GranGuanche
gravel
5th Editon
GGAG5
22-March-2026
The Audax Gravel has been cancelled.
During the Audax event, Storm Therese hit the Canary Islands, bringing some of the heaviest rainfall seen in decades. Conditions rapidly deteriorated, with widespread flooding, landslides, road closures, trail restrictions, and ongoing weather alerts across the archipelago.
route preview
the Audax Pace
Lanzarote // 100km 1.650m+
The Audax starts on Sunday at 13:30, one hour later compared to previous editions. Riders will have slightly more than 6 hours to cover 100 km and catch the 20:00 ferry to Fuerteventura. The route features only 1,650 meters of elevation gain and mostly follows fast, rolling terrain.
Based on previous editions, we expect more than 70 participants to make the last ferry in the evening. The remaining riders will have to wait until the next morning.
Fuerteventura // 150km 2.100m+
On Sunday night, a few participants will decide to keep riding through the night. The fastest riders will reach the next harbour around midnight, with plenty of time to check into a hotel and get some proper sleep. Others will ride longer in the dark and will only get a few hours of rest before the 06:00 ferry.
Gran Canaria // 240km 5.700m+
We expect around 40 participants to arrive in Gran Canaria on Monday morning. Ahead of them lies a long route with massive elevation gain, but there will be plenty of time to complete it, as the next ferry departs the following morning at 06:00.
The route mostly follows hard-packed gravel roads and secondary lanes. The climbs are relentless and occasionally steep. It will be the second day on the bike, and most riders will likely decide to sleep halfway. Some will keep riding, a few may be fast enough to reach Agaete harbour in the evening, in time to find the pizzeria still open and get a good night’s sleep.
Tenerife // 170km 4.450m+
We expect around 20 participants to arrive in Tenerife on Tuesday morning. The ferry game escalates here — Tenerife is the biggest challenge in the Audax Pace, with only 9 hours to climb and descend Mt. Teide. Riders will need to average almost 20 km/h to catch the 17:00 ferry to El Hierro.
El Hierro // 100km 3.300m+
Only a few audacious riders will reach El Hierro on Tuesday evening. As per Audax tradition, we will have dinner and get some sleep — the Audax is on hold until Wednesday morning, when riding resumes at 06:00.
Over the past few days riders have shared some real stuff — highs and lows, beautiful sunsets, junk food, dreamy double tracks, and questionable accommodation choices. Relationships accelerate during events like this, and by now they can call themselves friends.
This is the last loop: a few fast friends riding bikes in the mountains, racing each other with no spectators. We expect them back at the harbour around noon — some faster than others.
Audax
pace
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pace
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Sunday
The Audax starts at 13:30
—
Lanzarote
110km +2.600m
≈ Ferry to Fuerteventura:
Sunday 18:00 – 18:30 – 19:00 – 20:00 (25min)
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Fuerteventura
160km +2.600m
≈ Ferry to Gran Canaria:
Monday 06:00 (120min)
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Gran Canaria
230km +6.000m
≈ Ferry to Tenerife:
Tuesday 06:00 (80min)
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Tenerife
170km +4.500m
≈ Ferry to El Hierro:
Tuesday 17:00 (165min)
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El Hierro
120km +3.600m
We stop for the night and start riding on Wednesday at 06:00
We expect the first riders at noon.
Riders
to watch
About 20 participants have declared their intention to challenge the Audax Pace. Among them are several well-known ultra racers and lesser-known riders who may well end up among the fastest.
Alex Martínez Marín — With a long palmarès in road cycling, Alex now rides gravel bikes for the Reverb team. The Badlands winner is not only expected to make the Audax pace, but is also among the favourites to be the fastest on the final loop.
Adam Jordan – Last year he took part as a rookie and claimed the event. One year later, Adam returns to the Audax with much more experience and several victories in self-supported races. He is one of the fastest ultracyclists around and has the advantage of already knowing the route. Will he do it again?
