Experience the wild beauty and diversity of the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains with the Three Rivers Individual Time Trial Series! Comprised of three incredibly scenic and challenging routes, the series allows you to push your limits on your own clock while earning rewards for the effort and a chance to participate in the annual Fall Invitational race!
THREE RIVERS ITT SERIES
TIME TRIALS
With the Three Rivers ITT Series we've taken three of the most challenging and scenic routes in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains and organized them into individual time trials with competitive leaderboards for each route and rewards for everyone who takes on the challenge.
TRIPLE CROWN
We've also lined up prizes for those who finish all three time trials (the "Triple Crown"), along with a special honor for the King/Queen of the Mountains who have the overall lowest time after combining their finishing times for all three challenges.
FALL INVITATIONAL
The time trials also serve as the ticket to a special invitational race (and party!) on the first Saturday of November when we invite the top 50 finishers for each route to take on a course that won't be disclosed until the morning of the race! The Fall Invitational is also where we'll present the awards to our ITT winners and Triple Crown finishers.
The series runs from July 1st thru June 30th, which means you have until June 30th each year to stake your claim on the leaderboard and qualify for the Fall Invitational race, which is held on the first Saturday in November each year. After June 30th, the leaderboards are reset for the next 12-month period.
THE ROUTES
DEATH MARCH REVIVAL
The "Death March" is a classic deep woods loop that has long been the testing ground for up & coming racers and seasoned pros alike. With the Death March Revival, we've added more challenge to the classic loop and stretched the route out to 88 miles (entirely unpaved) with over 12,000 feet of climbing!
DIRTY 130
The Dirty 130 is a beast of a route covering 130 miles of forest roads, singletrack and trashy asphalt through the beautiful Southern Blue Ridge Mountains (roughly 80% unpaved and 20% paved). With over 14,000 feet of climbing, the Dirty 130 is one of the hardest one-day races in the country!
TELLICO HIGHLANDS
Combining some of the best high altitude cycling on the east coast with gorgeous deep woods gravel grinding - along with a riverside finish and a 90-foot waterfall! - Tellico Highlands offers the complete Southern Blue Ridge Mountains experience in a little over 89 miles and 11,000 feet of climbing!
A LITTLE MORE DETAIL
PURPOSE
To be clear, all of the routes we offer at Tennessee Gravel are free, just as there is no charge to ride in the national forest. With our time trials, we are simply taking a few of our hardest routes and turning them into an organized challenge that we hope adds a little more fun and inspiration (and perspiration!) to the experience of riding in the woods. There's still no charge to ride these particular routes. The registration fee for each of the time trials covers our costs in providing the structure for the challenges (website, leaderboards, etc.), the rewards for taking on the challenges (t-shirts, patches, etc.), and putting on the annual fall invitational event. Any money leftover goes back into our efforts to promote bikepacking and cycling adventure in the beautiful Southern Blue Ridge Mountains!
DEADLINES
As an individual time trial, you're free to ride the routes whenever you want. The leaderboards for each time trial reset annually on July 1st, which means that you need to register and complete at least one of the challenges no later than June 30th to qualify for the Fall Invitational race that November.
REGISTRATION
Riding the routes is free anytime. The entry fee for each time trial simply gets you on the leaderboard, provides you with the most up-to-date route map and rewards you with a t-shirt and patch (assuming you finish). And for the top 50 finishers in each time trial, it also counts as your entry fee to the special Fall Invitational race we'll host the first Saturday in November!
SUPPORT & WAYFINDING
All of the time trials are self-supported. It is imperative that you familiarize yourself with each route prior to attempting the rides and that you prepare a nutrition & hydration plan. Please note that there is almost no signage on the routes. We will provide you with the most up-to-date route map for each route after you register for your use during the ride.
RIDE REPORTS
Be sure to check out the Ride Reports link on each of the time trial pages to read firsthand accounts of what it's like to experience the challenge and beauty of each route.
BIKE CHOICE
We're also working on pages that feature the bikes our past finishers have ridden on each of the routes. Help us prepare the next round of riders by sending us pics and details about your bike choice!
SOCIAL MEDIA
Stay up to date on who's attempting each of the time trials, course conditions, and other news by liking and following the Tennessee Gravel Facebook page!
