Sunday 16th November 2025
For the ninth year, the Gravel and Tar Classic event will be held over the beautiful roads of the Manawatu region.
An opportunity for Cycling Clubs, Elite Cyclists, and Up and Coming Talent, to participate in the internationally recognised Gravel and Tar 2025.
Riding in the inaugural Gravel & Tar La Femme cycle race in 2019, our first winner, Brodie Chapman commented on the podium, “That was the most fun I’ve had on a bike – ever!”.
And the Gravel & Tar (Men’s Classic and Women’s La Femme) is considered one of the toughest one-day cycling events in the Oceania region. So how much “fun” can that be? According to Chapman, apparently, quite a lot.
Comprising approximately 75% sealed and 25% gravel roads, it provides riders with the opportunity to test all their skills against other elite and promising cyclists on a variety of surfaces.
Now in its ninth year, the 2025 Gravel and Tar, to be run in the beautiful Pohangina region of the Manawatū (between Palmerston North and Feilding), has some exciting changes. If you’re a keen sports cyclist and would like to test yourself and enjoy the “fun” this race presents, here are what’s on offer.
For the first time, there will be a category for all NZ Cycle Clubs to enter teams. So here’s an opportunity for all clubs to grab bragging rights as the “inaugural club winner of the prestigious Gravel and Tar”. Clubs - you’ll need your four best A-Grade riders:
Club Teams (four riders)
And it’s expected to attract teams in two more categories:
UCI Continental Teams (four riders)
Trade Teams (four riders)
The event will also recognise results for individual “A Grade” cyclists in three categories (Men’s and Women’s):
Under 19
Elite
Over 35
Distances are:
· Men’s Classic - 155km with 41.2 km’s gravel
· Women’s La Femme – 91km with 23.1 km’s gravel
The Gravel and Tar will be held on Sunday 16th November, starting and finishing in the village of Ashhurst (maps follow).
Plus – yes, there’s more – on Saturday 15th November there will be:
Team Time Trial (four riders) run over 20km – 30km’s.
Points gained from the TTT will be added to Team points for Classic and La Femme races on the Sunday.
Many cyclists have only seen team time trials on TV – here’s a fabulous opportunity for you to experience the challenge and excitement of working together as a team to beat the clock. Our thanks to Bike Manawatu for organising the TTT.
How to enter
More detail is provided on the Gravel and Tar website www.gravelandtar.com with official entry forms available from our organiser’s website www.greasychain.com Should you require more information, or to express an interest in participating but are not sure of details, please email gravelandtarclassic@gmail.com
Classic - Course Map
Men’s Classic Circuit - https://nz.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5571925
We are inviting clubs to join our International and Trade teams by entering their
four person A-grade/Elite rider teams. More than one team may be entered.
This year will also be seeing the introduction of a Team Time Trial on the Saturday
which will be part of the accumulated time results for the team competition.
Significant Prize money is on offer for the Individual Women’s and Men’s races
plus for the top three teams in each event.
Entry can be completed using the following links:
Gravel and Tar Le Femme (Women’s Race)
Gravel and Tar Classic (Men’s Race)
Individuals may enter and will be placed in a team where available.
Entry Fees for this year’s race are $70 per rider.
For any enquiries, please contact either:
Mike Simpson 0278363520 / Nick Spark 0274853632
or email gravelandtarclassic@gmail.com
Terms and Conditions of entry
The field for the 2025 Gravel and Tar Classic is limited to 12 teams of four riders
for race management and safety purposes.
All riders must have Elite (NZ riders) or International (overseas riders) licenses
endorsed by National Federations associated with the UCI.
All International riders must have their appropriate personal (health/accident) insurance
linked to their International license.
For an idea of what the Classic looks like, please see video from the 2019 event below.
See the promo video below to get excited about this great gravel cycling event
