Trail d'Opale

Trail d'Opale is an ultra gravel challenge from Veurne, in the Westhoek corner of Belgium, to the French Opal Coast and back. Riders set off in the middle of the night, and the reward out on the coast is a sweeping view of the chalk cliffs and the sea.

This is gravel of the rougher kind, with big stones in places, so the organisers advise wide tyres with real tread and mountain bikes are welcome too. The ride is semi-supported, with checkpoints spread along the loop, and it is explicitly not a race: riders can finish in one long push or spread it over two days.

It is run by Count Me In, the Belgian organiser behind the PlugPlug Gravel rides, with the route drawn by the same route builder. Count Me In bills it as an event for real gravel adventurers rather than a catered day ride.