Orbit360 - The First German Gravel Series

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Published Jul 15, 2020

In 2020, COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on cycling events worldwide, cancelling events from amateur to professional. However, two German ultra-endurance athletes have found a way to bring back healthy competition in a completely safe and exciting format, in-line with the current trends in cycling.

Two Berliners, Bengt Stiller and Raphael Albrecht, veterans of races like the Silk Road and Atlas Mountain Races, have founded what they are calling Orbit360, the first unsup-ported, ultra-endurance gravel series where from 4 July to 6 September 2020, riders will tackle 16 routes, or “Orbits”, one for each of the 16 German states. Each Orbit, created by a member of the Orbit community, is a continuous loop, so riders may begin at any point along the route, at any time they choose. However, the route must be followed clockwise and exactly according to the GPX track. Participants can view the tracks at www.komoot.com or directly download them from www.orbit360.cc.

By joining the Orbit, riders collect points based on the number of Orbits they complete. Riders may attempt an Orbit more than once, but only their best time will be counted and awarded points. Top ten placings for each Orbit will gain additional points, and the sea-son total will determine the final standings and the winner of “Germany’s 1st Gravel Se-ries”.

Though the routes have been created to establish a new race format, the organisers are happy to see people jumping on their bikes just to go out and try the tracks. But to be in-cluded in the official Orbit360 ranking, participants must register on the Orbit360 website.

It’s important to underline that this is an unsupported race. Riders may leave the track for resupply, but to continue, they must return to the point where they left the track. And, like all ultra-endurance events these days, Orbit360 must be completed in one-go; riders may stop for a rest for as long as they like, but the clock is running the entire time.