Chapman Valley region to be on full display across 160km course for third annual Backroads Gravel event

The town of Nabawa is gearing up to become the cycling hub of the State with the third annual Backroads Gravel event returning on August 10. Ready for its third year, the event expects to smash numbers from previous years after bringing in 665 participants last year, which was double the amount seen in the inaugural year in 2022. Competitors have the choice of five different distances they can tackle, accommodating people of all ages and abilities. Cyclists can take on distances of 160km, 100km, 60km, 20km or 10km. After catering for cyclists in the first year, 2023 saw the introduction of the off-road gravel run for runners who wanted to tackle courses of either 5km or 14km. Backroads course director Roger Swan said the courses had been designed to best represent the region. “The courses are designed to include a combination of local government gravel roads, as well as traversing through eight farming properties, delivering an experience unique to the region,” he said. “The support from the Chapman Valley farming community has been instrumental in creating the Backroads experience. “They’ve opened up their gates and properties to let us through. “It really is one of the special features of the event.” Managing director of The Event Team, organiser of Backroads, Gemma Dale said it was more about finishing the race than finishing first. “The aim for both the cycling and running events is to create a challenge for people to aspire to, to train for, and to feel a sense of achievement once they’ve finished,” she said. “We’re moved by the excitement of the kids participating in the 10km ride as much as we are with the winners of the 160km event — sometimes even more.” Many of the competitors travel from across the State for the event, but locals have gained a keen interest in the racing day as well. “The 2023 Backroads event experienced an increase of nearly 100 per cent growth in Mid West participation from the inaugural event,” Ms Dale said. “Over 300 locals took part in the ride and run, so we feel we’ve made a great start to achieving our goals.”