Alyson Low has ridden Clarkes Gambit more than once. She loves the area so much that she packed up her life in Canberra and moved to the NSW South Coast. She now keeps eight bikes in her stable, one for every kind of day on these roads.

“You’ll love it,” she says. “The area is just absolutely spectacular. Probably the views from the top of the climbs are the most beautiful part of it.”

Clarkes Gambit is one of the good ones. Now in its fifth year, ride organiser Graveleur returns to Nelligen on the NSW South Coast on 21–23 August, for their two-day Clarkes Gambit event.

Base yourself at the Steampacket Hotel on Friday evening for registration, a wood-fired pizza, and your favourite craft beer. Then, on Saturday and Sunday mornings, roll out across some of the best gravel roads in New South Wales.

Nelligen is a sleepy little village on the Clyde River, 15 minutes west of Batemans Bay. It’s four hours from Sydney, two hours from Canberra.

A town with a past

Nelligen pre-dates Batemans Bay and was once a busy colonial port, shipping gold, wool, and timber to Sydney. In the 1860s, the surrounding state forest and river country was bushranger territory. Thomas and John Clarke were eventually captured here and chained to a tree still known as the Bushranger Tree, before being hanged in Sydney in 1867.

Clarkes Gambit takes its name from the brothers and is the second round of Graveleur’s Bushranger Gravel Collection. Finish the long course at all three events in a single year, and you earn the highly coveted Bushranger belt buckle — a prize only four riders managed to claim in 2025.

Two days, three distances, one river crossing

Clarkes Gambit features a full weekend of riding punctuated by post-ride drinks, celebration and refuelling back at the Steampacket Hotel. Saturday’s courses are timed. Some riders go for a personal best. Others ignore the clock entirely.

The Short Course covers roughly 40km each day with under 1,000m of climbing. The Medium Course steps up to 60km and 1,200m daily. The Long Course is entirely new for 2026 and covers 101km with nearly 2,000m of climbing. There are two entirely new courses available on Sunday, a short and a medium distance. Everyone chooses one and rides at a more leisurely social pace.

The signature moment of the weekend is Shallow Crossing, where riders traverse the Clyde River over an underwater concrete causeway. The crossing is tidal, so it is normally true to its name at ankle depth, but when high tide comes, riders will need to hoist bikes cyclocross-style onto their shoulders and wade through the water for around 100 metres.

First time in August

This is the first year Clarkes Gambit will run in August instead of its traditional November slot. At CycleHub, we think that’s an improvement. Mike Israel, Director of Graveleur, said that last year’s late-spring heat was intense.

“August means cooler air, softer light, and we hope gorgeous conditions overall for a good gravel ride,” Mike told CycleHub.

In August, too, Clarkes Gambit won’t clash with the Sea Otter cycling festival, which kicks off in Batemans Bay on 23 October. (Mike also plays a role in the organisation.)

Israel says he’ll be happy if Clarkes Gambit achieves two things: people leave feeling like they belong to a community rather than just having attended another anonymous cycling event.

“This is an opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, turn off the phone and just be in the moment with other friendly people,” he says.

“Whenever Graveleur people get together for a ride, it’s always a friendly, celebratory and welcoming environment,” he says.

That focus on community runs through the entire event. Every Clarkes Gambit registration helps support the Laverton Cycling Project, a cycling development charity Graveleur partners with.

Get your goodies

In addition to their friendly camaraderie, Graveleur events like Clarkes Gambit are famous for their rider-friendly goodie bags. Every rider gets one.

This year’s generous sponsors include SRAM, Maxxis, POC, Easton, Chamois Buttr, Pedro’s, Smoove, Pure Sports Nutrition and Redshift Sports. And they are contributing everything from tyres and chain lube to suspension stems, superlight handlebars, and gels.

The standout inclusion is a custom Clarkes Gambit can of beer from Broulee Brewhouse, a boutique craft brewery on the beach between Moruya and Batemans Bay. They brew on-site and design an exclusive batch just for Clarkes Gambit each year. The 2025 brew was a tropical pale ale. (This year’s flavour is still under wraps.)

While you’re in town, it’s worth swinging by Batemans Bay Cycles. It’s handy for a last-minute tune or spare part. Or if you have time, head south to the Mogo Trails for some extra dirt time on the mountain bike.

Lock in your spot

Early-bird pricing for Clarkes Gambit is only available until 12 July. The $179 entry rises by $40 after the cutoff, so it’s worth signing up now rather than later. Signing up early also helps Graveleur plan for a bigger crowd.

Register at graveleur.cc.