Grinduro Japan

Location

Getting to Shin’etsu・Madarao
Take the Hokuriku shinkansen to Iiyama City, just 110 minutes from Tokyo on the fastest service. Then it’s only 30 minutes bus or taxi ride to Madarao　from Iiyama station.

Live Music

The perfect party-to-race ratio! That’s the Grinduro motto. on Saturday night – get ready for an awesome atmosphere!

Race Categories

• Pro Men
• Pro Women
• Men 20-30
• Men 31-40
• Men 41-50
• Men 51-60
• Men 61+
• Women 20-30
• Women 31-40
• Women 41-50
• Women 51+
• Singlespeed open ages
• Grindurito(half distance class) open ages

Format

In short, Grinduro is just what the name suggests: Gravel Road Race + Mountain Bike-Style Enduro = Two different loops of pavement and dirt, where finishing times aren’t based on overall time, but four timed segments.

The course is a serious affair (2400m of climbing in 80km) but the Grinduro isn’t meant to be a sufferfest. We’ve linked together some of our favorite local roads in a quiet corner of Shin'ets Area.

The course features a mix of surfaces (smooth pavement, gravel and single track)

Japanese mountain is quite steep and rough gravel and trail.

With a mass start from Madarao Mountain Resort. Overall time doesn’t matter, only the four timed segments. The Grinduro segments are designed to reward the most well rounded of rouleurs.

For those seeking more party than race we offer the Grindurito, a half distance class. At 40km long and with 1400m of climbing and with just two timed segments.

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.

View Map

RACE SEGMENTS DESCRIPTION

Schedule

2020 Schedule coming soon...

Village Area Map

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
• Can join awards party
• One meal ticket to be able to use catering shop / day
• Behind the scenes perspective

Thanks for coming out to support the race. Volunteers are what make Grinduro happen. Contact us at Grinduro to ask for more information via the link below.

Awards

In addition to fame and glory each winner will take home a little something special. Best of luck!

Recommended Gear

THE BEST BIKE: You can ride any type of pedal-driven bicycle (no electric-pedal assist!), although we recommend a gravel, cyclocross or mountain bike for the Grinduro course. The ultimate setup is probably a disc brake-equipped gravel bike with high-volume tubeless clincher tires. However, at times a mountain bike is the better choice if you just want to enjoy the rough descent down Mt. Madarao.

Be prepared with at least two extra tubes, a multi-tool and a mini-pump.

A WORD OF WARNING: It’s rough and sometimes steep in the mountains here in Japan and the course in Madarao. If you come out on your road bike, you’re almost guaranteed to end up finishing on foot, if at all. We strongly recommend you bring a pair of SPD shoes. If you wear a pair of SPD-SL shoes, you’ll have a terrible experience when you hike a bike or cross a river.

We’ll be at 1000m above sea level in the fall with lovely colorings in the leaves, 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.

And don’t take the start line without a helmet on!

Lets Camp!

Camping is part of the fun of Grinduro!
Grinduro is a challenge biking event that runs in forest. 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.
If you want to enjoy the atmosphere further, it is recommended that you camp with a tent in the venue and soak in nature!
Camping here under the starry sky, you can enjoy nature directly, hearing the sound of the wind, feeling changes in temperature, enjoy a primitive nature with challenge but not in a clean and fulfilling urban life.
At Grinduro, bicycles and tents are coolly installed at the tent site, and those who set up a nice camp will be recognized as the “Best Camper”!
But not only the master of campers, but those who want to challenge camping at this opportunity are also most welcome!

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. Saturday’s breakfast, lunch and dinner are all included with race entry. For the rest of the weekend we will have various vendors on site selling food.

Rules of the road

The Grinduro 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.
• Once the route changes to dirt road, riders must obey all traffic laws and use common sense, keeping their speed under control.And keep safe distance on each rider.
• Riders should expect vehicle traffic on all roads, along with car,motorcycles, wild animals. Stay in your lane and follow the rules of the road.
• Bicycle and car should ride on the left side. they must ride as far left as possible in single formation. This applies to both the pavement and dirt sections.

More rules and common sense:

• 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.