Tartu Rattamaraton

For nearly three decades the Tartu Rattamaraton has been the big autumn gathering of Estonian off-road cycling, and since 2026 its two longest distances also count as a round of the UCI Gravel World Series, with the fastest quarter of each age group earning a place at the Gravel World Championships.

The race leaves Otepää, known as Estonia's winter capital, and crosses the rolling hills of South Estonia to a finish near Elva. The long gravel route joins a newer section of mostly small and medium gravel roads and wider forest trails to the historic marathon course, passing hilltop views, lakes large and small, and farmsteads both restored and abandoned.

It is run by the Tartu Maraton club, whose race director Indrek Kelk says the gravel section was designed to blend naturally into the original route. Mountain bikes are still welcome on the gravel course, so expect a mixed field of gravel and MTB riders sharing the same forest roads.