Belgian Waffle Ride Adds New Event, Relaunches Tripel Crown of Gravel Series

Lawrence, Kansas. Hope it’s nicer than Lawrence, Massachuetts. That’s because there’s a brand new Belgian Waffle Ride there, scheduled to take place on Halloween this year. We’ll be swerving it, but if you like cycling fans in costumes and the lingering threat of the last vestiges of a global pandemic, read on.

Monuments of Cycling announced the relaunch of its Tripel Crown of Gravel Series this week, which comprises the three existing Belgian Waffle Rides and the new Halloween one out in Kansas (ignore that last bit, apparently).

Because they were kind enough to send us a pretty incoherent press release about it, we’ll include the part that’s probably most important to them here: “The BWR is known as the most unique cycling event in the United States, with each location offering its own special features, topography and atmosphere. Online registration for all events opens February 1, 2021, at 9 a.m. (PT) at BelgianWaffleRide.Bike. For those thousands of riders who have already signed up for the 2020 BWR events, their entries have been deferred to 2021.” Sounds like that last sentence is left over from a 2020 press release, but it could be a nice reminder that you’re already registered for one of the races.

BWR 1: San Diego, California. July 18, 2021

The 2021 series starts in San Diego, which is hosting its tenth edition this year. Sponsored by Canyon, the event features an updated 135-mile route and a new host venue with 70 vendors and a mile-long finishing circuit within its perimeter. The event is a three-day party, including a Friday night Road-Cross Criterium, live music, and a massive beer garden.

BWR 2: Ashville, North Carolina. August 21, 2021

Next up, we’re headed to North Carolina. This one’s sponsored by Sierra Nevada, which is nice. It’s at the Ride Kanuga MTB park in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and is the the longest of the series at roughly 144-miles with 12,000 feet of climbing.

BWR 3: Cedar City, Utah. September 25, 2021

This is the final event of the Tripel Crown of Gravel Series, we think. It’s in Cedar City, and seems to be sponsored by the city itself rather than a beer or bike company. But we can forgive that, because this is probably the best route of them all. Taking place at elevation in the West Desert of Southern Utah, it’s 80% off-road for a true gravel edition. Its 128-mile route is graced with the most coveted decomposed granite roads and tricky off-road sectors throughout the region. Riders will wind through the famous Red Hills, the Parowan Gap along Little Salt Lake, Coal and Whitney Canyons, and Granite Mountain. Neato.

BWR 4: Lawrence, Kansas. October 31, 2021

Monuments of Cycling are dubbing this the Hell of the Mid-West. We actually didn’t know that Kansas counted as the mid-west. Where the fuck is Kansas? Actually, they say it’s “The Hell of the Mi-West” which might mean something else rather than being a typo. No idea.

The route features rolling passes, rough and rocky outcroppings, lake and river views, forests, and water crossings. Riders will get a bit of everything thrown at them: hard-packed, flat, loose, rocky, uphill and downhill gravel over a 111-mile route punctuated by off-road sector and single-track sectors and 8,000 feet of climbing, all of which give the event its challenging complexion.

The End

We’ll share the signup link again, since we were mean about their press release. BelgianWaffleRide.Bike