GRINDURO RETURNS TO
Quincy, California
September 12, 2026
In 2015 the Grinduro event concept was brought to life, a never before seen fusion of MTB Enduro timed stages and gravel grinder-style road race. The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship were able to realize the dream of Grinduro and the rest as they say, is history.
In 2026, Grinduro will be back in Quincy, as part of the Mountains to Meadows Endurofest Weekend, with the perfect party to race ratio!
Global Sponsors
THE PERFECT PARTY-TO-RACE RATIO
WHAT YOU GET
Grinduro California is more than a bike race. It's a celebration of all that is great about cycling, rammed into a festival atmosphere!
- x3 Great Rides throughout the weekend!
- Bike Expo & Builder Show
- Live Music Friday & Saturday Night
- Great Food & Drink (Breakfast & Dinner included on race day)
- Awesome Rider Swag & Prizes
- Technical Support
- Bike Wash
- Free Camping (RV & Trailers extra $$)
- Toilets & Showers
- Professional Race Timing
- On-Course Tech Support Stations
- Feed Zones (and Surprises)
- Demo Experiences and insider info from industry experts
- Memories to last a lifetime!
WHAT YOU GET
FORMAT
In short, Grinduro is just what the name suggests: Gravel Road Race + Mountain Bike-Style Enduro = one long loop of pavement and dirt, where finishing times aren’t based on overall loop time, but four timed segments (each roughly five-to-ten minutes). But Grinduro is not just a bike race. It’s a celebration of cycling with as much emphasis on the fun as the ride, with excellent food, an impressive display of art and incredible handmade bikes, live music, camping and a festival atmosphere.
The course is a serious affair (7,200-feet of climbing in 51 miles) but the Grinduro isn’t meant to be a sufferfest. We’ve linked together some of our favorite roads in a quiet corner of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. The course features a mix of surfaces (smooth pavement, gravel and hard-packed dirt) with three main climbs, one long valley and world-class descents. Mixed in is some freshly built, flowy singletrack.
With a Gran Fondo-style mass start from Quincy, you’ll be pedaling out of town and up the first climb alongside your heroes and the pace will be conversational—because overall time doesn’t matter, only the four timed segments. The Grinduro segments are designed to reward the most well rounded of rouleurs.
GRINDURITO
Not quite as challenging, but a healthy bite of the Grinduro experience - Grindurito for 2026 will be roughly one half of the challenge of Grinduro without the competition. At 23-miles and 3,000 feet of climbing, Grindurito is a solid alternative if your legs aren’t quite ready for the full course, or for a first time racer. Grindurito racers test their mettle with two timed segments, a punchy hill climb and a fast and flowy singletrack descent- all for bragging rights.
FORMAT
LOCATION
Quincy, California, is located in the northwestern Sierra Mountains. It began as a Gold Rush community in 1858, but now it is made famous as the best spot for a California gravel race!
The downtown area offers quaint coffee shops, restaurants, bars and art galleries. The closest major airport is Reno-Tahoe International, about 1.5 hours away followed by Sacramento and SFO. Bay Area residents should plan on a scenic, four to five hour drive.
Main Entrance:
Plumas-Sierra County Fairgrounds 204 Fairground Rd, Quincy, CA 95971
LOCATION
HANDBUILT BIKE SHOW
Some bikes are so beautiful, they belong in a museum. The Handbuilt Bike Show is dedicated to showcasing some of these one-off, custom-fabricated frames handcrafted by the true artisans of the bike world. These are the dream bikes that take months to come out of a one-artist workshop because they are just that special—and you’ll get a chance to see a whole bunch of ‘em in this curated collection, as well as meet the builders behind the beauty.
Handbuilt Bike Show
A BENEFIT FOR TRAILS
Did you ever want to donate to building and maintaining more trails? You just did.
Your Grinduro California gravel race entry supports the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship - a non-profit organization that builds and maintains multiuse trails in the Tahoe, Plumas and Lassen National Forests. Our mission is to build sustainable recreation-based communities through stewardship, job creation and hosting three world-class events. Providing quality outdoor experiences through trail construction and maintenance in the Lost Sierra is what we are all about.
Proceeds from all three Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS) events – Lost and Found Gravel Grinder, Downieville Classic, and Grinduro – feed back into SBTS to help fund trail building and maintenance. Some trails can be built by grants that we apply for, but others cannot. So, our events are fundraisers to create privately funded – and wickedly fun – high alpine trails that dart through the forest. During the race, you’ll be enjoying our fine singletrack creations, and the vibe you’ll experience thanks to your race hosts, SBTS.
We appreciate your support, and we invite you to become a member of our organization – our Tribe.
A BENEFIT FOR TRAILS
RULES OF THE ROAD
The Grinduro California gravel race course features a blend of pavement, dirt road, gravel road and singletrack.
- Riders must obey all applicable traffic laws during the event and are encouraged to use common sense, keep their head up and stay in their lane of travel. At no time will there be a closed road.
- For the first 3 miles (paved section to County 403 Road) riders in the peloton will have full use of the right lane of travel, but cannot ride left of the yellow line into the oncoming lane at any time during the ride.
- Once the route changes to dirt road, riders must obey all traffic laws and use common sense, keeping their speed under control.
