Regulations
• Sanctioning Authorities: The Gravel of Marathon is a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), and Hellenic Cycling Federation (HCF) sanctioned event. Consequently, official UCI Regulations and HCF Regulations will strictly apply across all fields.
• Sportsmanship: Riders are expected to display exemplary sportsmanship and prioritise the safety of themselves, fellow competitors, and race personnel at all times.
• Physical Condition: Participants must be in excellent physical condition to handle the rigorous demands of the course.
• Strict Age Requirements by Distance: Minimum entry ages are determined on 31 December in the year of the event and enforced as follows:
o Full and Short Distance Route: Minimum age of 19 years or older.
• Apparel Exemption: Pursuant to the context of this mass-participation event drawing international fields, UCI Regulation 1.3.059 will not be strictly applied. Riders may ride in their respective club or private team kits.
The qualification rules for the UCI Gravel World Championships of 2027 are as follows:
• For the Gravel of Marathon, men up to and including 59 years old who want to qualify must complete the 95 km. Men 60 years and older must complete the 65 km to qualify. Women up to and including 49 years old who want to qualify must complete the 95 km. Women 50 years and older must complete the 65 km to qualify.
• The first three riders in each official category qualify directly for the UCI Gravel World Championships.
• Επιπλέον, δικαίωμα πρόκρισης αποκτούν μόνο οι συμμετέχοντες που τερματίζουν στο καλύτερο 25% της κατηγορίας τους στο The Gravel of Marathon (ή σε οποιαδήποτε άλλη διοργάνωση του UCI Gravel World Series).
• Additionally, qualification rights are only granted to participants who finish in the top 25% of their category during the Gravel of Marathon (or any other UCI Gravel World Series event).
• Participants starting in the Elite category can only qualify for the Elite category at the UCI Gravel World Championships.
• Only participants born before December 31, 2007, can qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships 2027. The minimum age to participate in the UCI Gravel World Championship is 19 years old.
• UCI Gravel World Series Medals & Qualification Slots:
Elite and age-group qualification slots for the pinnacle UCI Gravel World Championships are awarded strictly to top-finishing riders in their designated age brackets, calculated directly via the official UCI percentage rules.
• Immediate Notification: Participants who wish or need to withdraw from the race must inform the organisers immediately.
• Authorised Personnel: To officially withdraw, you must directly notify one of the following:
o Official Event Paramedics / Medical crews.
o Event Personnel stationed at any official checkpoint or water point.
o Race officials operating official route-marshal vehicles.
o Direct call to the Emergency Phone Number printed clearly on the rider’s race documentation.
• Note: Merely informing another participant or a spectator of your withdrawal does not constitute official notice.
• Passing Etiquette: Slower participants must safely yield and make way for faster overtaking riders.
• Road Caution: Riders must execute extreme caution when visibility is compromised or when approaching any intersection, blind corner, or road crossing.
• Controlled Braking: Riders must modulate speed and be fully prepared to brake safely before tackling steep descents.
• Mechanical Care: All roadside bike repairs must be conducted in a highly visible area on the secure shoulder/edge of the road, clear of active racing lines.
• Finishing Straight: In the event of a group sprint to the finish line, riders must strictly hold their straight racing line. Deviation that endangers others will result in relegation or disqualification.
• Course Deviations: If a rider goes off-course, they must immediately retrace their tracking line back to the exact point of departure and resume following the official course from there. Taking shortcuts or altering the official course tracking will result in immediate disqualification.
• Strict Support Limitations: No private support vehicles or follow-cars are permitted on the race route under any circumstances.
• Designated Zones Only: Riders are permitted to receive mechanical, water, or nutritional assistance only from their support crews within the strict physical boundaries of the officially designated water stations.
• Disqualification Penalty: Any rider caught receiving outside assistance, drafting private vehicles, or obtaining mechanical support anywhere outside the designated stations will face immediate disqualification. Neutral technical assistance provided directly by the event organization is exempted from this rule.
Disregarding safety rules compromises the entire event field. The organization reserves the absolute right to disqualify a participant immediately on any of the following grounds:
• Severe technical or structural equipment failure that compromises safety.
• If a rider has been officially declared medically unfit to continue by an event medical officer.
• Violating fair-play or outside assistance regulations.
• Any display of unsportsmanlike behavior or verbal abuse.
• Receiving physical assistance, such as “pushing” or “pulling” by a third party or non-registered rider.
• Any disrespect shown to the natural environment, property, or race personnel.
• Helmet Mandate: Failure to wear an approved cycling helmet at all times while on the bike. All helmets must comply with international ‘ANSI’ or equivalent safety standards, and must be securely fastened.
