NEDERLAND — At 7 a.m. on Sunday, July 12, waves of bicycle racers began departing from the Tin Shed in Nederland for the 6th annual Ned Gravel.

There were 725 participants entered, competing on courses of different lengths according to preferences and ability levels. This was the first year that a run was one of the options.

Courtney Kruggel took first place in the Women's Ned Gravel Run.

Photo by Dave Gibson

On the 10.5-mile Bronze Course, cyclists headed north out of town on Peak to Peak Highway to Ridge Road to Cold Spring Road. Racers screamed down the winding descent portion of Cold Spring en route to Peak to Peak Highway once again. From there, they worked their way back to Nederland and the finish line on Caribou Road. Runners ran the exact same route as Bronze Course riders.

The Silver Course covered 19.3 miles. At the intersection of Cold Spring Road and Peak to Peak Highway, instead of taking a left as racers had on the Bronze Course, they went right, chugging up a steep grade past Sugarloaf Road. Turning onto the gravelly County Road 103 with views of Caribou Ranch, racers rode to where 103 rejoins the paved highway, then headed back to Nederland.

A definite step up in difficulty that required a greater level of fitness, the Gold Course totaled 49.4 miles in distance. In addition to the ground covered on the Bronze and Silver Courses, racers negotiated Gold Road to the historic mining town of Gold Hill, Gold Run Road, and Wall Street. Their reward for making it that far was the leg-burning and lung-busting Switzerland Trail. Retracing a section of Gold Hill Road in the opposite direction, they pedaled their way to the finish.

A racer streaking along a section of Cold Spring Road.

Photo by Dave Gibson

After the race, content and spent, a rider stated as a matter of fact that “it was a tough day.”

For finely-tuned athletes and masochists, there was the Tungsten Course. Covering 69.1 miles and representing 8,323 feet of elevation gain, a turn on Sugarloaf Road took them to Switzerland Trail to County Road 120 and back to Peak to Peak Highway.

Headed north and turning onto Gold Road, it led the competitors onto Sawmill Road, which took them to Lefthand Canyon where they flew at high speed for six miles before turning on Rowena Trail for a 2-mile grinder. Then it was up Sunshine Canyon to Gold Hill and the same track that Gold Course racers had taken.

Once back in Nederland, a misting tent and cold beverages awaited them. Awards were presented to the top three finishers in each age group for every race.

Eight-year-old Walker Gillas was the youngest rider. He successfully completed the Silver Course. Nederland High School track athletes Amika Begin and Libby Chandler took first and second respectively in the Women’s 19 and Under Run.

Fourteen-year-old Grant Master.

Photo by Dave Gibson

Two of the cyclists were 77 years old. The senior citizen achieving the best result was 73-year-old Karl Zaunbrecher, with a second-place finish in the Men’s Bronze Course race.

Peak to Peak Endurance hosted the event. Executive director Gavin Coombs noted that “2026’s Ned Gravel attracted the most women riders ever. It included our first running race and was the first year that the post-race expo was held in the heart of downtown. We would like to thank the entire Nederland community for their continued support.”

To learn more about Peak to Peak Endurance’s Ned Gravel, upcoming events, and their youth sports programs, see peaktopeakendurance.com.