About this race
Race Overview North Mississippi’s Premier Cycling Event Oxford, MS Date: Saturday, August 8th, 2026 The wait is over. Oxford MS has experienced the historic ice storm last winter. Clean-up work for the streets is coming to an end. We welcome you back to the 2026 Velvet Ditch Grand Fondo cycling event. This year we have moved the date to August 8th and thank you to the Lafayette County and city of Oxford: we have a new road riding out this year. It will be a less hilly start. The Velvet Ditch Gran Fondo is a non-competitive bicycle ride, meaning there will be no awards for fastest times. The ride will take place on open roads, so rider discretion is advised. As long as you want to pedal, all bikes are welcome: Big Box Bikes, Commuter bikes, E-bikes, Gravel bikes, Mountain bikes, Recumbent bikes, Road bikes, Tandem bikes, etc. New Features for 2026 Starting time: 7:00am to start for the Summer temperature Start location: The concession stand of the mTrade park at 328 Old Sardis Rd, Oxford, MS 38655. Link to map Finish location: The pavilion at the mTrade Park. Link to map Routes: All routes have updated due to new start/finish location Packet pickup location: The pavilion at the mTrade Park. Link to map Pricing: Simplified and more affordable Merchandise The 2026 VDGF jersey is available in the event store. It can be purchased during registration or after the registration. Fundraising Proceeds of this ride will support the North Mississippi Gnarmadillos Composite MTB Team. This team is made up of middle and high school mountain bikers from the Oxford and North Mississippi are…