• Riding Attire: Professional and appropriate riding attire, including a cycling jersey/shirt, must be worn for the entire duration of the event.
• Smoking Policy: Smoking on the race route or within active event boundaries is strictly prohibited.
• Bike Inspection: Technical bike setups and specific modifications may be audited at the starting corrals. Ensure your setup is fully compliant with cycling regulations by contacting the Race Director in advance.
To ensure the timing system will be able to read the timing tag; bike number boards must be firmly fixed to the front handlebars and must not be obscured, bent, folder around the stem or frame, or hidden by brake/gear cables, maps, or any secondary items.
• Visibility: Riders must clearly display their designated race numbers at all times.
• Bike Boards: Bike number boards must be firmly fixed to the front handlebars and must not be obscured, bent, or hidden by brake/gear cables, maps, or any secondary items.
• No Modifications: Race numbers and bar boards may not be modified, mutilated, cut, trimmed, or altered. The addition or removal of branding stickers on the official number plate is strictly prohibited and carries a penalty.
- • Self-Sufficiency: Riders retain ultimate responsibility for carrying sufficient fluids and nutrition to sustain themselves between control points.
- • Official Support: The organisation will provide fluid replenishment and nutrition snacks at 2 official water points in each lap.
• Zero Tolerance Litter Policy: We enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy against littering, disposal of gel packets, trail-cutting, or environmental abuse. Any participant caught disregarding the environment will face immediate disqualification and potential civic fines.
• Force Majeure Rerouting: In the event of severe environmental hazards, the organization reserves the right to delay, cancel, or reroute the race. Participants will not be reimbursed or refunded if the event, or portions of the event, must be altered or cancelled due to extreme conditions outside the organization’s control.
• Staging: Riders must report to their assigned starting lines/corrals at least 30 minutes prior to their scheduled start time.
• Briefings: Mandatory rider safety briefings will take place 15 minutes before the official start time.
• Start Window: The start line will remain open for exactly 15 minutes following the official start signal. No rider will be permitted onto the course after this window closes.
• Official Time: Race timing activates with the official start signal.
• Cut-Off Enforcement: Riders who fail to reach designated cut-off points within the specified time limits will be prevented from continuing, safely swept from the course, and categorized as a DNF (Did Not Finish). To pass the final full-distance cut-off checkpoint, riders must maintain a minimum average speed of 14 km/h.
• Safety Discretion: Cut-off times may be actively adjusted or enforced on-route at any moment by the organizers if track conditions or weather are deemed unsafe.
• Bike Frameworks: Gravel bikes are highly recommended for the terrain. Standard Mountain Bikes are permitted on designated distances. Road bikes are strictly prohibited on the course.
• Mandatory Navigation: The race routes are entirely marked with physical arrows. A functioning GPS navigation device is strictly mandatory for every rider. Participants must download and be capable of navigating via the official route files provided under the website’s Routes tab.
• Refund Policy: No full refunds will be given under any circumstances, however, tiered partial refunds are available based on how far in advance a cancellation is requested:
o 50% Refund: Available for cancellations made up to 9 weeks (approximately 2 months) before Race Day.
o 30% Refund: Available for cancellations made between 9 weeks and 4 weeks (1 month) before Race Day.
o No Refunds: Strictly no refunds or registration cancellations will be granted within 4 weeks of the event.
• Rollover Timeline: Riders must formally contact the Race Director with medical documentation at least 30 days prior to the event to evaluate rollover eligibility.
• Scope of Rollover: Only event registration entry fees can be rolled over, and entries may only be deferred once. Pre-ordered merchandise is excluded from rollovers and must be collected at the original event.
• Event Rescheduling: If the event is forced into cancellation due to safety factors, rollovers do not automatically apply; instead, ALL active participant registrations will be automatically transferred to the officially rescheduled date of the event (which may be deferred to the following year’s standard event weekend).
• Final Authority: Where any additional rule interpretation is required, or where a specific provision for an on-route incident has not been explicitly detailed in these regulations, the official decision of the appointed Chief Commissaire is absolute, binding, and final.
• No Indemnity: There will be no reimbursement of entry fees, travel, or logistical costs to any participant in the case of a regulatory disqualification.
• Assumption of Risk: The organizers, volunteers, and event personnel are not liable for any personal injury, equipment damage, logistics delays, or rerouting caused by extreme weather (including heat, fires, storms, or floods), accidents, pandemic outbreaks, or acts out of human control.
• Indemnity Agreement: By entering this event, participants formally agree that the organisation, their agents, officers, directors, employees, volunteers, and sanctioning bodies shall not be held responsible or legally liable for any illness, injury, loss, property damage, or death sustained by a rider or spectator while participating in this event and any of its associated activities.