Polkadot Gravel Cup Uldum

Uldum hosts the fourth and final round of Polkadot Gravel Cup, the winter gravel race series in Jutland where the overall classification is only settled once the last lap is done. The format stays simple: about an hour and a half of racing on a short circuit, with the number of laps depending on the course, the legs and the winter weather.

It is run by Polkadot Cycling, a Danish cycling outfit with its own online newspaper, brevets and gravel rides. The organiser describes the cup as a reason to get out when the sofa calls in the darkest months, borrowing the intensity of cyclocross without its technical obstacles and running sections, with coffee and conversation once the racing is over.

Age group riders race for places and points toward the overall winter standings, while the open class is still timed but aimed at riders who come mainly for the challenge and the company. A Young Guns category lets children and teens ride the same circuit once the adults have finished.