1 event in Millfield, Ohio

Team Athens Cycling presents:

The Athens Gravel Challenge

‘Gravel Tortoise Edition’

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July 26th, 2025

featuring Baileys single-track

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The Athens Gravel Challenge, a part of the 2025 Ohio Gravel Race Series, is hosted by Team Athens Cycling. This year, our race will include 3 awesome ‘tortoise-themed’ courses (the ‘Enduring’, the ‘Steady’, & the ‘Nimble’) and 23 race categories departing from the Baileys' Chauncey-Dover Park, winding through hills and dells over a mix of paved, gravel, and Baileys Trails single track, ending up back at the Baileys' Chauncey-Dover Park for great post-race food, soft drinks, music, and podiums with awards to the top 3 finishers of each category!

The 2025 AGC will be the 6th annual event and will include single-track in the Baileys Trail System for all 3 courses: the 54.0-, 37.5-, and 22.5-mile races. These trails are smooth and flowy, perfect for a gravel bike. The 54.0-mile (Enduring) course will include 8.4 miles of Baileys trails and is our OGRS points qualifying course. The 37.5-mile (Steady) and the 22.5-mile (Nimble) courses will each include 2.4 miles of Baileys trails.

The Baileys Trail System, managed by ORCA (the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia) includes 58 miles of mountain bike trails running through the Wayne National Forest, with difficulty levels ranging from beginner to expert.

In total, there will be 23 individual racing categories, each of which will be scored by overall Start-to-Finish time with awards to the top 3 finishers in each! Also included in every racer's entry (registration) fee is the after-race meal consisting of pizza and a beverage, a custom T-shirt (note: register by June 1st to guarantee your T-shirt), and a custom Jackie O's pint glass!

To encourage female athletes to take part in the gravel racing scene, we are offering discounted entry fees in all 10 Women's racing categories.

The 3 Athens Gravel Challenge courses will test the legs and skills of even the most experienced gravel riders. Southeast Ohio is well known for its many hills and hollers, and riders will undergo a series of ups, downs, twists, and turns on their way to gravel glory.

Important changes in 2025:

We took a survey of former AGC participants, and we are adjusting the race in response to the feedback we received from the survey and the feedback we received at last year's race.

1. we created a new race of intermediate distance (the ‘Steady' 37.5-mile) having only 2.4 miles of Bailey's trails for those riders who don't want as much trail riding and not quite as much time in the saddle

2. we changed the start for both the new 37.5-mile and the 22.5-mile races, so they avoid Coal Run Rd and instead go up West Bailey Rd which is much smoother

3. we added a Masters 60+ category for all 3 races (54.0-, 37.5-, and 22.5-mile)

4. we added 2 Junior races (Boys & Girls 12 - 18 yrs old) in the 22.5-mile ('Nimble') race

5. we expanded the tandem event to include all 3 races (54.0-, 37.5-, and 22.5-mile) as well

Following is an overview of the AGC 2025.

The Start with a Taste of Baileys: For the Enduring course (also the OGRS Points qualifying course), the event starts with a neutral rollout starting at the Baileys Chauncey Park at mile 0 in Chauncey, Ohio. The race will remain neutral until turning onto Coal Run Road. After safely turning onto Coal Run Road, the race will be officially “ON”. There will be no stop and restart. The action will heat up on the famous Coal Run Climb.

The Steady and Nimble courses also begin at Chauncey-Dover Park, but they will not take Coal Run; instead, they will start on West Bailey Road, ride up to the intersection with Utah Ridge Rd, and turn right.

All three courses will exit Utah Ridge onto the Holler Collar Trail (at mile 4.7 for Enduring riders and mile 3.4 for Steady and Nimble riders).

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The Mixed Gravel and Road Section. Emerging from Holler Collar, riders will merge back onto Utah Ridge Rd which begins a long section of mixed gravel and road of distance 40.8 miles for Enduring riders, 31.4 miles for Steady riders, and 16.7 miles for Nimble riders. These sections include awesome winding gravel with a little paved mixed in.

The 3 routes split at the end of Carr Bailey Rd where Nimble riders turn left while Enduring and Steady riders turn right.

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The Finish. Nimble riders will pass through the town of Buchtel, eventually turning back onto West Bailey Rd and continuing for another 5 miles, finally turning right into Baileys Chauncey-Dover Park, and from there proceeding to the finish line.

Steady riders turn left onto West Bailey Rd at mile 37.0, and then they turn immediately left again into Bailey's Chauncey-Dover Park and proceed directly to the finish line.

Enduring riders turn left onto West Bailey Rd at mile 46.2, and then enter the Baileys Wild Turkey Trail at mile 48, switching to the Tipple Top Trail at mile 50, then onto the Coal-Train Trail at mile 52, turning into the Gob-Pile Loop Trail at mile 53.4, and finally onto the Chauncey Depot Trail which leads to the finish at mile 54 in Baileys Chauncey-Dover Park.

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There will be a wide selection of benefits of registration:

1. custom T-shirt (note: register by June 1st to guarantee your T-shirt)

2. custom Jackie O's pint glass

3. Plenty of convenient parking at the Baileys' Chauncey-Dover Park (nearby Chauncey, Ohio)

4. Indoor restrooms and Porta-Johns at the Baileys Chauncey-Dover Park

5. Strava routes for the courses

6. Three staffed and stocked aid stations including snacks and drinks, locations to be announced later

7. Radio club operators to check riders and alert the organizers if there is a problem

8. Emergency (EMT) personnel ready for accidents on the roads and within the Baileys

9. Post Event Meal at the Finish Line at the Baileys Chauncey-Dover Park Trailhead including pizza and a beverage

(water, soft drinks, and a keg from Jackie O's Pub & Brewery)

10. Music and race/podiums announcer

11. Prizes for the top 3 finishers in each category

The AGC 2024 will be insured through USE (US Endurance). Every rider will be required to follow the USE Race Rules (see below).

