Rallying Across Europe: Inside the Aurora Gravel Adventure Series

Exploring Aurora's unique multi-day rally format and the people bringing gravel culture to Cyprus, Switzerland, and Portugal.

This week, we're heading overseas for a new kind of gravel adventure. The Aurora Gravel Rally Series blends the spirit of exploration with the thrill of competition — taking riders across stunning landscapes in Cyprus, Switzerland, and Portugal.

Craig sits down with Fiona, Race Director for the Portugal event, to unpack what makes the Aurora Gravel format so special. From timed rally segments to all-inclusive multi-day experiences, Fiona shares how Aurora is redefining what it means to race and travel on gravel.

Expect insights on:

• How rally-style racing works and why it opens gravel to more riders

• The cultural flavor of each European stop — from the Mediterranean to the Alps

• Aurora's vision for balancing community, challenge, and discovery

• What makes Portugal a hidden gem for gravel cyclists

If you've ever dreamed of combining racing with real adventure, this one's for you.

Links Mentioned: 🌍 Aurora Gravel Website 🔧 Logos Components – Fall Super Sale (Sponsor)

Credits: Hosted by Craig Dalton Produced by The Gravel Ride Podcast

Transcript:

Craig Dalton (00:29) Today's episode is brought to you by our longtime friends at Logos Components, who are making their award-winning wheels more accessible than ever, with discounts up to 40 % in their entire lineup during the fall super sale, now through November 2nd. If you're a regular listener, you may recall an episode I did with Logos co-founder and longtime podcast contributor, Randall Jacobs, talking about what makes a great wheel set.

If you haven't heard it, it's definitely worth a listen, especially if you're in the market for new wheels. In that episode, Randall laid out Logos' core philosophy. Start with proven open standards and non-proprietary parts for unmatched durability and serviceability. Then push the boundaries with advanced materials, precision manufacturing to achieve high strength at impressively low weights. Logos wheels feature famously reliable dual spring star ratchet,

engagement mechanism, mixed modulus layups for superior strength to weight ratio, tough molded in bead hooks on road and gravel rims for tire security, and brass nipples that won't corrode, seize, or fail like their aluminum alloy counterparts. Every detail is meticulously engineered for performance, versatility, and longevity. Logos wheels are so good that BikePacking.com named them gear of the year.

and Pink Bike's Dario DiGuglio liked his review wheels so much he purch