Gallery: Bikes of the 2026 Gralloch

Suvi Loponen, Alex Hunt

The Gralloch was back last weekend for its fourth edition, and Scotland's contribution to the UCI Gravel World Series shows no signs of slowing down. More than 3,000 riders from 47 nations descended on Gatehouse of Fleet this year, and were battling both to qualify for the Gravel World Championships as well as sample some of the varied terrain the area offers.

The Gralloch has always managed to attract a strong field of elite riders – its first edition saw road pros Tiffany Cromwell and Connor Swift take the crowns (or antlers, in this case) home, and every year since that inaugural 2023 race, the field has only got bigger and stronger.

For riders like Cameron Mason, the Gralloch is an opportunity to race on home turf in Scotland.

The event also seems to gain more traction as a testing ground for equipment and fitness, as it sits sandwiched between Girona's The Traka – Europe's biggest gravel race – and Unbound in Kansas, the somewhat unofficial world championships of the discipline.

The 111 km UCI course remained unchanged from the year prior, with 1,761 metres of climbing and more than 80% gravel surface, delivering its usual combination of speed and suffering, likely in somewhat similar ratio. Punctures were again plentiful, and as you can tell from the spec choices below, it was clear that there was no clear consensus on what the best approach for the course is. And arguably, some of the success is based on luck.

The 320 km Ultra racers heading off.

The 2026 Gralloch also introduced two new additions to the programme. The sportive returned on Sunday for those who wanted to ride the course without the race number, and for the first time, the organisers launched the Genesis Gralloch Ultra – a 323 km route through Galloway Forest Park for those who prefer to spend double-digit hours on the saddle.

A brief race report from the Elite race

Before we get to the bike checks, a brief race report from the elite racers. In the men's Elite race, Lukas Pöstlberger added the Gralloch to his Traka 200 victory just weeks earlier, riding to a solo win after Jenson Young – who had been in the break – suffered a puncture with 15 km to go. Young recovered to finish second, with Niels Vandeputte third and Tobias Mørch Kongstad and Benjamin Perry separated by less than a second in fourth and fifth.

In the women's race, Geerike Schreurs – racing on an unreleased Specialized gravel bike – became the first double winner of the event, outsprinting Pas Racing's Karolina Migoń at the line. Wendy Oosterwoud was third, with Danni Shrosbree fourth. Sophie Wright finished seventh and Lizzie Hermolle tenth among the home riders.

Now, onto the pro bike checks.

Lukas Pöstlberger - Rose BackRoad FF

Fresh off his victory at The Traka 200 in Girona, former WorldTour pro Lukas Pöstlberger arrived at the Gralloch with a setup slightly tweaked for the demands of Scotland’s premier gravel race. The aim was to keep his bike fast enough for the open gravel sections, while adding a little more agility for the race’s punchy climbs and constantly changing terrain.

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