Dust Bowl 100 presented by Zipp

We are thrilled to announce the Dust Bowl 100 presented by Zipp is one of ten events on the 2026 USA Cycling Junior Gravel National Series calendar!  The DB100 joins legendary events such as Unbound Gravel, Sea Otter Classic, and SBT GRVL in the series, which is aimed to identify and develop the next generation of elite cycling talent in the United States!

What is the USA Cycling Junior Gravel National Series?

The Junior Gravel National Series returns for an exciting 2026 season, providing the nation’s top junior riders (ages 15–18) with a premier platform to compete, earn points, and gain exposure to national-level development opportunities. This series is designed to reward performance, consistency, and competitive depth across a diverse and challenging national calendar.

The 2026 Junior Gravel Series will consist of 10 events, combining established cornerstone
races with new additions that expand geographic reach and competitive opportunity.

The series utilizes a cumulative points system across all 10 events; riders must compete in a minimum of 3 races to be included in the official Overall Series Standing, and the Overall Series Champion is determined by total accumulated points across the season.

Any junior rider (15–16 or 17–18 categories) who wins an individual series race will receive free entry into the 2026 USA Cycling Gravel National Championship.

Additionally, the 17–18 Overall Series Champion will receive an automatic invite to the USA Cycling Talent ID Camp in October 2026. Riders in the 15–16 category will not receive an automatic invite, but will be evaluated for selection based on performance throughout the season.

 
What does this mean for the Dust Bowl junior categories?

First, our primary goal is and always has been to be an event focused on providing the best possible participant experience for ALL cyclists.  The Dust Bowl has always been a popular first-time gravel event for many Junior riders, and will continue to be so for riders of all ability levels and experience.  We want all juniors participating with us, even if they have no interest or intention of "racing" or participating in the USAC Junior Gravel National Series.  Joining the series simply allows us to reach a larger audience and give even more juniors a change to ride and race.

The Dust Bowl 100 mile distance will be the official 17-18 age group race for the USAC Junior Gravel National Series.  The 100K distance will be the official 15-16 age group race.

All Dust Bowl Junior categories will now be split into 3 age groups for podium and scoring purposes (but USAC series points will only be awarded in those age groups/distances noted above):
• 17-18 years old
• 15-16 years old
• 14 & under

USAC guidelines stipulate that a rider's racing age is determined by their age on December 31, 2026.  Therefore, ALL Dust Bowl categories/age groups will now be determined by that same guideline (was previously determined by age on race day).

Juniors do not need a USA Cycling License to participate in the Dust Bowl.  However, riders looking to be eligible for inclusion in the Overall Junior Gravel Series Standings must hold a valid annual license for the 2026 season. 2026 USAC licenses can be purchased here for $20: https://usacycling.org/member 

Junior Registration is reopened - no waitlists!

While the 2026 Dust Bowl 100 presented by Zipp officially sold out last week, we are reopening registration for all Junior categories and will no longer have a cap for those categories!  We already have a record number of Juniors registered for 2026, but are excited to increase those numbers even more!

• Juniors can register at dustbowl100.com through July 17th
• As always, the registration fee for all Juniors is discounted to just $50!
• NOTE: Junior entries can only be transferred to another junior category, and cannot be transferred to any other age groups/categories.  So non-juniors, no trying to get around the waitlists😂.

Full USAC Junior Gravel National Series Calendar

• Rouge Roubaix XXII – Saint Francisville, LA | February 28, 2026
• Valley of Tears – Laredo, TX | March 7, 2026
• Sea Otter Classic – Monterey, CA | April 17, 2026
• Unbound Gravel – Emporia, KS | May 30, 2026
• Rothrock Grit Gravel Grinder – State College, PA | June 6, 2026
• Dirty Dino Gravel Race – Vernal, UT | June 13, 2026
• SBT GRVL – Steamboat Springs, CO | June 28, 2026
• Dust Bowl 100 presented by Zipp – Eminence, IN | July 25, 2026
• Core4 – Iowa City, IA | August 15, 2026
• USA Cycling Gravel National Championship – La Crescent, MN | September 12, 2026