We’ve all seen those amazingly inspiring images and tales of races such as the Cape Epic and Silk Road Mountain Race, and probably secretly dreamt of one day being a part of them. Luckily, there’s an ever-growing number of great multi-day off-road races around the world to aim for.
From ultras to stage races, with some enduro twists too, in this listing, we’ve skipped many of the established classics and come up with a mix of some of the finest challenges out there; some you will have heard of, others probably not.
Iditabike (Iditarod Trail 350), Alaska, USA
If you’re really up for the chilling challenge of a lifetime, then the Iditarod Trail Invitational/‘Iditabike’ is probably the ultimate fit. This is one of the longest standing of all ultra endurance bike races, which has taken place since the 1980s. It’s gone through various ‘Iditadentities’ and formats over the years, all born of the classic Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which takes place each February in the snowy wilds of Alaska.
This is a truly unique 350-mile ultra race through the Alaskan winter, which was won by Justinas Leveika this year, covering the 350-mile distance in just over three days.
The Munga, South Africa
It may escape mass attention, but the Munga single-stage off-road ultra (usually ridden on an MTB) in South Africa is often touted as the toughest race on earth, and those who have survived it will attest to that.
The race takes place in late November and covers over 1,000km from Bloemfontein across the Karoo, covering some amazingly harsh and remote terrain and flipping through extreme weather, to the Cape Winelands. Along the way, there are aid stations and villages with essential services, and navigation is via GPX files.
Transcordilleras, Colombia
Although it’s only been around for 5 years, the 8-day Trans Cordilleras off-road backpacking/self-supported race in Colombia has earned a reputation as one of the toughest cookies out there.
Held at the end of February, the race covers around 1000km over the eight stages, which traverse three of the country’s major mountain ranges (cordilleras). The going is really tough, and crosses rough-cut off-road passes touching 4,000 meters high at times, taking in some of the finest Colombian rural scenery around along the way.
The race not only attracts some of the biggest names in ultra and gravel racing, but also a few brave virtual novices, too, making for a very diverse and special Colombian blend.
Andes Pacífico Enduro, Chile
If enduro is your thing, and you want to combine it with an epic high mountain adventure traverse, the Andes Pacifico Enduro in Chile could be perfect.
Starting from the high peaks of the Andes, the race route spends five gravity-assisted days traversing Chile to reach the Pacific Ocean. Stages are ridden blind, adding to the adventure.
This is one of, if not the ultimate, high-rise enduro stage race of the moment.
Badlands, Spain
Covering around 800km across Almeria and Andalucia, the multi-day Badlands gravel bike packing race in southern Spain is one of the toughest of its kind in Europe.
Starting in the heat of Southern Spain’s Almeria region in late August, the route passes through wild and varied terrain to eventually reach Spain’s highest peak – Pico Valeta. at 3,366 meters high. Along the way, solo riders and pairs traverse the deserts of Tabernas (where many classic ‘spaghetti westerns’ were filmed), and ride through the coastal wilds of Cabo de Gata before climbing up towards the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Trans Madeira, Portugal
With its steep-sided and green hillsides, the Portuguese island of Madeira has become something of an enduro riding hotspot in recent years. This has led to the creation of the six-day point-to-point Trans Madeira enduro.
This year, there will be two editions of the race: one in late May, the other in late September. Along the 250km route, there are 30 special stages, and the average daily drop is around 3,200 meters, which is pretty impressive by any measure.
La Ruta, Costa Rica
When La Ruta de los Conquistadores MTB stage was born in 1993, it was very much the first of its kind, and to this day it still stands as one of the greatest, toughest, and most spectacular of off-road races.
The place-to-place off-road race follows the route taken by the Spanish Conquistadores of old, and passes through stunning tropical mountain terrain during its three to four day/400km route.
Many of cycling’s greatest champions have ridden this race, which takes place annually in late October.
GBDURO, UK
If you’re looking for epic adventure closer to home, you’re in great luck, as in recent years a whole number of multi-day ultras and other off-road events have sprung up. The grandaddy of them all is, perhaps, the GBDURO, a 2000km off-road ‘four stage’ ultra race which meanders from tip to toe of the country.
The 2026 race takes place through the second half of August – though, such is the demand, it’s fully sold out this year, which gives you leeway to prepare for 2027.
This is one tough and extremely varied race, which takes in some of the finest remote British terrain. The first edition was in 2019, when Lachlan Morton won, although since it’s après-Covid return it’s become a “no fly to” race, which rules out many overseas riders starting.
Torino-Nice Rally (TNR), Italy-France
The TNR is one of Europe’s oldest bikepacking events and is considered to be a true classic. The event is not a race, more a self-supported bike packing event from Torino (Turin) in Northern Italy to Nice on the French Côte d’Azur.
The event is set to start at the end of August (TBC), and riders are offered several GPS route alternatives, so they can more or less choose their own way, by staying within the rules. The route is around 700km in all and crosses many high mountain passes on gravel roads, with a fair amount of road miles thrown in too, making it a great and flexible gravel bike adventure.
Nedbank Gravel Burn, South Africa
Last November saw the staging of the first-ever Nedbank Gravel Burn stage race in South Africa. The race was the creation of the original founder and team of Cape Epic, and thus it came in with a bang of high-profile riders and top draw organisation.
Taking place late in November, this is a 7-day full-service gravel stage race around the nation’s Cape region, primarily set in the wilds of the Karoo.
With names like Tom Piddcok & Roman Bardet lining up against regular riders, with all camping and eating around the same campfires at night as the big five wander nearby, this is one incredible experience to add to your top-tier bucket list.
