SPORTING WOMEN GRAVEL CAMP.
They all share the same passion—exploring nature on a gravel bike. With the first Gravel Camp in the Ore Mountains, the sportingWOMEN community is making this sport more accessible to women and creating a space where everyone can feel comfortable. Here’s a report of our experiences.
Somewhere in the Ore Mountains, in the middle of nowhere, perched on a hill in the forest, lies the Rabenberg Sports Park. During the days of the GDR, athletes were pushed to their limits here, but today, it’s home to MTB trails, a climbing park, indoor swimming pools, gyms, sports fields, and cross-country ski tracks that, in summer, turn into an impressive network of gravel paths. It’s truly a sports paradise for young and old alike. SportingWOMEN thought so too. For over twelve years, the agency has been successfully organizing sports camps specifically for women. After hosting several mountain biking, road cycling, and triathlon camps, this year marked the first-ever sportingWOMEN Gravel Camp.
The idea behind it is as simple as it is appealing - over 40 participants gathered in the Ore Mountains for four days, with everything centered around gravel biking. On the first two days, they immediately hit the trails. Guided tours at different skill levels took them through the Ore Mountains, including riding technique training on the many trails.
To balance out the muscle strain, each day included a Pilates session.
Even those who weren’t fully equipped were in for a treat. From gravel bikes to helmets, glasses, bags, sleeping bags, and tents, there was a variety of high-quality equipment available for rent and testing. In addition, workshops on technical topics related to cycling were offered, a small expo area allowed brand partners to showcase their products, and there were talks on various topics. Creativity also had its time to shine: Malojas’s designer, Anne-Sophie, led workshops on painting and printing, so each participant could create their own keepsake.
The highlight of the weekend is undoubtedly the joint bikepacking tour to the neighboring Czech Republic. The participants cross the Czech border on picturesque gravel paths combined with quite a few meters of elevation gain in hilly terrain. The destination: a simple yet idyllic campsite where everyone spent the night together in tents.
The perfect end to the day came from Maloja marketing colleague Betti, who presented her amazing adventure „NC4000 – From Lake Garda to the North Cape.“ In this documentary, she shared her nearly 4,000-kilometer bikepacking race from Lake Garda to the North Cape, letting the audience experience the challenges and emotions of her extraordinary journey. Want to see more!
But the sportingWOMEN Gravel Camp was so much more than just a leisure activity. We like this space where there is no room for pressure to perform. Under the motto #strongHER, sportingWOMEN wants to encourage women to discover and develop their own power - athletically, professionally or mentally. After the successful premiere this year, the sportingWOMEN team has decided to offer the Gravel Camp again in 2025 – we are looking forward to it!
