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.
The perfect party-to-race ratio! That’s the Grinduro motto. on Saturday night – get ready for an awesome atmosphere!
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.
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2020 Schedule coming soon...
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.
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.
In addition to fame and glory each winner will take home a little something special. Best of luck!
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!
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!
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.
The Grinduro course features a blend of pavement, dirt road, gravel road and singletrack.
Grinduro’s Art and Bike Show is a curated collection of our favorite, mostly-bike-related things. It’s two parts handmade bicycle display, one part art exhibition, and one part bike shop.
It includes some of the most interesting and elaborate works of art in cycling. We showcase the independent artisans and the iconoclasts who rarely get the spotlight at traditional trade shows and bike events. We have a host of custom bike manufacturers coming to our Pop-Up Shop this year, a full listing will be published soon.
In addition to the bike exhibit, we’ll have work on display from some of our favorite artists and photographers, including plenty of locals.
If you’re interested in displaying your work in the Grinduro Handmade Bike and Art Show, drop us a line at hello@grinduro.online
