Classmark, organizer of the inaugural Gravel Earth Series, has announced that the seventh and final of seven off-road races will be held at the Earth Final in Cardona, Spain, on September 16.

The Gravel Earth Large is the longer of the two events in this new 180-km, 2,000-meter climb across the province of Barcelona. The route, which uses dirt roads and partial roads, is not marked except for the last 3-4 km.

"Three years after its conception and after traveling around the world to get to know all the events, the world's first independent gravel series was born. For now, the series prize money will be awarded for being the best or one of the best, but by 2024 we will definitely reward it with prize money," Gerard Fraysseth, CEO and founder of series organizer Classmark, told Cycling News. Another goal for 2024, he added, is to add an "ultra distance" to the Earth Final.

Series leaders Amity Rockwell (Trek/PAS/Morten/Schwalbe) (USA) and Mattia De Marchi (Inaf Cycling Collective) (Italy) lead the elite field. Rockwell won "Traka 360" and "Migration Gravel" and brings the most points to next week's "Rift Gravel" in Iceland. De Marchi won the men's division of Traka 360 and had two other top 10 finishes.

The first women's title will go to Maddie Nutt (GBR), who finished second by 16,000 points; Carolyn Schiff, winner of The Traka 200, will compete, as well as third in The Traka 360 and sixth in Octopus Gravel for fifth overall in the series and Maria Gudmundsdottir, who finished third in the Migration Gravel.

In the men's race, third-place finisher Ivar Slik is now 32,400 points behind de Marchi. Petr Vakochu, who finished second in Octopus Gravel, Nathan Haas, who finished second in the Traka 200, and Paul Vos, who won the Traka 200, will also be on the men's start line.

The inaugural champion will be determined after the Earth Final, with a maximum of 72,000 points awarded for the Earth Final combined with the top two finishes from the previous six races. The Gravel Earth Series evaluates the challenges participated in according to difficulty, distance traveled, plus points earned, as well as the level and prestige of the event; scores ranging from 24,000 (Level 1) to 48,000 (Level 3) points are allocated throughout the first six events.

The next race in the Gravel Earth Series is the Lift Gravel Race on July 22, with Level 2 points awarded to both men and women in the 200 km event and Level 1 points in the 100 km event. Both routes in The Rift cross black lava roads in the rugged highlands of Iceland, where there are only 20 hours of daylight in the summer.

The final two events in the Gravel Earth Series will face off against off-road races in the American Lifetime Grand Prix Series: the Leadville Trail 100 MTB in Colorado on August 12 and the Chequamegon MTB Festival in Wisconsin. Neither De Marchi nor Rockwell are participating in the Lifetime Series. However, Octopus Gravel winner Brennan Wertz and The Traka 360 runner-up Sarah Sturm are Lifetime Grand Prix competitors and are not expected to line up for the Earth Final.