The Bad Astra
About this race
If you are familiar with Kansas, you may know the state moto is “Ad Astra Per Aspera.” Depending on how you google it, the Latin means “to the stars through difficulties.” We wanted a race that was awesome and represented Kansas. We felt “The Bad Astra” was a great name for a gravel bike race. “Bad Astra” in Latin means “really cool bike race…” probably.
We will be offering distances of 80 miles (The Bad Astra), 40 miles (The Half Astra), and 20 miles (BA Party Pace).
(All distances are rough estimates. All race distances will be a minimum of the number miles)
Pick your distance
Gravel biking
The Bad Astra (80 Miles)
*****Riders are responsible for their own navigation****** This is a timed event and a race. The length of this race is approximately 80 miles in length. Participants will be given 8.5 hours to finish. If the rider chooses to ride past the 8.5 hour mark, the rider does so at their own choosing and risk. There will be 2 planned sags on this year's course. All distances and gps maps are approximate distances. GPS files are available and paper que sheets will be available at check-in.
The Half Astra (40 Miles)
This is a timed event and a race. While it is half the length of The Bad Astra, riders are still being timed. This entry is for the route that is approximately 40 miles. You will have 8 hours to finish the event. If you are unable to ride the set distance in 8 hours we recommend you do not begin this ride. There will be one planned sag on this course. All distances and gps maps are approximate values.
Bad Astra Party Pace (20 Miles)
Maybe your new to cycling. Is 20 miles is a pretty lofty goal for you? Awesome!! This is the race for you. You will have 5 hours to finish the event. The length of this route is in approximate distances. There will be one planned sag on this course. All distances and gps maps are approximate values. ***There are no podiums for this event***
Typical race-day weather
Based on 5 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Ottawa, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 7:12 AM and sets at 7:11 PM local time (CDT) in Ottawa on September 26, 2026 — 11h 59m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
Reviews
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Results — The Bad Astra
Other races near Ottawa
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
Outrun The Reaper (virtual 5K)
Bikes Bbq and John Brown
Second Wind Foundation Run
Run The Hill 5K
Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 3 Ottawa events
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