Last Thursday it struck me. I haven't seen anything about the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame announcement besides the Instagram posts and Facebook posts Gravel Worlds was producing on the subject. (Thank you, Jason Strobehn) Hmm..... When the HoF for gravel cycling was announced in January, almost all the endemic cycling media picked up on the story. What gives?
Now- let it be known that anything I say can be seen as being suspect. I do "have a horse in this race"- Me! But you can bet your bottom dollar I would be saying these same things which follow whether or not I was in this HoF or not. That said.....
Okay, I checked out several media sites which are cycling specific. Nothing. Not a word on the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame announcement of their first class of nominees. Okay, I get that the Spring Classics are in full swing once again after two years. So, the excitement roadies must be feeling is probably pretty high. But some of these same sites have a "gravel cycling" section, yet I saw nothing. Total 'radio silence'. Or as the kidz say these days, 'it felt as if the GCHoF had been ghosted'.
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| While my name is on this list, I'd be writing today's rant anyway. |
Wow.
So, I reached out to Jason from Gravel Worlds, who was doing some of the press release stuff for the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame in this case, and asked him, "Am I crazy, or has this news slipped through the cracks?"
His answer was puzzling and paints a picture for me in terms of what might be going on in cycling media in general. Jason said he was not seeing anything being picked up on this announcement either, and he did not know why that was. He was flummoxed as well.
Now, those are my findings concerning the announcement. Following is my opinion on what is going on, so please understand that this may not be 'reality', whatever THAT means now, but it is my take on things concerning this. Your mileage may vary.
So, what is getting a run in the media? Sea Otter. That's 100% fair. This event has not been held in the traditional sense since 2019, so people were eager to get back to 'business as usual' and get out to see each other. (I speak in terms of the cycling industry/insiders/influencers) So, their 'radar', as it were, was on that festival. I mentioned the Spring Classics season for racing. Okay, again, fair enough. "Page One" material, and all of that. But by completely ignoring the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame announcement, in my view, these entities in the media and who they represent are putting out a message loud and clear- "We don't care abut the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame".
We can assume the pertinent folks at these media companies saw the announcement, and we know that they were aware of when it would be made, since most of them covered the initial announcement of the GCHoF's debut in January. So, I am not ready to buy that these media folks didn't know about this. No, it more than likely was a conscious decision to not cover it. Motivations are in question concerning those decisions, but it is pretty much a deafening silence.
And to be honest, it reminds me 100% of how it was regarding our efforts in the gravel scene up until the latter half of the 'twenty-teens' when Pro roadie cross-overs were getting the attention of some of the endemic cycling media. Up until that point, we were derided in the press as being "just a Mid-Western thing", and "not real racing", or just characterized as a bunch of 'beardoes' on drop bar bikes in the hinterlands. I remember all of that being said.
So, in my view, what this says is that the history and the early pioneers of gravel do not hold a candle to Pro roadies, big money events, "Corporate Gravel™", or anything that media can pull advertising dollars from. The GCHoF? That's not click-bait, nor big money generating content. Who cares?
Well, actually- a lot of people do. If my socials are any indication. It is kind of a 'big deal' to some out there, and this reflects the grass roots base that the entire 'gravel scene' is, and was, and which today's "big deals in gravel' have to thank. That the media has not found it newsworthy doesn't surprise me, nor does it offend me in the least. But it does say something, and that is that it is "business as usual" in terms of racing, the cycling industry, and cycling media. Not much has changed.
And that is a sad commentary on those entities.
Update: On the afternoon that this post published, "Velo News", at least, published a story on this subject of the nominees to the GCHoF. I cannot claim that this article had anything to do with the post by "Velo News", but it is a curious coincidence. And, it is almost a week since the announcement. Still, kudos to "Velo News" for at least acknowledging this story. Also: Carlton Reid, of the Spokesman Podcast, today re-Tweeted his original January interview with me concerning the GCHoF. You can listen to that here. https://www.the-spokesmen.com/gravelridinghof/
When I saw your post last week followed by silence in the bike media, I wondered if you broke some rule/embargo on the HoF class announcement.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the media is waiting for the ceremony in Emporia to do it's "Class of 22 story". But, what do I know....
This is the only place I've heard of the announcement - congratulations on your inclusion!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to understand some media decisions made by others, and while the snub is rather underhanded (not only to you, but to everyone on the list), it doesn't take away from your contributions to cycling. For my part, I'm still a new cyclist - bought a comfort bike in late 2020, and I found your website after I accidentally rode my first half-century.
