Explore La Crosse / La Crescent to Host the 2025 and 2026 USA Cycling Gravel National Championships
La Crescent, ‘the Apple Capital of Minnesota,’ is about to become known for more than its fruit.
La Crescent, along with the entire La Crosse, Wisconsin region, is set to become a premier cycling destination when it hosts the USA Cycling Gravel National Championships for the next two years. The first event is slated for the third weekend of September 2025, which coincides with the region’s annual Apple Festival.
“We are excited to bring our Gravel National Championships to La Crescent/La Crosse for 2025-2026,” said Kyle Knott, USA Cycling’s Director of National Events.
“The region’s diverse landscape offers multiple options for developing unique courses with challenging climbs, creating a new and different experience for riders out on the course. Combining our event with their renowned annual Apple Festival offers another unique experience that our riders and their families can enjoy off the course.”
USAC debuted the gravel championships in 2023. Last year, the race was held in the small town of Gering, Nebraska. Gering will host this year’s edition on September 8 before passing the torch to La Crescent.
“To say we are excited to host the USA Cycling Gravel National Championships is an understatement,” aid A.J. Frels, Explore La Crosse’s Executive Director. “If you have not visited us in the past, get ready for something truly inspiring, as there’s something special about the place where Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa meet. We call it the Driftless Region, where the Ice Age glaciers failed to grind down a corrugated, primal landscape.
“This untouched playground of bluffs, ridges, coulees, and valleys on both sides of the Mississippi River is crisscrossed by two networks: smooth, low-traffic county byways and rolling gravel backroads is a cyclist’s dream. There is no doubt, that this event will pull a well-deserved spotlight on La Crescent, southeastern Minnesota, and the entire greater La Crosse region as a premier bicycling, specifically gravel, destination in our country.”
