Saddle up for Ponderosa Pines and the new-look 2025 AusCycling Gravel National Championships 

There is a new gravel race in town, and it promises to be one heck of a gravel hoe-down with a fully off-road course, taking in the best double track, single track and trails in the Mt Crawford Forest, South Australia.

Ponderosa Pines is one of the newest gravel races on the Australian calendar, and the inaugural event on April 26 will see the country’s best riders showdown for the 2025 AusCycling Gravel National Championships (and the coveted iron skillet trophy).

It will be a gravel race like no other, as riders enter the wild west navigating sectors like; Tombstone - a steep and technical hill that many may have to walk; High Noon – the highest point on course; Cattle Drive - a long unforgiving straight; and Gold Rush – the last push to go for the win.

The all-new 51km Mount Crawford course offers a smorgasbord of gravel surface types from compact gravel, to rocky creek crossings and stretches of sand.

And unlike most gravel races that usually include some paved sections Ponderosa Pines is 100 per cent off-road. Giddy up!

Let’s take a closer look at the event.

Pick your poison

Ponderosa Pines has courses and distances for everyone from those fighting for the green and gold jersey, to those wanting to take in the scenery at a social pace.

-       102km (2 laps of full course) - Elites & MAS 1-5

-       32km (1/2 lap, Eastern loop) - U15 (Recreational)

-       72km (1 lap full course + Western loop) - U19

-       51km (1 lap full course) - U17 & MAS 6+

-       Ponderosa Pines Ramble- One lap recreational ride with personal timing. Open to everyone 16+! 

Lay of the land: Mount Crawford Forest

 Mount Crawford Forest is located 50km north-east of Adelaide and is well-known among off-road riders. The iconic Mawson and Kidman Trails pass through it, and the Norwood Cycling Club’s gravel kermesse has battle-tested the trails under race conditions in recent years. 

 Forestry, farming, and recreation have all shaped Mount Crawford Forest.

Riders will blast through plantation forests, pass native flora and fauna conservation areas, and glimpse the active farms bordering the complex.   

There’ll be no time for bellyachin’

 There are plenty of long, fast sections of well-compacted gravel boulevards designed for forestry machine access, but the intervening sections are vastly more archaic.

You’ll be skimming along narrow double-track next to farm fence lines, calculating the smoothest lines through rocky creek crossings, and churning up some short but likely decisive stretches of sand.

April’s variable weather will be a factor too; it’s equally likely to be dry and dusty as cold and rainy.

There’s little chance for resting or easy kilometres. The constant undulations and ever-changing surfaces require constant vigilance to stay with your bunch and avoid a rock or root walloping your front wheel. Stretches of sand might be rare, but you’ll want to see them coming or prepare for a wild ride! 

What in the tarnation: take a closer look at that elevation!

 At a glance, with 662 metres of elevation gain on each lap, the profile and satellite imagery hide the nuances and biggest challenges on the course. Race-breaking selections will likely occur within the first 20 km, long before the oppressive drag up Mount Pleasant (High Noon) to the course’s high point.

The twisting and chaotic journey between the 15 km and 17 km mark features tight turns, a brief but punchy double-digit gradient climb, and a narrow double track to stretch the field before Dewells Track serves another wall.  

The back half of the lap is defined by the draggy climb and twisty descent of Mount Pleasant before a fast and furious sequence of wide trails leading back to the event village to finish the lap.

A gravel hoe-down

 Party pacers who want to experience the fun and beauty of the Mount Crawford Course without aspirations of green and gold bands at the end can choose the Ponderosa Pines Ramble option. They’ll enjoy the stunning landscapes, bountiful wildlife, and historical sites throughout the Forest.  

It’ll be a fun day out for spectators too. The event village includes the start and finish lines, pits (or as we call it spaghetti western), and a stretch of course at 20km mark of the full 50km course.

Punters will see the full-distance racers pass through the event village five times in total from race start to end without having to move. Many will choose to wander a few hundred metres though, with the Dewells Trail wall presenting a perfect heckle hill to motivate riders only a short walk away from the village. 

 So, grab your trusty steed and saddle up for a "bucking good time".

Entries are now open: https://raceroster.com/events/2025/100005/ponderosa-pines 

Ponderosa Pines is an initiative of AusCycling, the national body for all forms of cycling and riding in Australia. We represent more than 50,000 members and 450 clubs and proudly manage the ARA Australian Cycling Team who represent our nation at the Olympics, Paralympics, World and National Championships.

Images: James Raison