João Manuel Pinto

João Pombinho

Miguel Veterano

Ricardo Vieira

Rui Rodrigues

Carlos Cabral

Sofiane Sehili

Alan Dick

Alfredo Chambel

Alice Segre

Andoni Guridi Santos

Andre Schmitt

Arnaud Duhé

Bruno Julião

Carlos Azevedo

Carlos Amaro

Luís Beltrão

Charles Silver

Chris McNaughton

Cristian Gonzalez

Daniel Cortinhas

Daniel Perucho

Diana Neves

Diogo Manjerico

Duarte Tirapicos

Emanuel Rodrigues

Ricardo Correia

Fausto Carvalho

Flávio Fonseca

Gerald Rumpf

Henrique Simoes

João Machado

João Nascimento

José Zacarias

José Alves

Leonardo Maia

Leonel Marques

Lino Barruncho

Ludovic Oddos

Luis André Henriques

Luis Rogado

Filipe Pinto

Luís Cordeiro

Maarten Overweg

Martin Kecke

Mauri Konttila

Michael Arnold

Nuno Caldas

Nuno Lobo

Paulo Campelo

Pedro Queiroz

Roberto Ribeiro

Rodrigo Guerreiro

Robert Vosmeijer

Rui Monteiro

Snorre Førli

Tiago Alves

Tiago Carvalho

David Pires

Grzegorz Walnik

Agata Strączkiewicz

Dariusz Sendek

Filipe Medeiros

Eduardo Gomes

Joshua Herron

Artur Vieira

Antonio Magalhães

Nuno Luz

Ida Bircher

Javier Barrionuevo

Alessandro Giusto

Filipe Soares

Fabio Ravaglia

Gustavo Pelicano

Silvio Coatto

António Neto

Duarte Veloso

Rafael Barros

Paulo Vieira

Rui Perez

Filipe Moreira

Juliana Veterano

Juliet Elliott

Amândio Santos

João Macedo

Elói Faria

Daniel Nordh

Nuno Silva

Ricardo Pereira

Cathal Dillane

Niall Doggett

Diogo Gonçalves

Lúcia Maria Ferreira

Fritz Sobik

Jonas Pausch

Rui Carvalho

Koen Staals

Rodrigo Baltazar

André Ferreira

Marco Francisco

Pedro Aires

Bill Dix

Tiago Galhano

Nelson Risso

Tiago Teotónio Pereira

Alexandre Alves

Bernardo Braga

Bert Vergote

Filipe Oliveira

Bruno Curto

César Bernardo

Augi Yi

Cláudia Marques

Edgar Queirós

Fergal Treacy

Gonçalo Duarte

Gonçalo Guerreiro

Hugo Ravara

Joe Santos

Jorge Raminhas

José Torres

Nuno Pinto

Patricia Geraldes

Paulo Ferreira

Pedro Guilherme

Ricardo Marques

Ricardo Cunha

Ricardo Ribeiro Alves

Rui Cardoso

Rui Pacheco

Sean Kline

Ezekiel Amos

Elisabete Queirós

Ana Baptista

Rui Martins

Pedro Gonçalves

Simão Rodeia

Pedro Pratas

David Pessoa

Miguel Pessoa

Magda Pereira

Vítor Penetra

Cidália Ribeiro

Rui Pancadares

Ricardo Gama

Tiago Costa

Manuel Saraiva

Pedro Ferreira

João Gaspar

Luís Gaspar

MEDIA CAR 1

MEDIA CAR 2

__2 Days to Go - Last Preps:__

It's time to pack those final things, powerbars, rain pants, and spare socks, finish up those last training sessions, and mentally gear up for the adventure ahead. This ultracycling race isn’t just a physical challenge; it’s a celebration of community and exploration. [Ludo](https://www.instagram.com/ludoodd/ "Ludovic Oddos Instagram") (Cap #41), who faced a frustrating DNF at La Traka last weekend, is now even more excited to ride this Saturday. “It’ll be great to get back on the road, and I’m looking forward to setting off with Ricardo ([Velocidade](https://www.instagram.com/ateliervelocidade/ "Atelier Velocidade")).” His bike looks solid packed already:
![Bike Ludo](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2oWnTR3ZWrJ7Tz2N0Q0Bym/f96cbb4f7de3dc8f3d23302462c51c8e/Bike_Ludo.png)*photo credit: [Ludovic Oddos](https://www.instagram.com/ludoodd/)*

The magic of the Alentejo will accompany the starters as we explore the stunning landscapes between the Atlantic and the hills of the Serra do Caldeirão.
Last year’s edition was mostly hot and dry—I remember temperatures soaring up to 36 degrees! Even though the organizers say, “There won’t be deserts,” you'll definitely feel the heat on the route. But the weather is promising (so far) to be just right; with a forecast of 25 degrees, it should provide perfect racing conditions—not too windy—and if the forecast holds true, the last rain will fall on Friday and stay away for the following days. Fingers crossed!