It was a warm day that October when I was planning to ride 30 miles on a paved bike path, but my drive to the start fell through. Rather than giving up, I ended up just riding my bike there (about 20 miles) and then rode the 30 mile path. That first 20 miles was primarily gravel/dirt, and I fell in love with it that day - the paved path was smooth, but not nearly as scenic or hilly as the gravel/dirt, and the lack of traffic on the gravel/dirt was amazing. The gravel/dirt was the best part of the ride! The slick tires on my comfort bike were not a great match to the gravel, and I felt myself "sliding" sideways toward the shoulder/ditch from the crown of the road on some of the roads. That got me wondering if there might be a bike or tire better suited to this kind of ride. I started researching tire types, clearance, and one thing led to another to bring me to your compilation of your writings on the Salsa Fargo.
Whether or not Salsa sends royalties your way for that page, it was the biggest factor in my decision to order a Fargo at the end of 2020. Acquiring the bike in 2021 was a big adventure, too, and the local bike shop did a great job of snagging a frame and building it up with an eclectic mix of parts, and had it ready for me the day before my first gravel event, the 85 mile "KRanza Gravel Adventure Ride" just north of me in the middle of Michigan. That ride only made me enjoy gravel/dirt all the more and it confirmed for me - the Fargo is an amazing machine! As of yesterday, I'm just shy of 2500 miles on that bike and it's still going strong.
From what I've read here, I also think you'd appreciate the KRanza - no registration fee, no number plates, no aid stations, no course signs, just a group of riders who met at the start, rode the course, and celebrated after. There was a "prize" for the first finisher, but no podiums, no age groups, just a challenging and fun day in the dirt/gravel/sandy roads. The event got its name from the organizer, Roy Kranz (the winner of the fat bike category at every Unbound/Dirty Kanza 200 that has ever had fat bikes as their own class - hence "KRanza"). I'm planning on riding it again this May.
All of which is to say that whether or not the "big cycling media" picks up on the HOF announcements, it doesn't take anything away from your ongoing contributions, nor does it change the fact that there are few things in this world that match the joy (and sometimes the shared challenge!) of going for a bike ride with your friends on any kind of road/trail/path. Thank you, and keep up the great work!
@Stevenator - Had it not been for the fact that I eventually did get the "Official Press Release" on Thursday of last week, I would have thought the same. Thank you for your comments!
ReplyDelete@Jon Bakker - Thank you for that story! I appreciate that I was a small part of the discovery of gravel cycling and Fargos for you.
ReplyDeleteAnd no- Salsa does not pay me any royalties nor do they compensate me at all for that page. Although I would be willing to bet that the page in question has steered more than yourself into buying a Fargo.
Cheers!
Hi Mark, I have also noticed the absence of reporting on this. And I am not entirely surprised.
ReplyDeleteFirst, pro road-racing probably didn't garner a lot of reporting in its early days. Slow burns take time but having 'won the argument' over gravel bikes, you and your fellow inductees may well feel you are fighting the same old battle once again. But really that battle has been well and truly won.
Second, as an overseas reader it has to be said the nominees are very American! For good reason of course, but the message doesn't travel too well I guess. Most people will not have heard of any of you over here in the UK (with the possible exception of Rebecca Rusch).
This brings me to my third point (and one you make too) - there's just not the clicks in it to be worthwhile. The list doesn't help sell product because by its nature it looks back and acknowledges, it doesn't sell new stuff now or in the future.
Now, I happen to agree with you - clicks or not the cost of adding an article is tiny and the first HoF inductees are worth acknowledging. It is short-sighted not to report on this. But I haven't heard of any Hall of Fame announcements for other categories either if I'm honest, and if I had, as a consumer I would probably not be interested. I just don't know these people. Celebrities like Gary Fisher take years to break through to that kind of 'biking godfather' status!
I suppose the most important point is the list exists first and foremost, and future years will build on it. People will look back and see who was first and hopefully want to know why (once again an important reminder to secure your digital legacy).
Personally, congratulations on your membership of the HoF! Whether people know or dont know, it means something to have acknowledgment from your peers.
@Muddy Matt - Fair points, Matt. I appreciate your viewpoint. I'd only say that the difference now and when other hall's of fame were first announced is that now we are not living with restrictions to news. This is supposedly the "Age of Information" (Disinformation, may be more like it), and I have a very hard time thinking that editors and writers who are sniffing out any newsworthy news for their constant stream of content wouldn't have seen this last week. But as I say- they probably did and just do not care, (with the obvious exception of VeloNews)
ReplyDeleteIt used to be that news was news whether or not you liked it. You printed the facts of the day. Now things are obviously very biased, and in such a way that many people are not aware of. While ignoring the GCHoF may not be a criminal offense, in the least, it is an oversight that was most likely a decision made to exclude. And if they are excluding that news, this begs the question, "What else are they ignoring?"- Or in other words, as I stated, it is "Business as Usual". Which is pretty crass - if true- considering the social upheavals over the recent past.
Completely agree Mark - not reporting is a conscious decision for whatever reason, especially when the industry benefits so much from gravel.
ReplyDelete