Headline sponsor OGT return for 2026 with a bar built for the terrain. Here's the thinking behind it.

Blackcurrant grows where lesser fruit struggles. Damp soil, cool air, weather that turns without warning. The same conditions that shape gravel racing across southern Scotland. So when OGT came to us with the idea of a limited edition bar inspired by The Gralloch, the choice of fruit almost made itself.

Blackcurrant is hardy by design. It thrives under pressure. The parallels to Galloway gravel need no explanation.

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A partnership that started on the trails

OGT's connection to The Gralloch runs deeper than sponsorship. It started here, on these roads. OGT co-founder Mike first crossed paths with Jonny Brownlee at a previous edition of the event. A brief trackside conversation grew into a long-term partnership, and eventually into Jonny's own Chocolate Brownlee bar, now one of the most popular flavours in the OGT range.

The Gralloch Blackcurrant bar is the next chapter in that story.

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The making of it

The bar is built on OGT's signature oat base, blended with a fruit that has just been named McCormick's 2026 Flavour of the Year. Sustained energy from real ingredients, finished with a sharp, zingy lift that cuts through the dust of a long day in the saddle.

It is the kind of fuel you want when the climbs stack up and the field thins out. Whether you're committing to the Ultra, racing the UCI Gravel World Series course, or settling into the Sportive, the demands on the body are real. The energy you carry has to keep up.

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Why it matters to us

The Gralloch is built on partnerships that fit. We don't take headline sponsors who don't get the event, and OGT do. A bar grown from a fruit that thrives in the same ground we ride on feels like the right way to mark another year of working together.

It also speaks to something we care about. The Gralloch is committed to responsible event delivery in partnership with the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere. Sourcing matters. Provenance matters. A bar that draws its identity from northern European soil sits well alongside that.

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Where to find it

OGT will be in the Event Village across the weekend of 15-17 May 2026. There will be bars to sample, the full OGT range to take away, and the team on hand to talk fuelling, training, or anything else.

For those who want to take some home, the limited edition Gralloch Blackcurrant bar is available exclusively at weareogt.com for a short window.

Hardy ground. Hardy berry. See you in the Galloway hills.

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