History of GRAVELION
HOW IT STARTED
It was 2018. We were returning from a Poland-Slovakia touring ride with a final destination at the Shypit waterfall. The last part of the route ran along unmarked road from Uzhok to Volovets villages.
To our surprise, instead of boring tarmac we got dozens of kilometers of gravel roads adventure with amazing views. Gravel roads are pretty rare in Ukraine(or that's what we thought...). For most of us, it was the first introduction to what we later called #purecarpathiangravel
We felt the irresistible urge to share the discoveries with our friends and let them feel what we felt. That's how the Gravelion was started - the very first gravel event in Ukraine.
GRAVELION
Every August starting from 2018, we hold GRAVELION.
Main goal is to gather friends from different parts of the country in a camp far away from civilized world. Camp afterparty is as important as a race itself (or even more?). Every time it is full of its own stories and great memories.
Second goal is to explore the Carpathian mountains. We find new routes and locations each year, so it's a surprise for participants every time.
And of course finally - it's rad and fun racing!
2018
It's all started here ❤️
The first Gravelion took place near the village of Uzhok (Zakarpattia Oblast). There were only 26 participants, but what a great bunch!
First punctures, first twisted derailleurs. Stone bridge handmade by Edik.
Condensed milk to sweeten the join..guess some things should better be kept in a secret for those who was brave enough to come!
2019
2020
Third Gravelion was held near Lazeshchyna village (Zakarpattia Oblast).
This time we changed the format due to quarantine restrictions. The race was postponed for the next year, but everything else was done according to the old recipe - we gathered even more people in the camp and had an unforgettable group ride on the Petros Traverse!
Camp that year was a special one - the largest and the most fun. We will definitely come back here again!
2021
The fourth Gravelion was held near the village of Hoverla (Zakarpattia Oblast).
The event impressed with its scale - there were more than 200 participants, and it seems that there were as many spectators!
We even had to find additional camping spot to fit everyone!
Upper camp - for the party, lower camp - for the chill.
Route itself was kind of a surprise for everyone - it followed mostly the freshly built gravel roads (during 2015-2018). Of course there were some good old countrylion-ish parts as well :)
