La Grand Bifurkade is a gravel cycling event starting in Metzeral in the Vosges mountains of eastern France, with distance options of 300 and 600 kilometers. The Vosges are a relatively low but densely forested mountain range running parallel to the Rhine valley, known for their rolling ridgelines, pine forests, and an extensive network of forestry roads that make for excellent gravel riding away from the more crowded Alps further south. Metzeral sits in the Alsace region in a valley beneath some of the higher Vosges summits, offering immediate access to climbing and forest gravel right from the start line.
The name 'Bifurkade,' evoking the idea of a fork or branching point, suggests the route may offer riders meaningful choices in how they navigate between the two distance options or within route variants along the way, in keeping with a broader trend among smaller French gravel events toward flexible, rider-directed routing rather than a single rigid course.
Based on this event's terrain, difficulty and riding style.
La Grand Bifurkade covers 600 km with 10000 m of climbing along the way — a steadily rolling profile from start to finish.
For La Grand Bifurkade, we'd recommend a Gravel Bike — plan on 45-50mm Tubeless tires and a wide-range drivetrain, something like a 38-40T (1x) chainring paired with a 10-51T cassette, to handle the terrain comfortably.
La Grand Bifurkade carries an overall difficulty rating of Advanced. The terrain itself is rough, technical terrain for a good stretch of the route, the climbing is fairly flat, and conditions tend to run mild and generally comfortable.
La Grand Bifurkade runs on August 15, 2026, placing it firmly in the summer riding season, with long daylight hours, though heat can become a real factor.
La Grand Bifurkade's route is gravel. Plan your tire choice around 45-50mm Tubeless for the best combination of speed and comfort.