A question I answer frequently is “what one stage race would you do in a season?” And I love this question because it fires up more questions and usually a friendship! After all that is what outdoors events purpose for me, community as well and shared experiences. But its a sincere question and one which deserves attention. So to make answering it a little easier Ill drop three of my favorite stage races which I would do every year if I could. One Affordable (and excellent), one Incredible, and one downright Astonishing! Call it a perfect season of shred if you will. Collect them all why not?
April and the Pisgah Stage Race – April 7-11
One event I have done almost more than any other, and will keep coming back until the doctor says “Well Gordon you’ve got just one left before you shuffle off this mortal coil,” is the Pisgah Stage Race. The Pisgah Forest of North Carolina USA comes by its moniker the Promised Land honestly. This temperate rain forest features some of the highest peak to valley ratios of anywhere in the USA. Riders can choose from 300+ miles of singletrack across a range of terrain types, all sure to please. And with the forest’s proximity to “Beer City,” Asheville North Carolina the companion can enjoy some culture while you reaffirm your feral.
This years 5 day format is one of the best all around weeks on a bike. Showcasing some of America’s best backcountry trails including Black Mountain, Avery Creek, Bennet Gap, and the unparalleled hour-long singletrack climb to reach Pilot Mountain summit and its blistering, goose-bumping, arm-pumping descent back to earth.
Not enough “slay” for you? Sick around and enjoy even more in neighboring districts of the Pisgah Range or DuPont State Forest’s renowned slick rock and flow. Or add some fly fishing in the award winning Davidson River. Road riding more your gig for a little recovery? The Blue Ridge Parkway and Mt Mitchell await, the Highest Peak in the East Coast at over 6600 ft (2037m).
Add in that the PSR is one of the most affordable stage races out there and I think your April just got booked up.
June and the Appenninica – June 22-26.
Some folks go to Italy for the culture. Others for the scenery and laid back pace. More still come to admire and partake of wines, cheeses, and cholesterol at large. The Quadsworth family, all of that. Plus a little adventure!
We first partook of the Appenninica in 2021 as the world reopened. The cultural experience we encountered hasn’t been matched by any other event since. Like all good things, with a little age the Appenninica has distilled down to its finest form – a 5 day stage races through the Appennine mountains separating the Emilia Romagna and Tuscany regions of central Italy. The production team at Appenninica are seasoned tour providers and present the event in partnership with the mentioned regions provincial tourism agencies to create an experience of hospitality and culture which balances the singletrack experiences of each day; a lot like a perfect Parmesan cuts a bubbly Lambrusco.
But don’t let the cheese steal the show. The riding at Appenninica is some of the best. High mountain passes, dense chestnut forests, cobbled streets of tiny hamlets, and ancient Roman aqueducts all show off for you as your hubs whizz past. And in some cases your granny gear churns. While Galileo may be the local, Isaac Newton rules the day at Appenninica. What goes up, and up, and further up, must indeed come DOWN! And the downs are crowd pleasers. My first shocking impression of the Appennines was how incredibly thrilling the descending was. Perhaps I wasn’t sure what to expect from central Italian trail; but what is delivered is a wide variety of front country flow, side country line choosing, and properly backcountry trail to delight every rider. Its all down to the local knowledge of the production team who assemble courses so well rounded Archimedes would throw his road bike away. Yes, one more Italian physicist joke.
Whats no joke is the quality of the Appenninica event. Prepare to be simply astonished by the 5 day race through multiple towns in central Italy. The race is essentially a traverse but you don’t have to pack your bags every day as a few race villages are used multiple times. It brings an incredible companion offering as well, after all, what starts with wine and cheese and ends badly?
August and The Rift MTB – August 26-30th.
The first Rift MTB was only in 2025. But the veteran promotion team who also brings you Lauf bikes and The Rift Gravel aren’t messing around with this one. Iceland you say? So it’ll be all lava rock and Jules Verne right? Put away your preconceptions of what Iceland by bike could be like, because it wont serve you where we are going. Prepare to be simply astonished by lush singletrack through dense forests (believe it), gigantic mountain climbs, and pacey rips through the fjordlands of northern Iceland.
Pair this surprising and astonishing riding with really tremendous hospitality all hosted from the Hotel Akureyri and you have a recipe which hits all the marks.
The pairs format isn’t for everyone but trust us this is one where you’ll want to take a friend. The Rift features some proper Backcountry MTB riding and if nobody is there to hear you say “woah” did it really happen?
5 days with all of the hits including one very enjoyable “gravel” stage which throws you right into the lava fields and rolling volcanic terrain you probably do expect. Most stages start and finish from HQ in downtown Akureyri with two shuttle days to bring you into some fresh zones. Of all the events we did last year The Rift MTB was truly a standout and our crew will be returning this year to see it dialed in even further. And for the start line tunes.
Honorable Mention Traverse Tanzania – various dates
So you wanna put a big one on the calendar but none of these work? Maybe you’ve done it all and prefer curly bars to flat these days? Or perhaps you have de-evolved into running?! Say it ain’t so but no matter what consider the Traverse Tanzania. The folks at the K2N stage race have re-branded as a way of bringing more options to the table and more accurately describing what they do. Now offering the classic MTB traverse which we sampled and wrote about in year 1, as well as a gravel option and running traverse. While a lot has changed since the beginning the promoters continue to focus on incredible experiences for participants. A rolling safari with the “best finish line in the world” await.
If what you are in for is something totally different, something thrilling and experience-based, and something you can take with you the rest of your life then consider Traverse Tanzania.
You won’t be disappointed.
Final Notes
So that’s my tremendous trio, my season of shred. If you are looking to add something epic to 2026 give these a look. Each of them has been tried and tested and whether its the Icelandic experience of a lifetime, the affordable epic, or you just want to earn a few lbs of Parmesan all of these are winners.
Lets go ride bikes, in excellent places, and talk about it over some carbs!