The Two Worlds Of Gravel

The UCI announced their next five years of dates for their championships

Recently I have noted a contrast in the "world" of gravel cycling that I found quite jarring, and honestly, I am not at all surprised by it. The announcement by the UCI Gravel World series is the starting off point here since they made their dates known for the next five years in terms of locations for their so-called "Gravel World Championships" events. 

So, let's start with that. Obviously, there is some disconnect between what the UCI thinks of, and perhaps what many Europeans think of, when they think of "gravel riding/racing" in comparison to what the rest of the world thinks. That term, "gravel", can be stretched to include many things that are not crushed rock, and let's be honest, that happens a fair amount here in the USA as well.

So there is that bit one can dissect and debate on. 

Then you have "how these events are run". The UCI events are essentially a cut and paste of road racing events on slightly sketchier surfaces. There may be less support than a full-on road event, but essentially, these are about a very small percentage of riders at the very pinnacle of athletic prowess. Not very "inclusive", nor is it going to generate much, if any, increases in ridership across all the groups of regular folks out there. 

Much the same can be said here in the USA about sanctioned gravel events where USAC is running the show, (not merely providing an insurance benefit). The focus is on developing talent for the Pro ranks and the Olympics. It's all about the less than 1% of riders that might have the potential to become medalists or go on to be successful Pro roadies, MTB'ers, or track cyclists. 

Even USAC president, Brendan Quirk, says that most gravel riders are not there to be "hard-core racers". He was quoted in a "Velo News" piece late in 2022 as saying that there will be a split in gravel: "The other side is hardcore racing. These athletes that want to win and are going to be doing everything possible to win. They’re not there for the afterparty, they’re there to win the bike race. Ultimately, that’s how I see this bifurcation.” 

But there isn't going to be a lot of those "hardcore racers", I'm afraid, and the other side of the Gravel World is proving that everyday.

From Gravel Worlds social media.

The United States, where "modern day" gravel events were born, and where they first flourished, was not built upon such hardcore racing foundations. Not that the hardcore were not welcomed. Of course they were, but so was everyone else. 

What is more, there are several variants in terms of events. There are "ultra" distance gravel events, "Big" gravel events, events with definitive local flavor, events with varying rules and procedures. Event fees range from hundreds of dollars to nuthin'. 

I've always said that if you cannot find an event that caters to your ideals then start your own, and in the gravel scene on this side of the Gravel World, you can do that. People do it every year. No need to get a sanctioning body to do anything we already can do on our own. That's good if you like choices. That's good if variety is a valued characteristic. 

That's why the whole idea of a "world championships" is nonsensical. It's someone's construct. It isn't a "real" world championship. It's just made-up and people buy into it. It is the ultimate non-reality that people think is really real. But it isn't at all. 

It reminds me of the time when I interviewed Jeff Kerkove and we were talking about the World Championships for solo 24 hour racing. (See the portion of the interview where this comes up HERE) In that interview we joked around about having Trans Iowa be the "Gravel Worlds". And while I am not claiming that Jeff or myself had anything to do with the Good Life Gravel Adventure becoming Gravel Worlds here four years after that interview, the guys and gals behind Gravel Worlds had that similar ethos in mind when they did make the name change. 

The weekend of August 26th Gravel Worlds will roll off  again and they will be trying to celebrate everyone. The fast folks, the mid-packers, and the tail end of the field. They will be listening to the tales of those who tried but did not finish with an attentive ear. The UCI Gravel World Championships will happen and maybe a few people will be interviewed but most of the field will be anonymous racers who will be left as pack fodder and only remembered in some forgotten digital document by the UCI. A cold reminder of the dehumanizing effects of ultimate competition. 

Which side of the gravel world would you rather be on? 

NOTE: A history of the Good Life Gravel Adventure/Gravel Worlds will appear tomorrow here.