Events: The 2025 Spring Event Calendar
In years past, we have posted spring events with a cheerful readiness to hop back into the new season of riding. In the same way for 2025, we noticed events being added at a refreshing rate. Our list features several of the quintessential spring events. Rides like Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo and Monkey Knife Fight are spring rights of passage. Meanwhile new rides/ races have returned to the calendar like the Battenkill Race. We have added a long time running event, but calling it a new experience, as the Covered Bridges Brevet.
Initially our calendar was to be loaded with early season races like the new Philly Crit, but we’ve created another post for competitive events. It is safe to say, we are excited for the 2025 cycling season to get under way. We feature nearly five hundred miles of challenges.
Philly Bike Expo - March 8/9
Before we get on the bike and actually ride miles, why not come to the Philadelphia Convention Center to experience the cycling culture of the area while exploring some of the artisans of the industry at the Philly Bike Expo? Companies from all corners of the industry will be on hand to answer questions and demonstrate new gear. In years past, we talked to light specialists Lezyne, bike fabricators East Coast Cycles, and chain lube scientists NixFrixShun. That is, companies range from global to local while being under one roof.
The experience goes beyond the tangible. Philly Bike Expo offers seminars from advocacy to coaching. It also promotes the cycling culture by providing bike parking for those looking to make a full day of exploring the bicycle. The best part of the Expo is the camaraderie. Putting faces behind products and shooting the breeze with people passionate about the industry is the most enjoyable part. Keep an eye out for us meandering the exhibit booths. Don’t forget to bring money, as the Expo tables offer unique gear not found elsewhere.
Covered Bridges Brevet 200k - March 15
We discovered a passionate group of randonneurs promote a couple of cycling events in the Bucks County region. After a bit more research, one event goes right along our favorite roads and having us consider joining a brevet. It’s one of the oldest forms of cycling events and certainly one of the most prestigious. The most famous of all brevets, Paris-Brest-Paris is still run today, though it’s run on a four year cycle.
Brevets are much like rally racing. Cyclists are given cue sheets and a start time. Participants are expected to check in at controls such as convenience stores or landmarks. Often, routes will have secret controls for quality assurances. Until recently, the brevet card was collected at the end of the event to ensure the complete distance was accomplished. Today’s digital card now accepts selfies at particular locations along with a time stamp. The Covered Bridges Brevet 200k is a doable distance in the ten-hour window. The event is run regardless of weather. Participants can pay a one-day Pennsylvania Randonneur fee, but membership is a modest sum.
Monkey Knife Fight - April 12
Monkey Knife Fight exists as an absolute test of rider and machine. The Emmaus-based fundraiser ride for Dreams Come True is an experience like no other. Around the Lehigh Valley are unique gravel roads, some with steep sectors, to provide never-before-experienced miles. The event’s name attempts to encompass the gigantic personality along the numerous climbs (6500 feet) and earned miles (70 for the long course).
In the past, the gravel sectors are what pulled riders to Monkey Knife Fight. New for this year is the Orangutan “clean” course - a completely paved route with five legitimate climbs in sixty miles. There’s also the traditional 30, 50, and 70-mile mixed surface courses. The genius in the course design is the clover effect the route has, always returning to the church rest stop. Even if one climb is eliminated, it’s still a challenging ride back to the start, but it’s completely worth it. Monkey Knife Fight can be completed on road bikes, but don’t be surprised to see gravel, cross, and mountain bikes dominating the packs.
Rasputitsa Dirt - April 19-21
Rasputitsa Dirt is the mother of all unpaved cycling festivals. Taking place in Jay, VT, in what could only be referred to as “shoulder season” in the Northeast, the event proudly repulses the commercial aspect of cycling. Rasputitsa is an event that embraces every competitor while encouraging participants to expect every type of weather and road condition. The weekend experience features warm up rides, concerts, speakers, and the 100k ride. The roads vary from maintained paved roads to paths covered with residual snow.
As a testament to it’s avant garde stance, Rasputitsa Dirt features the anti-competition race of the Lantern Rouge, or the last official finisher. We’ve heard tales of riders approaching the finish line and hiding in the bushes to preserve their Lantern Rouge status, checking whether anyone was behind them. We feel this race alone encompasses the event’s stance. It’s super laid back, with weekend warriors lining up next to Tour de France alum, all hoping to finish with a functioning bike and an avoidance to hyperthermia.
Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo - April 28
It would not be spring without the three-county century gravel bike tour that is Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo on the list. This beast is another event we have not managed to get to, but it’s not without trying. Frankly, it’s the massive scale of LLWH that intimidates us. The longest route, at 100 miles, features nearly 9,000 feet of climbing. The shortest route, at 40 miles, features nearly 3,000 feet of climbing. Each option, from short to long to everything in between, is a study in determined gravel riding. For perspective, the 100 mile course features nearly 70 miles of unpaved surfaces.
Centered in the NEPA portion of Pennsylvania and hugging the Susquehanna River, LLWH takes advantage of every attraction within the routes. The route skirts past Scranton and heads north before turning west for the return. There are no shortcuts, nor should there be. This is LLWH and you know what you signed up for. The swag accessible at the end of the event is important for that Monday Morning saunter into the office. LLWH swage says,“Oh this pin? Yeah I rode 100 miles in northeast PA. No big deal.”