- Riders should expect vehicle traffic on all roads, along with ATVs, motorcycles, livestock and wild animals. Stay in your lane and follow the rules of the road.
- Once a rider is dropped from the main peloton they must ride as far right as possible in single formation. This applies to both the pavement and dirt sections.
More rules and common sense:
Be cool, have fun and enjoy the ride. Those are the rules!
For those of you who need things spelled-out, here you have it…
- All riders are required to wear an approved helmet and cannot remove it at any time while riding.
- No support or follow vehicles are allowed. Aid stations will be well stocked and able to handle participant’s needs.
- Riders must ALWAYS obey traffic laws and strictly obey any law enforcement persons or official ride personnel. In the interest of your own safety, you should always assume the same level of vigilance in riding your bike during the event that you would under normal circumstances.
- Headphones/ear buds are NOT permitted during a ride.
- Riders must respect the directions of all course marshals at all times. If you’re told to stop by a course marshal, moto official, uniformed officer or otherwise, YOU MUST STOP!
- All riders must attend the “riders’ meeting” held at the staging area 15 minutes prior to the event.
- The responsibility of keeping on the prescribed course rests with the rider. A rider may not leave the prescribed course unless escorted by public authorities or a ride official.
- Shortcutting and/or cutting trail switchbacks or course is not permitted and may result in disqualification. A rider is required to stay on the designated route. It is the rider’s responsibility to know the designated ride route. Lack of tape or barriers will not constitute an excuse for cutting the course.
- Laws and ordinances of appropriate jurisdictions shall be observed during participation in the event.
- A rider may be disqualified for damaging or destroying public or private property. A rider may be held liable for all cost associated with the damage or destruction.
- Grinduro officials reserve the right to make changes to the course, delay start times and/or postpone the event as necessary for safety or security purposes or at the request of permit issuers.
RULES OF THE ROAD
CAMPING
Camping at Grinduro California is a part of the festival experience. We encourage you to bring your tents, adventure rigs, hammocks, camp decorations and create a theme camp with your crew! The earlier you get here, the more primo the location you can snag. Camping will open on Thursday, September 10th and go through Sunday, September 13th. Campers may stay overnight the 13th and depart on Monday the 14th.
Tent camping is included with all race registrations. Vehicle, Van & RV camping is available for an additional fee.
CAMPING
EVENT SCHEDULE
EVENT SCHEDULE
EXCELLENT FOOD
We believe that bike riders’ health, attitude and performance is directly related to the foods that they eat, so we have amazing food planned for the weekend.
Breakfast and dinner are included for all racers on Saturday.
EXCELLENT FOOD
RECOMMENDED GEAR
THE BEST BIKE: You can ride any type of pedal-driven bicycle (even an e-bike in Grindurito!). However, there’s always a debate about the best bike for the terrain of Mt. Hough: gravel bike or hardtail mountain bike? Both have their advantages and disadvantages depending on the segment, which makes the race truly special for those who nerd out on bike setups. If you lean gravel, we recommend 45mm tires minimum. For the Grindurito, many suggest a mountain bike to better enjoy the semi-technical singletrack descent down Mount Hough Trail. Be prepared with at least two extra tubes, a multi-tool and mini-pump.
A WORD OF WARNING: It’s a bit rougher in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. If you come out on your road bike with inner tubes in your tires, you’re almost guaranteed to end up finishing on foot, if at all.
We’ll be at high elevation in the fall, so bring layers—ideally arm/leg warmers and a jacket—just in case weather rolls in.
There will be feed zones, but smart riders will bring at least two water bottles and their favorite nutritional supplies.
You can ride this loop in road shoes with road pedals, but we recommend mountain bike pedals and shoes for their versatility.
And don’t take the start line without a helmet on!
RECOMMENDED GEAR
VOLUNTEER
Join the inner circle of Grinduro staff by volunteering!
Grinduro volunteers receive the following perks for helping us pull this event together, all while having one helluva good time.
- Free camping at the Grinduro grounds
- Free event T-shirt
- Adult beverage ticket
- Behind the scenes perspective
Thanks for coming out to support the race. Volunteers are what make the Grinduro California gravel race happen.
Volunteer
REFUND POLICY
Event Cancelation Insurance Included
Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (the franchise promoter of Grinduro California) has opted into a third party Event Cancellation Policy program, administered by Adventure Advocates, that will refund registration fees should this event be canceled for a qualified reason. 2.2% of all registration fees pay for this insurance. A wildfire prohibiting race course/venue access is among qualified reasons listed in the policy. It is necessary to opt into this program as we have seen other events have to be canceled very close to the event date due to wildfire impacts. While we hope to never be in that situation, we wish to protect both our participants and SBTS by enrolling in this program. Should this event occur, refunds of race registration fees will be sent by Adventure Advocates to all registered racers directly to the payment form used at registration checkout. See full program disclaimer here.
![See full program disclaimer here](https://quincymountainstomeadows.com/images/event-cancelation-details-2025.png"){kind=link}
Additionally, during the BikeReg registration process, you can elect to pay for your own personal insurance that may reimburse your entry fee for a qualified reason such as personal illness, injury, travel delay, and more. This is separate and does not offer the same type of protection as the Event Cancellation Policy.