Patxi Plazaola – We remember him nailing the Audax Pace and claiming second place at the first edition of the Audax Road. After four years, Patxi is back in the Canaries — this time on a gravel bike. He is one of the main contenders.
With riders getting faster and new names emerging, claiming these events is not getting any easier. Other riders to watch are Marnix van der Heide and Christopher Kraus, but we are surely forgetting a few names — and there will likely be some surprises on the trails.
No female riders have claimed the Audax Pace as their goal, but that doesn’t make the route any easier.
Eleonora Milesi is a road cyclist by trade who discovered a more adventurous side of cycling through bikepacking. She now rides gravel bikes as a member of the Reverb team.
Tiia Päkk is an experienced ultracyclist who has taken part in prestigious races such as the Transcontinental and the Transpyrenees.
Philippa Koehli is a seasoned bikepacker with several notable participations in self-supported events.
Lanzarote
100km 1.650m+
After accreditation at the Marina de Arrecife, participants made their way north to the start line in Órzola, the island’s northernmost town.
By Sunday morning, as the event got underway, Storm Therese was bringing heavy rain to Gran Canaria and Tenerife. In Lanzarote, a steady headwind challenged participants throughout the route, making the occasional rain a secondary concern.
By the end of the day, almost all participants managed to catch the last ferry to Fuerteventura.
Fuerteventura
150km 2.100m+
Heavy rain caught participants early in the morning, with most of them already halfway to the harbour. Some found shelter and stopped for breakfast, while others were caught out on the gravel roads after Pájara, where peanut-butter mud quickly became a major issue—clogging drivetrains and reducing frame clearance.
The steady headwind delayed riders even further, and some missed the 12 pm ferry, forcing them to wait until 6 pm to cross to the next island.
News from Gran Canaria spoke of landslides, flooding, road closures and weather alerts. It quickly became clear to both participants and organisers that Storm Therese was not leaving the archipelago as expected, and that this edition of the Audax would be shaped by unusually severe conditions.
Gran Canaria
240km 5.700m+
Heavy rain quickly flooded dry riverbeds and triggered rockfalls onto the roads. By this point, organisers had already been forced to adapt the route multiple times in response to constantly changing closures and trail conditions.
The leaders reported washed-out trails, but the route remained fully rideable, with only a few sections requiring short hike-a-bikes to get past rocky terrain. Definitely not what we usually call gravel terrain — the route had effectively turned into proper MTB trails.
A few of the faster riders reached the harbour in the evening, with enough time for dinner and a proper night’s rest in a hotel. Others kept riding through the night, arriving at the harbour the following morning.
Alex Martinez
Faster than the Audax Pace
Despite the extreme weather and trail conditions, Alex managed to ride faster than what we considered the quickest possible ferry schedule to complete the route—the so-called “Audax pace.” He covered 230 km and climbed 5,500 metres in under 12 hours, making the last ferry to Tenerife that same evening. This put him one island ahead of the rest of the participants and gave him a real chance to match the full Audax pace.
The Audax is CANCELLED
for road closures and weather alerts
Once in Tenerife, riders were caught in the storm on the first climb towards Anaga. With emergency services and law enforcement urging us to stop, it became clear to both organisers and participants that the Audax could not continue. After briefly considering putting the event on hold, and with no clear improvement in the weather, we ultimately decided to stop it altogether.
After three days, the fifth edition of Audax Gravel has been officially cancelled due to road closures, trail restrictions, and ongoing weather alerts. It has not been an easy decision, but if we cannot follow the planned route or offer a viable alternative, there is no point in continuing the event.
We are confident that participants have the experience to manage challenging conditions and the judgment to stop when necessary. However, emergency services are currently under pressure and working hard to ensure everyone’s safety. Having a group of cyclists riding day and night in these conditions would place unnecessary strain on them.
Outer Detours
Tour Operator
I-AV-0004875.1