__The Route - On the Menu:__

Kicking off in Castro Verde, a charming little town at the heart of Alentejo, the race begins with its first little highlight. Right from the start, the landscape enchants with gentle hills and misty, sprawling fields. 

![foggy fields START2024](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1s0qXgbBBb2KWr69jcgzJs/101c8a18f27dbbb01e1b482d4f0eb785/20240511_071355.jpg) *photo credit: [Lott_the_Klinge](https://www.instagram.com/lotti_the_klinge/)*

The warm hospitality of the locals is unbeatable and will be a constant presence along the route—people offering to make extra sandwiches or provide a place to sleep—let the road magic unfold.

This 4th edition brings some changes with it. The shorter route has been extended by about 60 kilometers compared to previous years, providing more variety and challenge. The L'Abetarda 330 shares most of its path with the Gravel Birds 750, featuring an elevation gain of about 4,000 m, with an impressive 65% of the terrain on gravel. Expect no flat stretches, and adventurers will have to prove themselves in the rugged, hilly terrain of Alentejo. We’ll be spending long hours riding far from civilization—plenty of time to ponder, “Why am I doing this?” The rewarding yet seemingly endless climbs of the Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana or the steep climbs next to the reservoir Santa Clara, along with the endless ups and downs on the fiery red sand, will challenge each starter mentally. I recall my mantra from last year's race: “Mind over body, mind over body,…”

__Starters - Let´s put some Spice inside:__

For the 750 km route, an impressive 78 solo riders and 19 pairs have registered, while the 330 km route boasts 40 solo riders and 12 pairs. In total, 154 participants from 17 countries will be at the starting line!

Let’s take a closer look: The FLINTA starters are rare but mighty. On the solo list, we have just four female riders: Ida Bircher (Cap #71), Agata Strączkiewicz (Cap #63), Diana Neves (Cap #24), and Alice Segre (Cap #11). I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on that competition!
In the pair section, [Juliet Elliott](www.https://www.instagram.com/julietelliott/) (Cap #80) stands out as a super strong athlete—both on and off the bike. As seen on her YouTube channel, she’s already trained extensively for 2025 and competed in The Traka in Girona just days ago. Not much time to recharge her legs, but as I said, she seems incredibly strong. I also discovered another inspiring woman on the list, Juliana Veterano [Juliana Veterano](https://www.instagram.com/this.is.juliana.v/)(Cap #79), who hosts the Zone2Speak Podcast. She’ll certainly have the right mindset and headspace to enter the race.

A favorite among the men is [Sofiane Sehili](https://www.instagram.com/sofianeshl/) (Cap #8), who is sure to deliver an exciting race. But we also have [João Manuel Pinto](https://www.instagram.com/joao_manuelpinto/) (Cap #2), who finished 2nd last year and has trained hard for the 2025 edition, lining up at the start. I’m stoked to see who will take the lead. “Personally, I’d love to finish in the top quarter of the field. For me, this race is about finding flow, enjoying the ride, and pushing myself after a tough start to the season,” [Ludo](https://www.instagram.com/ludoodd/ "Ludovic Oddos Instagram") shared with me. 

Let’s see what unfolds: Who will be leading the race? What strategies will be the most popular? Who will sleep outside, who won’t sleep at all, and who’s going to race while others simply soak in the stunning scenery and enjoy the pain train? 😉 

Feel free to follow [GRAVELBIRDS](https://www.instagram.com/gravelbirds.cc/) for more updates from Alentejo aka Birdlands.

__Let’s tackle the mountains and tickle our race souls!__


Gravelbirds 2025 - Race Preview

Lisa "Lotti" Weichert

Departing from the town of Castro Verde, this adventure loops across the remote inland areas of Guadiana Valley and the majestic Atlantic coast. 

Gravel Birds 2025 Tracking and Commentary

Departing from the town of Castro Verde, this adventure loops across the remote inland areas of Guadiana Valley and the majestic Atlantic coast.

Gravel Birds 2025

DotWatcher.cc

Gravel Birds 2025

Distance — Elevation

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Last Year's Female Winner

Last Year's Male Winner

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Gravel Birds 750 - Solo

Gravel Birds 750 - Pair

L Abetarda - Solo

L Abetarda - Pair

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