Description
We are excited to offer another year of this instant classic gravel event!
Garden City Gravel will take you through the same course as years past. Headquartered in the 9 Mile Valley, west of Missoula, this route shows you the best of our gravel riding. New for this year we have separate start times for different groups. Also, we are proud to offer a paracyclist category. All age group and category podiums run across the different start times and top 3 will be honored in each. For example if you are in the 50-59 category you can get in the top 3 regardless of your start group. The podiums are based on your ride time, not your relative finish within your ride group.
New for this year - Garden City Gravel 40
A beautiful 40 Mile gravel course for folks to train or try their hand at a gravel event. Two laps on the course!
Schedule
- 8:30am GARDEN CITY GRAVEL 55 Miles START
- 12:00pm GARDEN CITY GRAVEL 40 Miles START
5/15/26
4pm - 6:30pm - Check In and Number Pick Up Open - FREE CAMPING - 18450 Six mile road Huson, MT US 59846
5/16/26
7:00 am - Check in and Number Pick Up Open - GRIST treats and Black Coffee - 18450 Six mile road Huson, MT US 59846
8:20am - Pre Ride Chat
8:30am - START - 40 Miles
11:00am - 40 Podium and Lunch
12:00pm - START - 55 Miles
3pm - 55 Podium and Lunch
*Age group podiums run across the different categories for female, male, and non binary. The podium categories are as follows (top 3): 10-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18, Overall, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+, Paracyclist
Place
Huson, MT US 59846
Logistics
Included:
- Garden City Gravel Top
- Free Post Ride Family BBQ Style
- Free Camping
- Top 3 medals in all age groups
- Free Big Sky Beer & Soda Water
- Competitive Timing results
- Aid Stations
Support:
- 4 support vehicles on course with flat repair, nutrition, and medical supplies
- 2 fully stocked aid stations - Skratch products, water, medical supplies, flat repair - mile 23 and 35
- Bring your flat repair items and two bottles minimum
Podiums & Rules:
- Top 3 in each category and age category score
- 10-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18, Overall, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+, Paracyclist
- Age categories are calculated on your start and finish time regardless of group you start with
- Race age is calculated via the age you wrote down at time of signup
- No double dipping for the overall categories. So, top 3 overall will not be recognized in their age categories
- Please ride within your ability level on the main descent
- Finish line is center line enforced
Missoula, MT
Missoula is a really special place. With a population under 100k, we live and recreate in the land of wolverines, bears, wolves, and moose. In the winter, we often have elk, moose, and mountain lions within city limits. In the summer, we are one of the most popular destinations for fishing, backpacking, and adventuring. MTCX lives for adventuring, specifically by skis and by bikes. Our trail systems and roads offer countless adventures, and after each we come back to the great community of Missoula to enjoy great food, drinks, and music, most likely with a "hello" with the establishment's owners who also partake in adventuring of some kind. If you're a Missolian, you know what we're talking about, and if you're not, we would love for you to visit and see for yourselves.
Wally & Bucks is the go-to Montana Burger stop; their burgers are made with Local Oxbow Cattle Co. beef and keep their other ingredients as local as possible. Black Coffee and Grist Milling & Bakery is our morning stop on race-day, Dram Shop is our go-to post-race hang out, and Downtown Missoula and the Hip Strip have a myriad of shops and cafes to interest all. The carousel is always fun for all ages, and watching surfers on Brennan's Wave on the Higgins Bridge is a great way to pass the time as you work on your ice cream from Big Dipper. Missoula's a great vacation spot, and an even better spot to get in some amazing miles on the bike. Welcome!
“It seems to me Montana is a great splash of grandeur. The scale is huge but not overpowering. The land is rich with grass and color, and the mountains are the kind I would create if mountains were ever put on my agenda.” – John Steinbeck
Montana Off Road Cup
2026 The Montana Off Road Cup
A Three Race Challenge that decides who are the toughest riders in the region.
SCHEDULE
May 16th - Garden City Gravel - Long Course (55mi) - Huson, MT
May 30th - Homesteader 6hr - Solo Category - Marshall Mountain
August 1st - Get Lost Gravel - Long Course (82mi) - Hamilton, MT
*If you complete all 3 events you receive a custom Montana Belt Buckle (different each year).
RULES
- Must finish all three events to qualify for Belt Buckle (Belt Buckles handed out at Get Lost Gravel)
- Garden City - Placement is taken from the overall female and overall male results
- Homesteader 6hr - Placement is taken from the overall female and overall male SOLO category results
- Get Lost Gravel Long Course - Placement is taken from the overall female and overall male results
- Can be from any state to qualify
- Can be any age to qualify
SCORING
- In the result of a tie on points we take the head to head overall match up between the two tied riders.
- No drops, all races count towards the overall.
100, 88, 77, 67, 58, 50, 43, 37, 32, 28, 25, 23, 20, 17, 14, 11, 9, 7, 5, 3
Contact Information
If you have any questions about this race series or its scoring, please use the following email address:
montanacyclocross@gmail.com
Included Events
Garden City Gravel
Garden City Gravel 55
Saturday May 16, 2026
Huson, MT US
Homesteader 6hr at Marshall Mountain
Solo
Saturday May 30, 2026
Missoula, MT US
Get Lost Gravel
The Forge - 82mi, 6100ft
Sunday August 2, 2026
Hamilton, MT US
Courses
GARDEN CITY GRAVEL 40 COURSE LINK - 40 miles and 3,500 feet of climbing
GARDEN CITY GRAVEL 55 COURSE LINK - 55.5 miles and 3,908 feet of climbing
Where to stay
Camping
We offer free dryland camping (no hook ups). It's at the ride start. Check in is Friday 4-7pm. We have porta poties and drinking water on site for campers.
Motel
City Center Motel, one of our beloved sponsors. If you’re looking for an indoor place to stay, the City Center Motel, the perfect place for cyclists 1. because of the fabulous accommodations and 2. along with the fact that you’ll likely see Keyvin at our races– he’s a wealth of knowledge about local roads and trails. City Center Motel is right in Downtown Missoula, where you’ll want to be when you’re not on your bike or in the mountains. You can call and ask to book one of the rooms for MTCX’s Garden City Gravel, or you can reserve online here.
Race Contact Info
If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.
Directions
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