Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas and the staff behind SBT GRVL have introduced FNLD GRVL, a brand new gravel occasion in Lahti, Finland, deliberate for June 2023.
The inaugural FNLD GRVL will provide two course distances with a €20K professional prize purse. It is aiming to draw 1500+ gravel riders from around the globe. A full weekend of actions and leisure will embrace an expo, schedule of occasions and might be tied to advocacy efforts round environmental sustainability and local weather change.
Seeking to create ‘the premier gravel event in Europe’, FNLD GRVL is a partnership between Valtteri Bottas, SBT GRVL co-founder and proprietor Amy Charity, and advertising and marketing company co-owner Chris Lyman. Registration will open in the autumn/fall of 2022.
“I’ve been riding gravel around my hometown of Lahti, Finland for years, and discovered SBT GRVL in Steamboat Springs, CO (USA) in 2021,” stated Valtteri Bottas. “I used to be impressed with such a world-class occasion.
“When Amy Charity and Chris Lyman reached out to me about partnering on a race in Finland, I saw it as a tremendous opportunity to build something similarly special in Lahti.”
Lahti, an hour’s drive (or prepare journey) north of Helsinki, is the 2021 Green Capital of Europe. It sits on the fringe of Finnish Lake Country, a area outlined by greater than 55,000 lakes that dot a forest-covered plateau, together with a UNESCO Global Geopark.
The area’s gravel roads, which weave by means of and across the lakes, make for in depth route combos.
“Lahti shares so many similarities with Steamboat Springs and what we feel has made SBT GRVL successful: incredible scenery, endless gravel roads, and a community that understands hospitality and infrastructure for hosting a major sporting event,” stated Amy Charity.
Chris Lyman added “When we first approached Valtteri with the idea it was evident how passionate he is about gravel riding and his community, so with our combined backgrounds, it was natural for us to team up to create a world-class gravel event.”
www.FNLDGRVL.com