GranGuanche Gravel — Komoot Women's Rally 2023

The komoot women’s rallies are my favorite weeks of the year. I love being part of a group of 50 women from around the world taking on a huge ride together. I love how everyone comes from different places with different levels of experience in life and riding to work hard, share space and pedal into the unknown. The backbone of these rallies are the routes.

A curve on the map becomes a dirt road following contours, climbing mountains and connecting communities. Add in the elements of weather and daylight, animals, locals and fellow travelers to bring the routes to life. What do we actually need along the way? Food and water, a place to pitch a tent, maybe a bike shop or a pharmacy. Traveling these treasure maps with a group of 50 women for a week becomes an unforgettable experience. It changes our lives. We have time to share stories and ideas. We help each other through the storms. We make plans for the day and dreams for the future. We celebrate delicious meals, beautiful vistas and pushing our bodies. It’s hard and it’s fun.

In the past fourteen years, I’ve gotten to ride all over the world, but I haven’t gotten to ride everywhere. Going somewhere new is always the most exciting. During the Montañas Vacías rally in Spain last spring, on separate occasions, I had three women tell me how much they loved riding the Granguanche route in the Canary Islands.

“You have to go there! Every island has its own microclimate. Ferries connect them. There are huge mountains and beaches, deserts and rainforests. The weather is good in the winter.” And on and on.

I’m in! More specifically, I want to ride there with a group of 50 women next January. We’ll begin together and we’ll find our way. As always, the only goals are to make it to the finishers’ party a week later and have the best time possible.

A huge thank you to Matteo Minelli for designing the Granguanche Gravel route and providing fantastic resources to make this ride accessible. A huge thank you to Gaby, Maya and Komoot for organizing the rally.

If you identify as a woman or have spent most of your life identifying as a woman, this ride is for you. It’s free and open to the public. Please join us January 14-21, 2023!

- Lael Wilcox