 05:44:59 | 0.42 mi | 91.44 mi | -3.23 % | 23.53 mph | 4 w |
| #69 | 00:03:19 | 05:48:18 | 0.98 mi | 92.42 mi | +0.45 % | 17.61 mph | 161 w |
| #70 | 00:01:08 | 05:49:27 | 0.46 mi | 92.88 mi | -2.87 % | 23.97 mph | 31 w |
| #71 | 00:39:37 | 06:29:05 | 10.37 mi | 103.25 mi | +1.68 % | 15.70 mph | 177 w |
| #72 | 00:01:30 | 06:30:35 | 0.56 mi | 103.81 mi | -3.84 % | 22.20 mph | 10 w |
| #73 | 00:01:19 | 06:31:54 | 0.49 mi | 104.30 mi | +0.03 % | 22.26 mph | 148 w |
| #74 | 00:00:17 | 06:32:12 | 0.15 mi | 104.45 mi | -11.73 % | 29.59 mph | 0 w |
| #75 | 00:00:26 | 06:32:39 | 0.20 mi | 104.65 mi | -0.45 % | 27.60 mph | 132 w |
| #76 | 00:00:09 | 06:32:49 | 0.08 mi | 104.73 mi | -12.96 % | 29.35 mph | 0 w |
| #77 | 00:00:25 | 06:33:14 | 0.14 mi | 104.87 mi | +1.20 % | 19.55 mph | 177 w |
| #78 | 00:01:06 | 06:34:20 | 0.07 mi | 104.94 mi | +21.88 % | 4.03 mph | 305 w |
| #79 | 00:01:53 | 06:36:14 | 0.88 mi | 105.82 mi | -6.88 % | 27.72 mph | 30 w |
| #80 | 00:02:25 | 06:38:39 | 0.74 mi | 106.56 mi | +0.47 % | 18.44 mph | 160 w |
| Totals/Avg | 06:38:39 | 06:38:39 | 106.54 mi | 106.54 mi | -0.87% | 16.03 mph | 160.99 w |
Climb Summary by Category
| Category | Climb Count | Total Time | Total Dist. | Avg. Time | Avg. Dist. | Avg. Grade | Avg. Speed | Avg. Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cat4 | 24 | 01:43:41 | 15.38 mi | 00:04:19 | 0.64 mi | 5.24 % | 10.07 mph | 222 w |
| All Cats | 24 | 01:43:41 | 15.38 mi | 00:04:19 | 0.64 mi | 5.24 % | 10.07 mph | 222 w |
| Climb | Start Time | Start Dist. | Duration | Distance | Speed | Power | Grade | Elevation Gain | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 00:07:48 | 2.37 mi | 00:01:01 | 0.20 mi | 11.90 mph | 216 w | 4.26 % | 46 ft | Cat4 |
| #2 | 00:19:49 | 5.84 mi | 00:01:49 | 0.33 mi | 10.66 mph | 231 w | 4.58 % | 79 ft | Cat4 |
| #3 | 00:31:04 | 8.59 mi | 00:09:02 | 1.23 mi | 8.15 mph | 232 w | 6.56 % | 426 ft | Cat4 |
| #4 | 00:52:06 | 13.82 mi | 00:01:18 | 0.26 mi | 11.79 mph | 222 w | 4.22 % | 57 ft | Cat4 |
| #5 | 00:55:00 | 14.59 mi | 00:11:52 | 1.79 mi | 9.02 mph | 231 w | 5.36 % | 506 ft | Cat4 |
| #6 | 01:09:31 | 17.28 mi | 00:00:50 | 0.21 mi | 15.20 mph | 214 w | 3.17 % | 36 ft | Cat4 |
| #7 | 01:11:28 | 17.80 mi | 00:01:25 | 0.16 mi | 6.95 mph | 233 w | 8.26 % | 72 ft | Cat4 |
| #8 | 01:28:24 | 22.89 mi | 00:01:45 | 0.33 mi | 11.32 mph | 220 w | 4.11 % | 72 ft | Cat4 |
| #9 | 01:47:53 | 28.46 mi | 00:04:13 | 0.44 mi | 6.29 mph | 238 w | 8.91 % | 209 ft | Cat4 |
| #10 | 01:58:16 | 31.04 mi | 00:00:56 | 0.19 mi | 12.32 mph | 210 w | 3.25 % | 33 ft | Cat4 |
| #11 | 02:11:41 | 35.01 mi | 00:02:37 | 0.50 mi | 11.54 mph | 227 w | 3.70 % | 98 ft | Cat4 |
| #12 | 02:17:07 | 36.19 mi | 00:08:26 | 1.24 mi | 8.84 mph | 232 w | 5.39 % | 354 ft | Cat4 |
| #13 | 03:12:53 | 51.68 mi | 00:03:26 | 0.35 mi | 6.18 mph | 234 w | 8.88 % | 166 ft | Cat4 |
| #14 | 03:17:29 | 52.39 mi | 00:09:00 | 1.13 mi | 7.54 mph | 177 w | 6.34 % | 379 ft | Cat4 |
| #15 | 03:27:56 | 53.91 mi | 00:01:04 | 0.17 mi | 9.43 mph | 229 w | 5.42 % | 48 ft | Cat4 |
| #16 | 03:29:23 | 54.20 mi | 00:01:19 | 0.26 mi | 11.65 mph | 220 w | 3.86 % | 53 ft | Cat4 |
| #17 | 03:41:17 | 58.13 mi | 00:01:25 | 0.34 mi | 14.23 mph | 215 w | 3.19 % | 57 ft | Cat4 |
| #18 | 03:43:29 | 58.75 mi | 00:09:41 | 1.12 mi | 6.94 mph | 232 w | 7.76 % | 460 ft | Cat4 |
| #19 | 04:34:21 | 72.16 mi | 00:10:17 | 1.70 mi | 9.89 mph | 220 w | 4.29 % | 384 ft | Cat4 |
| #20 | 04:53:54 | 76.44 mi | 00:01:59 | 0.35 mi | 10.55 mph | 224 w | 4.82 % | 88 ft | Cat4 |