Brandywine Valley Roubaix X - May 4
It wouldn’t be a Spring Classics list without the Brandywine Valley Roubaix, centered near the historic areas of Radley, PA. The Brandywine Valley Roubaix offers two distances: 34 mile and metric century. The 61-mile route features a reported 5,500 feet of climbing on the day.
The two courses are unique in their access to the western portions of the route. The focal point of the route, the Brandywine Creek, is ever-present in the rollout miles. The long course route then completes two independent loops before the return leg home. Brandywine Valley Roubaix still features the famous rest stop at The Whip Tavern in Coatesville, PA. In its tenth running, the Brandywine Valley Roubaix is another event we have yet to add to our palmares. Once we get the first Roubaix completed, it’s likely to become a regular in the spring time rotation.
Battenkill - May 10
Back under the umbrella of Anthem Sports, Battenkill is returning to the ride calendar after a ten-year hiatus. Some will say the Tour of the Battenkill never left, but the organizers who bought the event from Anthem Sports closed up shop and confused riders by announcing the event was canceled in 2025. Now simply called Battenkill, Anthem Sports has brought back the US Cycling racing format with the added fondo field. The 100k course features pristine unpaved sections, challenging climbs, and the famous Battenkill covered bridge.
Battenkill was always more than the race itself. Centered around Cambridge, NY, the event drew competitive cyclists as well as a welcoming race village for post ride food, drinks, and relaxation. Battenkill Creamery awarded bottles of chocolate milk to the podium finishers while the milk was used to make maple milkshakes at other venues. It’s the Battenkill weekend experience that has many excited for the Anthem Sports event’s return to the calendar.
Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder - May 18
Located in Chatham, NY, the Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder is on the list for one remarkable status - the ride goes uphill nearly 100 feet for every mile covered. It’s the reminder that puts the event into perspective, that parts of the event are on public roads. Parts. Furthermore, parts of the route go into Massachusetts for a multi-state event status! And if you’re wondering where the name originated, it’s from Chatham Brewing’s “Farmer’s Daughter Rye IPA. With more than half the course designated as unpaved, this is one of the few events solely for the gravel riders.
Chatham, NY, is located just outside of Poughkeepsie, on the eastern side of the Hudson River. For us, this area is largely untouched with bike tires. The Farmer’s Daughter is no exception, having been featured for a second time on our list, yet we have not participated in the ride. Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder benefits many organizations in Columbia County, so the registration goes a long way. At what feels more like an overland ride, the Farmer’s Daughter is definitely an event we hope to get to in 2025.
Whiteface Mountain 23rd Annual Uphill Bike Race - June 7
The Whiteface Mountain 23rd Annual Uphill Bike Race is the shortest event, yet it climbs more than 3,000 feet in eight miles. It’s followed by a descent as rapid as you dare on the close Veterans Memorial Highway. The dozens of miles-long views accommodate the struggle up the eight percent climb that takes the fastest riders roughly an hour to complete. Having participated in 2024, we learned two things: uphill runners are also fast, and the second half of the weekend can be added to the experience.
We learned we weren’t the only cycling race in Wilmington, NY, for the first weekend in June. Whiteface 100k and 50k bike race were offered as add-ons to the Uphill Bike Race registration. Though a mountain bike race, we did notice several gravel bikes tucked into pelotons crossing route 86. That is, don’t let bike accessibility deter you from taking part in both days’ events. Meanwhile, we nursed our take-home prizes from the Uphill Bike Race - black fly bites, a cruel side effect of a helpful tailwind up the mountain. We highly recommend the Ice Jam Inn and Restaurant in Jay for accommodations for a one-stop shop.
Black Fly Challenge - June 14
The Black Fly Challenge is an event like no other. At one of the shortest events on our calendar, it’s not a race to take lightly. The point-to-point Adirondack gravel event occurs over a 25-mile gravel camping road through the NY wilderness. While it’s technically a race, the “B” class features a more sportsman ride for those looking to finish within the time limit. For those competitive personalities, the “A” categories are a great way to catapult into the summer race season.
For 2025, the race starts in Indian Lake and ends in Inlet, NY. The first ten miles of the Black Fly Challenge are pristine paved roads before the transition to the multi-surface gravel portion. Though the climbing is lighter than other events, the exhaustion comes from constant analysis of road obstacles. There are fast tight turns as well as loose gravel to upend the outing. For 2025, the final mile of the race features single track mountain bike trails before dumping participants abruptly at the finish and into the post-event party. Our last experience with the Black Fly’s finish area was in this direction, and we used the meal ticket to relax while listening to the band.
The Black Fly Challenge is a bit of a logistical challenge. Each time we’ve participated, we’ve hopped back on the bike to return to our lodging, making it an 80-mile day. Participants can purchase a shuttle pass. Both Indian Lake and Inlet have vibrant and welcoming communities for the family to enjoy. It’s worth bringing the family or the team to this portion of the Adirondacks.
