Frequently Asked Questions

You don't. You don't need to sign up at all. That's the beauty of how the series is designed.  When you sign up for any of the 6 series' gravel events, you are automatically included in the series.

The Great Plains Gravel Cup series has no entry cost. Your entry into any of the 6 members events ensures your entry into the series.

The series is funded entirely by our very generous sponsors!

I want to state very clearly. I am very firm in this belief. The 6 involved races/events were successful independent events LONG before the Series was thought of. The Series is not an attempt to unite the 6 events into a single entity. Each event has their own set of rules and categories. A rider seeking GPGC points must abide by that events rules. If the event for example sets a cap at 300 and you are told at registration, sorry, registration is full, the Series won't advocate for you to get it. If you are DQ'd for any reason, the Series won't advocate for you to be reinstated. Example: riding off course. The Series is simply a data collector. The Series has rules for the Series in how points are awarded and podium spots are given but plays no part in the member events own rules.

You earn points in the series based on several criteria. Register for an event? 1 point. Show up and check into the event? 1 point. Finish the distance you signed up for? 1 point. You are also given points based on your ride performance. See slides above for performance based points.

The beauty of the GPGC series is every single point matters. Yes the highest accumulated point winners earn year end podium positions.  The points are also used for season long sponsor giveaways. One point equals one giveaway entry. Prizes of all kinds and price ranges will be given away throughout the 9 month season! Check In regularly for updates!

YES! Please be patient with me. I am one person for the most part. I will get the podium positions calculated quickly and then will have the full point totals posted by the following Wednesday of an event weekend. Sorry but I like to ride also and the family usually has a to do list for me when I get home! 

The GPGC will have an Overall Men/Women category. The GPGC will have sub categories of Masters (50+), U23 (23 and Under) and Single Speed. I feel it's important to note regardless of what an individual event has for categories. The race data is simply sent to the GPGC series and is then parsed out into the GPGC categories.

Your age at your first registered race of the season is your age for the season. Most serious podium chasers will race Flint Hills Gravel on April 12th, 2025 since it's the first race of the series. You will not age into a new category or age out of your existing category. Your age at your first Series event, is your age for the Series. Period.

Every single rider regardless of age or bike type is included in the Overall. The points a rider earns in the Overall only applies to the Overall.  Qualifying riders are then sorted into sub-categories. ALL Masters riders from Flint Hills Gravel, for example, are then sorted as if they are the  only riders who raced and are awarded Masters points based on their performance amongst their fellow Masters riders.  The same applies to U23 and SS.

In theory? Yes. A 53 yr old, single speeder could in fact win the series Overall, Masters and SS. Overall is calculated first so if the 53 yr accumulated more Overall points than anyone else while riding a SS, they win Overall. The 53 yr old is then sorted into Masters and yes, would obviously have an excellent chance at having more Masters points. The 53 yr old is then sorted into SS and yes, chances are the same would happen. Now, in reality? Look. Any rider fast enough to beat out the entire field over 6 events,  deserves the top podium. Period. If they happen to do that above the age of 50 or below the age of 24 or on a SS? They deserve the podium. I ran data based scenarios on the past TWO years worth of race data for these 6 events. Again if this happens, freaking kudos and deservingly so!!

I will honestly say the best possibility of having a multi category winner is on the women's side of the podium. I truly, honestly hope the series helps to increase the field size of women riders in the future. Quite simply a small field size increases the opportunity to win multiple categories.

Fair question. I routinely say "six" events because there are 6 members events in the series. Life is busy. Very few people are fortunate enough to ride bikes for a living. A riders 5 highest points performances count towards the Gravel Cup win. A riders smallest points performance event will not be counted. Pay attention closely as the season goes along. There is absolutely the possibility a rider can't make an early season race but wins all the final races. The standings would show the rider behind until the one early season race is thrown out at season end...resulting in a possible jump in standings. I know. I'm aware. If you are a serious fan, follower or racer, the race numbers will be posted after each event. The math is not hard. No numbers are hidden. You won't be surprised.

Ties for a podium spot during the regular season are broken by the rider who has the highest points for the recently completed race. The race that very day.  Three people end the day with 80 cumulative series points but rider A placed higher that day than Riders B and C then Rider A breaks the tie.

End of Season is different. Why? After the 6th and final event, the FIVE BEST rule comes into effect and the worst point race is dropped. PODIUM POSITIONS = If two riders tie for a podium position, tie is broken 1st by head to head matchups. Riders faced each other 6 times, who scored higher the most in Overall. 2nd tie breaker is lowest cumulative time in head to head matchups. 3rd tie breaker is simply who won when it mattered. Tie breaker goes to the rider who scored more points in the final race, the 6th event.  NON-PODIUM POSITIONS = Follow the regular season tie breaker rules.

I will admit this question surprised me but it's a good question. As a race director, there has been an occasion where a riders results are dropped by accident. I once had a Rider A tell the Timing Guy hey "Rider X had to abandon".  Post event Rider X asked me where his points were. I suggested he talk to the Race Director. Turns out Rider X did not abandon. He was misidentified but marked as Withdrawn. The Race Director was able to fix the mistake and boom...points.  Talk to the Events Race Director.

Send me a message. Peace.