Gravel Ground 2025: 3 days of gravel passion at Ewald colliery

It's unbelievable how green the Ruhr region is. Germany's former industrial wastelands and coal spoil tips have long since been renaturalised into gardens and parks and have even been included in the "European Garden Heritage Network integrated. Lots of lush greenery, from which the iconic coal mining facilities still stand out. You've always wanted to see it up close. And next weekend, from 26 to 28 September 2025, there will be THE opportunity to do so:

Gravel Ground - discover the lush green Ruhr region

A new festival event, Gravel Ground powered by Maxxis, is being launched at Herten's Ewald colliery. An unusual playground in Herten, where coal was mined until 2001. At the weekend, however, gravel bikers from all over the world will be chasing the exhibitors' new bikes over the slag heaps, taking part in various racing formats or following passionate local guides on their favourite tours through the lush green Ruhr region: "Between Street Art & Lost Places" and "Steel, Coke and Coal" are the names of the tours or "Over 10 slag heaps" and "To the ship lift". There will even be a spectacular "Night Ride to Herten Castle".

All of this, of course, on the latest gravel bikes, which will be available for testing. Including all the accessories and equipment that make long-distance cranking easier for gravel riders.

The festival programme

Over the three days, everything on the site of the former mine will revolve around gravel biking. Not just discovery tours, there will of course also be an exciting race. Interesting workshops will be held all day around the main stage and manufacturers from the gravel scene will be offering courses and test rides. In the evening, when everyone has returned from their rides, live bands and DJs will ensure a party atmosphere.

Highlight: ROSE Scary Gravel

The racing highlight of the event will be the "ROSE Scary Schotter" on the Hoheward spoil tip on Saturday. A circuit of 6.66 kilometres and 110 metres in altitude awaits here, which has to be completed seven times. Sounds easy, but these former spoil tips have their high-percentage pitfalls! In the end, a total of 44 kilometres and 750 really tough metres in altitude are on the clock. Saturday, 27 September, start: 10 am.

Test course with mega views

The starting point is the exhibition centre between Ewald colliery and the foot of the slagheap. From there, the route leads to the so-called balcony level, where the imposing colliery site with the exhibition centre lies at the racers' feet. The route then switches to the former works access road to the slagheap, where the road climbs steeply up to 7 per cent in places on loose gravel. The next flat section provides a brief respite and offers a view into the distance of the industrial backdrop to the west of the slag heap. This is followed by the most intensive, but predominantly asphalted ascent with a gradient of over 10 per cent in places to the high plateau of the slag heap and from there downhill again, northwards around the slag heap and then onto a short, narrow singletrail section. The steep, asphalted main descent of the slag heap leads over the balcony level for the next flat kilometre back to the exhibition grounds.

Gravel Ground powered by Maxxis - the schedule

Friday, 26 September 2025

10:00 - 19:00 Guiding and guided tours with local guides

13:00 - 19:00 Gravel Ground Bike Expo open (free admission)

2:00 pm Official opening on the main stage

14:00 - 19:00 Race number distribution and late registration ROSE Scary Schotter

18:00 - 22:00 Evening market with DJ

Saturday, 27 September 2025

7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Start number distribution / late registration Rose Scary Schotter

10:00 - 19:00 Gravel Ground Bike Expo open (free admission)

10:00 a.m. Start ROSE Scary gravel

10:00 - 19:00 Guiding and guided tours with local guides

2:00 pm Award ceremony ROSE Scary Gravel

From 21:00 Gravel Ground Party at Moto59

Sunday, 28 September 2025

10:00 - 16:00 Gravel Ground Bike Expo open (free admission)

10:00 - 16:00 Guiding and guided tours with local guides

16:00 End of terrain

The Ewald colliery is located in the heart of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region and is easy to reach by bus and train via Herne or Recklinghausen and via the A2, A42 and A43 motorways.

All information under: gravel-ground.de