Do We Need Education & Rider Leadership In Gravel Cycling?

My cycling experiences are pretty varied. You may find it odd, but at one time I was a "roadie". Yep! A road cyclist with a full-on road bike. I did group rides, but I never did pin on a number in a road event.

Let's be real here. I was a mountain biker first and foremost. Dirt was 'my home' when it came to surfaces to ride on. But I gave the roadie thing a fair shot. I'm not pointing this out to boost my credentials, but to say that in road cycling, at least in the mid-1990's yet, there were rules and there was etiquette. There was an element of skill I needed to master and there were rules for the safety of myself and for that of others. 

Those lessons served me well through two self-contained, cross country tours, through early gravel events, and in setting up and making Trans Iowa as safe as I could make it. 

There seems to be a rising concern about - what shall we call this? Rider education? Group ride etiquette? Rider skill and techniques? Probably all of those things, right? There was a certain set of skills and knowledge that, combined and executed properly, were the hallmarks of a well-rounded cyclist. It was a road rider's thing for decades, until those mountain bikers came along. Then things kind of went sideways for a while. 

Mountain bikers didn't need to know group ride tactics or anything related to road riding safety. While there were certain skills and "etiquette" for the trail rider, many times this did not include groups of people. Small sets of riders, or single riders, usually made up the scene. Also, single track kind of has its way of making much of what you need to understand to ride in a group outside of those confines a moot point.

Gravel cycling has come along and has its own, unique set of riding standards and skills to learn.

Now when gravel cycling came along, it came with a new way to consider how to ride this surface, and much of what makes gravel unique is how it is a mixture of road cycling and mountain biking. I noted this straight away when we started Trans Iowa. The roadies figured out drafting and how to rotate through a small group to keep legs fresh and speeds high. But the mountain bikers were much more at home when the gravel was loose and the downhill speeds were high. That was easy to see, but there was more to it than that.

Safety was paramount to the early gravel race promoters. Since I was amongst that number, I can tell you that we were very aware of the strange mixture of road issues and the unpaved nature of our routes. Trying to get a rowdy bunch of gravel cycling pioneers in line so that they crested hills on the right and didn't get crossed up on fast, twisty down hills was a tricky message to convey without being seen as too overbearing and patronizing. 

This reflects a change in our society. There once was a time when we had people we looked to for expert advice or to teach us skills we were wanting, but we did not have, and there were people around that did have those bits of wisdom and teaching. Some were willing to share that. Now? "Go Google it!" Read a cycling forum, or, you know, just wing it! You'll figure it out. Gravel is "welcoming"! Those kind folks will gently guide us into our way to go, right? 

The chaos of the gravel group ride is mostly an ungoverned affair.

The thing is, the gravel scene quickly turned into what our country has turned into - a fiercely independent group of individuals. We are quick to point a finger and quick to raise our hackles if we are told "how to do something". Often times interpreting the direction given as, personal,  pointed criticism, or worse, a form of aggression against us. 

Now, I will say, sometimes that may be how a person feels, or is conditioned to feel, and what do I know about that? Nothing, that's what. But this brings up a salient point: Those who could help guide a person won't now. It isn't worth the effort due to fear of being roundly criticized into oblivion. 

In a thread on social media this was pointed out to me. A couple people mentioned that rider education was a touchy subject. One male commenter even went as far to say that they wouldn't dare say anything to a female rider, rather hoping that by example and their hoped for observances, that they might pick up on what the right things to do are. 

So what are we to do? Just let people "ride off a cliff", metaphorically speaking? I don't think that has to be the case. I think that we can find ways to work this out. Getting advocates for female riders, and having them teach the skills, or pass on the wisdom, might be a way to get female riders educated in group ride/gravel ride techniques. Gravel "camps" are another way to do similar things here. Some of those who responded to the thread mentioned above said an over-all Safety Pre-Ride Talk was a big part of their group rides. 

But even with all of those things, humans being humans, you are going to run across those individuals who don't have the capacity for riding safely with others, or who just will not listen to reasonable advice. And while it may be unpopular to put this idea out there, there are going to be times when someone is going to have to hear, "This ride isn't for you". 

We're not really geared for such up-front honesty these days, but it is true: There are good riders and bad riders. Some are posing dangers to others. We can do what we can to lead those toward better ways of riding, but some folks will never get there, or don't want to. And then you have a decision to make. I'm not going to tell you what to do here, because you will have to decide what is best in any particular situation, but I know I've been shown the door at certain road rides, and I've had to make tough decisions as an event director. So, I've seen both ends of this story. 

Making tough decisions when it comes to rider participation is never any fun.

This isn't an issue that is going to just go away, or get better. With rider participation at all time highs in terms of gravel events and riding in general, group ride techniques and skills will be very important to have for riders. Maybe more so than ever before. But where are they going to get this valuable wisdom and teaching? 

And add in the variables with regard to electrified gravel bikes, where instant torque and speed is on tap that fully-human powered riders won't have in a group, and there could be a further need and example for the teaching of etiquette and skill in terms of a group dynamic. 

Today's riders can be taught and educated, but where I feel there is a disconnect is in the "how it is to be done". Many point to how they were brought up through the ranks, and I get it, because that's how it was for me. I've been dropped, I've been left off the notifications for a ride, and I've been yelled at with a drill sergeant's intensity during a ride. While that all may have worked for me then, that ain't-a-how it's gunna work these days! So, bag that "these kidz are soft'" comments and let's figure this out,because people are getting hurt needlessly due to the lack of skills and knowledge, and it doesn't have to be that way. I think we need more rider education and leadership, but we have to find a way that is relevant in 2024.

That's my take. Let me know in the comments if you have a better idea, or if you've experienced a positive or negative gravel group/race ride situation. I'd love to carry on this conversation in to the future.