The event is to be held Rain or Shine. However, if weather conditions are really unsafe, as in excessive lightning & thunderstorms, we may delay the start.

Race Routes:

The 54-mile Enduring route:

Strava file for AGC Enduring route HERE

Distance: 54.13 mi

Elevation gain: 5,840 ft

Est. time: 3:20:53

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The 37.5-mile Steady route:

Strava file for AGC Steady route HERE

Distance: 37.25 mi

Elevation gain: 4,369 ft

Est. time: 2:23:07

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The 22.5-mile Nimble route:

Strava file for AGC Nimble route HERE

Distance: 22.51 mi

Elevation gain: 1,981 ft

Est. time: 1:20:18

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Overnight accommodations: Athens has multiple hotels and Bed and breakfast places. It will be convenient to stay overnight in one of these places if you decide to drive to Athens the day before the race. There are also campgrounds and/or cabins close by at Strouds Run State Park, Lake Snowden Campground, Lake Hope State Park, and Burr Oak State Park.

Here is some information for those who would like to camp the night before or after the race:

Bailey's Trail Tent Camping: limited camping spots

Benton's on the Baileys: limited spots but really close to the trails

Baileys Base Camp: limited spots but really close to the trails

HipCamp: all kinds of camping options at this site

Custom T-shirt (note: register by July 1st to guarantee your T-shirt)

• this year's t-shirt made from a super-soft cotton/polyester blend

• included with your registration (choose size when registering)

• this year's theme - the ‘Gravel Tortoise’

Special Note concerning ‘tortoises’ - tortoises are amazing creatures which adapt to survive under a wide range of harsh environments, from deserts to rainforests. They can endure long periods without food or water. They always wear their shells (i.e. helmets) when they go out on their bikes. They can endure very challenging conditions. And they are also very steady and nimble.

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Custom JackieO's ‘Gravel Tortoise’ Pint Glass

• one pint glass included with every registration

• the famous 'Jackie-O's' on one side

• image of the custom wood-block print ‘Gravel Tortoise’ on the other side

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The Gravel Tortoise design will be included on the t-shirt and the pint glass in 2025.

USE Race Rules:

1. Think and act responsibly throughout the entire event, and ride safely at all times. You are here to have fun.

2. A bicycle helmet is required in order to participate. No helmet, no racing.

3. You are required to ride a single bicycle throughout the whole event. This means no bike swaps during the race.

4. Obey all city, county, state & federal laws, and "Rules of the Road". Watch and yield to traffic as the roads used on this course are open to public traffic.

5. Obey the centerline rule. When on gravel roads, this means staying to the right whenever possible, especially when coming around corners having no visibility.

6. When passing or being passed on trails, be courteous at all times. Shout out “May I pass please?” and move over to let a rider get around you.

7. Race number plates are required to be mounted at the front of your bicycle on the handlebars.

8. Individual riders are responsible for providing their own navigational computer and uploading the race route to their cycling computer.

9. Riders are required to follow the designated course routes. Riders taking a wrong turn must return to the point at which they deviated from the route and resume the race from that point.

10. Riders must obey all course marshals while out on course and follow any changes in route directions which are indicated by the race director or course marshals, for example in the case of inclement weather or unexpected problems with the roadway.

11. The only allowed means of advancement along the racecourse is by bicycle or by foot. You may walk or run your bicycle if you are unable to ride it.

12. Drafting off of other event participants advancing along the same route is allowed. Drafting off of non-participants or off of motorized vehicles is not allowed.

13. Your bicycle must be equipped with fully functioning and hand-operated front and rear brakes.

14. Participants may help other participants with mechanical support, navigational assistance and sharing food or water. Participants may not assist other participants with their forward propulsion.

15. Participants may purchase food, bike parts and other supplies at stores and businesses along the route.

16. Participants may receive assistance from any registered competitor in the race. Participants may receive assistance from any unplanned source that would be available to any other racer in the competition (for example stores, bike shops, faucets on the side of a building). Participants may receive assistance from the general public, defined as unplanned assistance from people who have no connection or affiliation with the race and that is freely & equally offered to all participants from a stationary, non-movable location (for example, assistance in the form of mechanical help, food, water, bike parts would all be acceptable). Participants MAY NOT receive outside assistance from spectators, team managers or friends who are viewing the event.

17. Any participant not reaching a specified checkpoint before the established cut-off time will not be allowed to continue past that point. Cut-off times may be adjusted, as deemed necessary by event staff, to account for unforeseen circumstances such as inclement weather, poor course conditions, etc. Cut-off times are established for the purpose of rider safety and will be strictly enforced.

18. Riders should call out obstacles, dogs, cracks in bridges, cars up or back to fellow riders.

19. Demonstrate good sportsmanship at all times. Foul/ abusive language and/or un-sportsman-like conduct will result in disqualification.

20. Respect the environment, and do not litter. Riders are required to carry out all trash including empty gel packets, spent CO2 cartridges, used inner tubes, or any other such materials.

21. No alcohol or illegal drugs shall be used by any participant during the race.

22. Challenges to event results may only come from a participant registered in the category for which the challenge is being made.

SPONSORS

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