Red Granite Grinder

There are plenty of places where you can ride a bike, but there are fewer places where the road itself becomes part of the story.

On October 10, 2026, IRONBULL is bringing riders to Athens, Wisconsin, for the Red Granite Grinder, a gravel adventure built around quiet country roads, red granite, peak fall color, and the kind of small-town hospitality that makes you want to stay awhile.

Our goal: create a race worth traveling for.

The Red Granite Grinder has more heart than ever, taking riders through the core of rural Central Wisconsin. Routes roll past dairy farms, cross rewilded prairies, and wind beneath hardwood canopies showing off their best fall colors. Under your tires is often the red granite, “red gold,” that gives the event its name.

Choose your challenge: Take on the 20-mile Pebble Puncher, settle into the 50-mile Granite Grinder, go long with the 100-mile Red Gold Rush, or commit to the 150-mile Bedrock Bruiser. Whatever distance you choose, you’ll find your own version of tough.

The ride is only part of the experience. We want the Red Granite Grinder to be a reason to come to Athens for the weekend and beyond.  This small Marathon County community has locally owned restaurants, a cozy grocery, two classic bowling alleys, plenty of friendly faces, and camping at the finish venue for those who want to make a full weekend of it.

And, when you finish riding, the party begins!

The finish line is at Miltrim Farms during its Fall Festival, where riders and their families can enjoy food trucks, a bags tournament, pumpkin launcher, corn maze, craft vendors, bouncy houses and a kid town. Stick around after the ride, and there’s even more to experience: later that evening, just down the road, an astronomy program with telescopes and a talk by a UW–Madison professor offers a chance to trade gravel for stargazing. You don’t have to rush home when you cross the finish line.

The Red Granite Grinder has been recognized by Strambecco as one of the top three cycling events in Wisconsin. We’re proud of that, but what matters most is creating an experience riders want to come back to and bring their friends to. October 10. Athens, Wisconsin. Four distances. One big gravel weekend.

October 10, 2026. Athens, Wisconsin. Four distances. One big gravel weekend.

Come find your tough. And come see why we think Athens is worth the ride.
Register for the Red Granite Grinder →