Highlands Gravel Classic

Medium

Date

2026-04-25

Location

Fayetteville-Goshen, Arkansas, United States

Distance

110 km

Elevation

1500m

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▌ RIDER INTEL DOSSIER

ID: HIGHLANDS-GRAVEL-CLASSIC

GR SCORE

/ 100

TIER 1

~/dossier/highlands-gravel-classic $ cat briefing.md

▌ Coast to coast, self-supported, on the TransAmerica Trail.

A self-supported road race across the United States — Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia, on the original TransAmerica Trail. Three-week effort, every kind of weather, no support allowed.

EFFORT63/80

EXPER.55/70

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15 SCORING DIMENSIONS

· Inside the rating

$ ./radar --plot

HIGHLANDS GRAVEL CLASSIC

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EFFORT MATRIX

· Physical demands · 8 vectors

$ ./bench --effort

LENGTH10/10

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10/10~6,811 km coast to coast

~6,811 km coast to coast

CLIMBING10/10

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10/10~53,340 m — Cascades, Rockies, Ozarks, Appalachians

~53,340 m — Cascades, Rockies, Ozarks, Appalachians

DURABILITY10/10

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10/1015-25 day effort, sleep deprivation, body breakdown

15-25 day effort, sleep deprivation, body breakdown

ALTITUDE07/10

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07/10Multiple Rockies passes; Hoosier Pass at 3,447 m

Multiple Rockies passes; Hoosier Pass at 3,447 m

TECHNICALITY03/10

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03/10Mostly paved roads — the route is friendly underwheel

Mostly paved roads — the route is friendly underwheel

HEAT09/10

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09/10Plains and Ozarks in summer — 35 °C+ regularly

Plains and Ozarks in summer — 35 °C+ regularly

COLD07/10

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07/10Cold Cascade and Rockies starts; storms anywhere

Cold Cascade and Rockies starts; storms anywhere

RACE PRESSURE07/10

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07/10Tracker fame, no prize money, personal stakes

Tracker fame, no prize money, personal stakes

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EXPERIENCE MATRIX

· Race quality · 7 vectors

$ ./bench --experience

ADVENTURE10/10

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10/10A genuine US odyssey — every climate, every culture

A genuine US odyssey — every climate, every culture

SCENERY09/10

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09/10Cascades, Rockies, Plains, Ozarks, Blue Ridge

Cascades, Rockies, Plains, Ozarks, Blue Ridge

ORGANIZATION05/10

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05/10Grand Depart only — no aid, no support

Grand Depart only — no aid, no support

VALUE10/10

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10/10Free to enter; gear and travel are the cost

Free to enter; gear and travel are the cost

COMMUNITY08/10

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08/10Tight global dot-watching community

Tight global dot-watching community

ACCESSIBILITY06/10

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06/10Free to enter, but the time and gear barrier is real

Free to enter, but the time and gear barrier is real

FIELD DEPTH07/10

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07/10Smaller field than Tour Divide; deep ultra talent shows up

Smaller field than Tour Divide; deep ultra talent shows up

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GREEN FLAGS

$ ./pros

[+]A genuine American odyssey — coast to coast
[+]Free to enter — open Grand Depart
[+]Mostly paved — friendly underwheel
[+]TransAmerica Trail is well-mapped, with services
[+]Strong dot-watching tracker community
[+]Small towns along the route are welcoming

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RED FLAGS

$ ./cons

[!]Traffic on shared road sectors
[!]Plains and Ozark heat is brutal
[!]Sleep-deprivation injuries common
[!]3+ weeks off work needed
[!]Drivers in some sectors are inattentive
[!]No support — mechanical self-sufficiency required

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RIDER FIT

· Match by archetype

$ match-rider --types

Endurance MulePRIME · 10/10

Multi-week metabolism + sleep tolerance

BikepackerPRIME · 9/10

Self-supported format on a road bike

Adventure TouristPRIME · 9/10

Many ride the route ITT or touring style

ClimberPRIME · 8/10

53,000 m of vert rewards patient grinders

Heat SpecialistPRIME · 8/10

Mid-route heat is a survival test

Crit RacerAVOID · 1/10

Wrong sport entirely

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⚡ SIGNATURE CHALLENGE

The Ozark heat hammers

After Colorado’s climbs comes Kansas’s flat heat, then the Ozarks’ short steep stabs in 35 °C+ humidity. This is where most scratches happen.

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TIRE INTEL

· Setup recommendation

$ rubber --recommend

WIDTH

32-38 mm

PRESSURE

50-65 psi

PATTERN

Fast road tubeless or supple gravel slick

A mostly paved coast-to-coast route on a self-supported schedule. Most riders run 32-35 mm tubeless road tires for comfort and durability. Lightweight casings save energy over weeks.

▶ TOP PICKS

1.Continental GP 5000 S TR[35mm]— Industry standard for tubeless road durability

2.Schwalbe Pro One[32mm]— Supple, fast, comfortable for long days

3.Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H[35mm]— For riders wanting more comfort margin

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WEATHER PLAYBOOK

· What the sky throws at you

$ forecast --race

June start: cold Pacific Northwest, snow possible in the Rockies, summer heat in the plains, humid Ozark afternoons, possible Atlantic-coast storms at the finish.

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