A gravel festival of our dreams
Backlands Gravel Festival welcomes you to the beautiful Odsherred in Denmark. This event is made by Gravellers, for Gravellers.
The epicenter of the festival is the wonderful Anneberg Kulturpark. Here we are going to eat, drink, sleep and have fun, while charging up for some sweaty hours on our bikes in the extraordinary diverse and picture perfect landscape of Odsherred – a UNESCO Global Geopark.
Here we have it all, dark and mysterious forests, open fields, sandy and windy beaches, and hilly climbs, enough for everyone. All together, it makes for perfect gravel days. We arrange all your food during the event (included in the price), but there will also be options to stop and enjoy local delicacies, on your own or with one of the Trail Captains.
Tickets
BEST ROUTES
Our route creators have spent a long time creating the best routes the area has to offer. They are both beautiful and challenging with a discreet mix of different types of terrain. There are distances for every taste. From the friendly starter at 25 km, over the cool at 70-80 km to the challenging at 150 km and more than 1000+ meters of vertical gain! Read more
MUSIC
After nice hours in the terrain, it's time to enjoy some good music. Saturday night the festival offers live music and DJs to create the right gravel atmosphere. First band announced is RKDIA – a brand new power-house duo of electronica, ambient and dream pop, that surely will get you in party mood.
FOOD
The ticket price includes delicious organic breakfast, lunch and dinner ... and if you want an extra snack, it is possible to buy various delicacies from a carefully selected range of food trucks. Famous TV chef (and cycling lover) Claus Holm is in charge of that you'll get evrything you need.
TALKS
The festival offers a carefully planned program of talks with various interesting people from the gravel community. We've currently planned talks about "Silk Road Mountain Race" by two Danes who are the first to complete and "My trip to Nordkap" by former pro-cyclist Rasmus Quaade.
CAMPING
Camping with a tent is free. Extra luxury can be purchased in the form of a bed in a 2-person room at Anneberg (right in the middle of the venue).
LANDSLIDE TROPHY RACE
At the festival venue you can also choose to participate in this cool (and muddy) race, which is a 100 meter long mano a mano sprint in a cup tournament format. Always great fun. Always dirty. The winner gets a ticket for next year's festival as defending champion.
FILMS
Friday and Saturday we show both Danish and international gravel films in the festival's very own cinema.
EXPERTS
Come and have a chat with the best mechanics. We've made sure they're at the festival, where they come to show off their skills and share their knowledge ... and maybe share a tip or two. Look forward to workshops with Jacob Lindsel from Rule No. 4 and mechanic from the Danish National Team in cyclocross.
Backlands
What you get
- 3x3 meter camping spot. No more, no less. Make yourself at home!
- All meals included. Breakfast, lunch and dinner incl. one beverage of your choice i.e. coffee, juice, soft drink, beer or wine.
- A great variety of carefully selected gravel rides and routes. Long and tough. Short and sweet. Race it... or don't. It's up to you. Read more about the rides here.
- Backlands Trail Captains will lead the way on designated rides.
- Race segments will be signposted along certain routes if you feel like pushing hard!
- Professional on-site mechanical support (mechanics own prices apply).
- Backlands Welcome Goodie Kit:
- Festival wristband.
- Energy products.
- Goodies.
- Route maps.
- Backlands Brevet collector's card.
- Trail Angels will accompany you on the trails with extra tubes, tools, good spirits and a helping hand.
- Cold and warm refreshments along the routes at our Fuel stations.
- The routes as GPX track.
- Professional photos to keep for a perfect memory. You also get your very own personal Backlands profile shot taken - with your bike of course.
- Huge campfire and musical entertainment – live music and DJ's.
- Popup duels ("How fast can you fix a flat?", "Gravel Quiz" etc.) We just like to have fun! And look out for some fun awards too
- Talks and adventure – meet and greet some inspiring guys and girls talking about their awesome stories from around the world in our Adventure Land. We've currently planned talks about "Silk Road Mountain Race" by two Danes who are the first to complete and "My trip to Nordkap" by former pro-cyclist Rasmus Quaade.
