Minnesota has some of the best gravel roads in the country, and we’re taking advantage of it with a dozen great gravel routes and 8 scheduled gravel events on the calendar. All of our gravel routes are permanents, which means they can be ridden whenever your schedule allows. Come on out and enjoy quiet country roads on class B gravel — slightly wider tires will work on most roads.
To encourage our gravel riders, MnRando is offering a number of recognition awards to celebrate reaching a variety of rando riding goals.
MnRando Gravel Rouleur – NEW!
Complete a rouleur series (100k, 125k, 150k, 200k, Dart 120k) on scheduled brevets/populaires on at least 40% gravel roads. The official name for this challenge is the Strade Bianche Rouleur.
This series is eligible for the RUSA Rouleur series award, but with RUSA you have to pay for your award (a patch) and you can only count one Rouleur series per year. With the MnRando Gravel Rouleur your award is free if you are a MnRando member, and you are not limited to one rouleur series per year.
MnRando 300k Gravel Challenge
In 2024, the Minnesota Randonneurs sponsored the MnRando 300k Gravel Challenge, offering an engraved mug for those who rode 300k of gravel on any combination of RUSA brevets, populaires or permanents. We ordered 12 mugs and all of them were claimed by the end of the season. In 2025, 4 more riders reached this goal, and they will be receiving mugs at their next MnRando ride.
For 2026 we have 8 mugs in the cupboard waiting for the next wave of MnRando 300k Gravel Challenge riders. (Note you only get the engraved mug the first time you reach the goal.)
MnRando 300k/500k/1000k Gravel Challenge
In 2025 we offered a special T-shirt for riders who reached a lifetime total of 1000 gravel rando kms and had 4 riders reach this goal. This parallels the RUSA ‘Unpaved Distance’ Recognition 1000k milestone.
This year we are elevating this concept with awards for riders who reach 300k, 500k or 1000k of gravel over the course of the 2026 season. This award can be won annually.
Check out the MnRando schedule and line up your gravel plans for the season. Bring some friends with you too!