Orbiting Back to the Beginning
Raphael Albrecht on building endurance events rooted in community, not competition.
Interviewed on the 12.02.2026
Over the past decade, gentrification has quietly reshaped the running and cycling landscape. What once started as a grassroots movement has often shifted toward exclusivity - driven by gear marketing and rising entry fees. ORBIT360 founder Raphael Albrecht sees this as an opportunity to return to the essence of endurance sport: accessibility, challenge, and community.
Founded in Germany, ORBIT360 began as an independent project aimed at rethinking outdoor events. Born from Raphael’s experience organizing ultracycling routes and his own background in long-distance riding, the initiative developed out of a simple question: what would a truly sustainable adventure event look like?
“It all started with that question: what if we created spaces in endurance sport that are not only accessible to the wealthy? What if we mixed up the field with new faces - younger, wilder, more diverse - where people connect, slow down, and experience something meaningful together? The goal has always been to design adventures that feel human, not commercial - where the journey matters more than the podium.”
As an independent organizer of bikepacking and trail running events, ORBIT360 places its focus on clarity of values rather than speed or competition. The team’s work revolves around three pillars: inclusion, sustainability, and collective experience. The events are designed not around rankings but around shared effort.
Looking at past editions, almost no one completed the entire route in complete isolation, Raphael says. Riders naturally regrouped at checkpoints. Teams formed. People waited for each other.
“I founded ORBIT360 in 2020 as a response to most bikepacking events being postponed due to COVID-19. There’s no doubt that in the beginning I was drawn to the harder, longer, faster mantra of the original ORBIT360 GRAVEL SERIES. But over time, my personal approach - and my perspective on what bikepacking and trail running events can be - has evolved significantly. That shift is clearly reflected in how I run the events today.”
ORBIT360 currently runs four events across central Europe: TRIPPY TRAIL, SNEAK PEAKS, the GRAVITY FESTIVAL and the GRAVEL SERIES.
TRIPPY TRAIL is an immersive trail running expedition across the Italian Dolomites. Starting and ending at Lake Carezza, the route stitches together rugged ridgelines and remote valleys. With two course options - CLASSIC (50 km, 3,600 m) and ADVENTURE (100 km, 6,300 m) - it challenges runners to test their endurance and adaptability in alpine terrain that often defies the definition of “trail running.”
Each checkpoint sits in a high-altitude refuge where participants are met with local food and warm hospitality - pasta, pizza, and coffee amid panoramic peaks. There’s no emphasis on timekeeping; the focus is the shared experience and the slow rhythm of progress through nature.
“I wanted to create a trail running event that is not about racing, not about rankings, not about chasing times. TRIPPY TRAIL is not about crowning the fatest runner – it is designed to create space. Space for connection. Space for shared struggle. Space for conversations that happen somewhere between exhaustion and awe. Space to meet people who might become friends for life.“
SNEAK PEAKS, now in its third edition, is a fixed-route, unsupported, single-stage bikepacking expedition beginning and ending in Bolzano. Riders traverse high passes and lesser-known valleys of Northern Italy, with three demanding routes available: ENTREE (490 km, 17,000 m), CLASSIC (780 km, 28,000 m), and ADVENTURE (1,100 km, 37,000 m).
While technically demanding - often requiring hike-a-bike sections and navigation through exposed mountain terrain - it remains centered on cooperation. Thirteen carefully selected mountain refuges serve as checkpoints and shelters, offering food, warmth, and community spirit.
In the spirit of inclusivity, the event features income-based entry, local rider tickets, and soli tickets supporting underrepresented groups. Sustainability is a defining principle: all emissions from travel, accommodation, and food are offset, and the event follows a very strict travel policy.
The Gravity Festival takes Orbit360’s ethos into a more celebratory form - a three-day gathering of cyclists, runners, musicians, and outdoor enthusiasts in the Schlaubetal near Berlin. During the day, visitors explore trails and forest paths; by night, they join in music sessions, talks, and workshops.
The program blends endurance sport with culture: yoga and flow sessions, ice bathing, riding clinics, and discussions on sustainability and inclusion. The setup welcomes families, with childcare available, and maintains the same environmental standards - carbon neutrality and income-based access.
"If we bring hundreds of people into nature, we carry responsibility. Diversity, inclusion and eco-consciousness are the foundations of how we believe sports events should be designed. Outdoor culture should reflect society as a whole, and it should protect the landscapes it depends on. Otherwise, we’re just consuming adventure instead of truly living it."
“Looking ahead, I don’t measure success by growth alone, but by depth - deeper connections, stronger communities, more thoughtful travel. If ORBIT360 can continue to inspire people to move through the world with awareness, courage and care, then we’re on the right path.”
If you’re searching for your next challenge, on two wheels or on foot, ORBIT360 offers a rare combination of endurance, camaraderie, and environmental integrity.
Grit & Dust is joining TRIPPY TRAIL this summer - and we’d love for you to be part of it.
Come share an unforgettable trail run through the beautiful Dolomites, and let’s connect over our shared love for adventure, travel, and the open road.
See you on the trails!
Learn more here and use our exclusive 15% discount code: grit&dust15
Connect with ORBIT360 here: Website. Instagram.
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