- Gravel bike documentaries and adventure films from around the world will be showing in our Film Land.
- Showers and toilets.
- Security and 24/7 guards in our fenced bike parking area.
- Bike-cleaning area with racks and water.
- Wetlands Cafe & Bar. Here you can find and buy a superb celebration of danish and local canned and draft beer.
- Snack Land with a small but excellent choice of food and snacks, if you feel a little more hungry.
- Tech Land – visit the future of Gravel & Bikepacking.
- Outland’dish – our out-in-the-open lunch stop (All gravel routes will pass through for lunch).
- Landslide Trophy Race – carve through the mud and bring home the trophy!
- Hangover 10 meter Race – the slowest race on earth. No awards, lots of glory!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay in the loop about the festival, as we publish news and highlights to get you excited for a gravelling weekend at Backlands Gravel Series Geopark Odsherred Edition.
Wanna know more? We've got a whole FAQ section for you right here.
Arrival
FRIDAY
- Backlands Festival site opens - set up your camp and feel at home.
- Visit our Wetlands Cafe & Bar for an after work drink or two.
Festival day 1
SATURDAY
- OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY BACKLANDS @ 09:00
- Gravel rides:
- Backlands Brevet (150 km)
- Hinterland (62 km)
- Starterland (25 km)
- Fast Land (89 km)
- Ferryland (65 km)
- Lunch served in the open - enjoy a nice meal on your route at Outland’dish.
- Back in Camp: Explore our Backlands Camp Site and enjoy various stages of entertainment, talks and mechanics showcases in our Film Land, Adventure Land and Tech Land.
- Enjoy a variety of gravelbike documentaries and adventure films in our Film Land.
- Treat your bike to a tune-up at our on-site mechanic (mechanics own prices apply).
- Landslide Trophy Race - our epic 100m mud sprint! Eliminate your opponents, take home the coveted trophy and have your name written into Backlands history!
- Dinner & drinks
- Bonfires
- DJ's and live music
Festival day 2
SUNDAY
- Rise and shine - breakfast is served!
- Hangover 10 meter Race - the slowest race on earth!
- Gravel rides:
- Neverland (78 km)
- Heartland (52 km)
- Back in Camp:
- Enjoy your lunch which will be ready when you come back.
- Wrap-up talk at Words Stage.
- Thanks for sharing the weekend with us, we hope to see you soon again!
Backlands
The gravel rides
- Different types of rides All rides and routes are categorized into three different groups: Easy, Intermediate or Advanced, depending on pace and technical difficulty.
- Ride with our Trail captains Rides marked with “TC” will be led by a designated Trail Captain. These rides will be social rides mostly.
- Ride at your own pace Feel free to ride all our routes at your own pace. All route GPX files will be sent exclusively to all our patrons.
- Fast segments Certain routes will have Strava segments where you can push your limits. These segments will be clearly posted on the route. This is your chance to give it your best shot and get your name up on the Strava leaderboard.
- Fuel stations Fuel stations will be provided along the routes. Fuel stations will include snacks and fresh water.
- Lunch Lunch is included in the ticket price and will be served from 12-14. A hearty and healthy meal is served at Outland’dish – our out-in-the-open lunch stop. It is also possible to pick up your lunch in a small bag if you prefer a picnic along the route.
- Fun & Games At Backlands we like to have fun. Our Landslide Trophy Race is a perfect example. 100 meters mano a mano sprint on a course covered in mud! You can also try our Hangover Race - the slowest race on earth! Look out for more fun and games upon arrival.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to know more about the rides and routes, as we publish specific route details and highlights to get you excited for a gravelling weekend at Backlands Gravel Series Geopark Odsherred Edition.
Wanna know more? We've got a whole FAQ section for you right here.
