The Badlands Gravel Battle is a gravel race held in the North Dakota Badlands near Medora. The courses are out and back with distances of 40, 80, and 120 miles, with aid stations set up every 20 miles. We’ve been out to this one a few times with the crew covering all three distances over the years. It was a mud fest this past year, but the crew still all had great rides, avoiding any tire punctures unlike my first year out there. The ride is beautiful and Medora is just a cool little town. experienceland.org/badlands-gravel-battle
At a glance
| Location | North Dakota |
| Discipline | Gravel |
| Distance | 40 / 80 / 120 mi options |
| Official site | experienceland.org |
Results and Race Recaps
2024
Results
| Lynn (40 mile) | 7th in 3hrs, 9min |
| Reid (40 mile) | 11th in 2hrs, 32min |
| Kyle (80 mile) | 7th in 5hrs, 34min |
| Steve (80 mile) | 4th in 5hrs, 0min |
Bike setups
| Reid | Bike: Niner RLT 9 RDO · Wheels: HED Emporia GA Pros · Tires: 43mm Panaracer Gravel King SK · Drivetrain: Shimano GRX 810 |
| Kyle | Bike: Niner RLT 9 RDO · Wheels: HED Emporia GA Pros · Tires: 44mm Vittoria Mezcal Gravel Endurance · Drivetrain: Sram Force XPLR |
| Lynn | Bike: Drop Bar MTB — Niner AIR 9 RKT w/ Sram Force & GX Eagle · Wheels: Bontrager XXX rim w/ DT Swiss 240 Hub · Tires: Vittoria Barzo (front) / Mezcal (rear) · Drivetrain: Sram Force Controls/Crank, GX derailleur w/ XX1 Cassette |
| Steve | Bike: Bianchi Arcadex · Wheels: HED Emporia GA Pros · Tires: 45mm Challenge Strada Bianca Handmade Pro · Drivetrain: Campy Ekar |
Rain made for tough conditions at this year’s Badlands Gravel Battle with wet roads and very muddy sections from rain the day before, overnight and some rain during the race. Stepping it up this year, Kyle jumped up to the 80 miler this year and had a great race and finish. This would make the 80 mile Badlands Gravel Battle, Kyle’s longest ride or race up to this point. It’s so awesome to watch these kids develop and super proud of them for putting themselves out there. Kyle and I saw each other coming in and out of a couple of the checkpoints, but he rode his own ride, took care of himself out there, owned it and got it done with a 7th place overall finish.
Lynn and Reid both went faster this year in the 40 miler, even after Reid got held up by cows in the road on 2 occasions. I also had the opportunity to see Reid coming in/out of the 20 mile checkpoint and he had a big smile on his face. He looked like he was in his happy place. I think Lynn is liking the monster cross / drop bar mountain bike set up. It made for confident descending on the long gravel descent. It put a smile on my face when she said she could use a bigger chainring…! She has a need for speed! She had a great ride and there was a good group of women at the race with Lynn coming in 7th!
Both boys were excited that their recorded top speed (40+ mph) was a smidge over mine, although not sure Lynn was excited to hear that. I had a good ride myself with a 4th place finish in the 80 miler. I decided to take the Bianchi Arcadex, even though my first ride on it was the week of the race, but I really liked the bike. I like it even more after the race. We really like this race. It’s low key, but organized and run very well.
Fuel / hydration
Steve
I used SIS powder mix in my hydration pack and a couple SIS gels for backup. I filled bottles at mile 40 and 60, but used most of that to flush the mud from my drivetrain and chainstays while riding.
Strava
2023
Results
| Lynn (40 mile) | 7th in 3hrs, 14min |
| Reid (40 mile) | 14th in 2hrs, 40min |
| Kyle (40 mile) | 6th in 2hrs, 17min |
| Steve (80 mile) | 8th in 5hrs, 16min |
Bike setups
| Reid | Bike: Niner RLT 9 RDO · Wheels: Stans Grail CB7 · Tires: 38mm Schwalbe G-One Bite · Drivetrain: Shimano GRX 810 |
| Kyle | Bike: Niner RLT 9 RDO · Wheels: Stans Grail CB7 · Tires: 36mm Donnelly X’PLR MSO · Drivetrain: Sram Force XPLR |
| Lynn | Bike: Salsa Warbird · Wheels: Bontrager Aeolus 37V RSL · Tires: Vittoria Barzo (front) / Mezcal (rear) · Drivetrain: Sram Force Wide 2x |
| Steve | Bike: Cervelo Aspero-5 · Wheels: HED Emporia GA Pro · Tires: 40mm Vittoria Terreno Dry · Drivetrain: Campagnolo Ekar 13sp |
This was Lynn, Kyle and Reid’s first gravel race. I did the 120 mile Badlands Gravel Battle a couple of years ago and wanted to come back again. I’d like to do the 120 again, but I really enjoyed the 80 and still had the afternoon to hang out with the crew. I also got to see Kyle and Reid coming into the 20 mile aid station as I was headed out, which was their turnaround point. They were smiling! Good times and another good weekend of bike races!
Strava
2021
Results
| Steve (120 mile) | 11th in 8hrs, 45min |
Bike setups
| Steve | Bike: Salsa Warbird · Wheels: Bontrager Aeolus 37V RSL · Tires: 40mm Bontrager GR1 · Drivetrain: Shimano GRX 810 |
2021 was my first Badlands Gravel Battle, I need to do the 120 miler again sometime as I put 2 sizable holes thru a tire with one of them being on the sidewall near the bead. My Stans plugs didn’t work out and then my CO2 inflator broke. I ended up putting a tube and tire patch in and glad I had a back up hand pump! Other than that and a bit of time loss on the side of the road, it was a beautiful ride and a fantastic event.