| #21 | 05:04:42 | 79.47 mi | 00:00:55 | 0.22 mi | 13.96 mph | 213 w | 3.18 % | 36 ft | Cat4 |
| #22 | 05:20:11 | 84.62 mi | 00:07:49 | 0.99 mi | 7.58 mph | 234 w | 6.85 % | 358 ft | Cat4 |
| #23 | 06:10:20 | 99.11 mi | 00:01:52 | 0.31 mi | 9.78 mph | 220 w | 5.03 % | 81 ft | Cat4 |
| #24 | 06:14:05 | 99.93 mi | 00:09:28 | 1.56 mi | 9.87 mph | 216 w | 4.32 % | 355 ft | Cat4 |
Build your own personalized 2026 Gravel Nats power plan today! Sign up for a free Athlete Basic account to get started with your athlete profile and bike setup, then grab the 2026 Gravel Nats course to model your own race plan.
2026 Gravel Nats FAQs
Your target power depends on your FTP, body weight, bike setup, and finish time goal — not a generic number that applies to every rider. The variables that matter most are your current fitness, your aerodynamic position, and the specific demands of the 2026 Gravel Nats course. The best approach is to build a personalized plan in Best Bike Split using your actual athlete profile — you'll get a segment-by-segment power target based on your specific inputs rather than a one-size-fits-all recommendation.
Every course is different and requires its own unique pacing plan. On a multi-loop course, fatigue and wind shift between laps and what felt comfortable early can become unsustainable later. On an out-and-back, headwind in one direction becomes tailwind in the other — an asymmetry a flat power target can't account for. On a point-to-point or single-loop course, you only get one pass at every section with no opportunity to recalibrate. When you create a Best Bike Split race plan for 2026 Gravel Nats, we model the specific demands of that course so your pacing strategy reflects the race you're actually doing.
Significantly — and the effect varies depending on the course profile. On flatter courses, wind and aerodynamics become the dominant variables in your speed equation, more so than on courses where gradient naturally dictates effort. On climbing-heavy courses, your power-to-weight ratio and how you manage the descents matter most. A Best Bike Split race plan lets you model the specific conditions forecasted for 2026 Gravel Nats, so your targets reflect what you'll actually face on race day rather than what the course looks like on paper.
It depends on the course and how well you pace it. Flat, fast courses offer genuine PR potential but only if you execute correctly — without terrain to naturally regulate your effort, going out too hard early is easy and costly. Technical or hilly courses reward smart segment-by-segment pacing over raw fitness. Either way, a physics-based race plan from Best Bike Split gives you a realistic split prediction based on your actual profile so you know before race day what a well-executed bike leg looks like for you specifically.
Yes — and this is one of the most underused features. Once you've built your 2026 Gravel Nats race plan, you can export it directly to Zwift, TrainerRoad, or any ERG-mode trainer for indoor sessions, or push it to your Garmin, Wahoo, or Karoo for outdoor rides. Training on your actual race plan means you arrive at 2026 Gravel Nats already knowing what your target effort feels like at every section of the course — not just what the number says on paper.
Using Best Bike Split for Gravel Racing
Coach Dave Schell of Kaizen Endurance wrote a great primer on how gravel racers should think about course modeling, from drafting value and group dynamics to equipment selection and aid station timing. It's definitely worth a read before you build your plan.
