The State Of The Gravel Scene 2025

 In January 2018 I posted a five part series on what I thought was the "State Of The Gravel Grinding Scene". It really is a retrospective/editorial piece, I suppose, since it does present the historical background of what I term as "modern day gravel racing and riding", which I hold to have begun when Trans Iowa kicked off in November of 2004.

Now, a whole seven years later, things have radically changed in the gravel scene. What is more, things are set to change even more in 2025 and beyond. 

Remember- THIS IS MY OPINION. Your thoughts and views on the matter may be quite different. I welcome any reasoned and considered opinions which you can share with me at g.ted.productions@gmail.com. 

Nearly ten years ago now, had you asked me then, I would have said that we had achieved "peak gravel" as far as what I thought would be the pinnacle of the genre. Of course, I was wrong about that, but as I stated in my address last year, we are in a "past its peak" stage of gravel cycling, as far as development of this idea. 

You see this in the world-wide series from Gravel Earth and the UCI. There are two "Gravel World Championships". There is a world-wide known event that is considered the "premier" gravel event in Unbound. You also see Pros, Pro bike development, and a group of enthusiasts chasing the latest and greatest thing, whatever that may be. 

This parallels the Pro road racing scene in terms of events and products. While the tradition part is obviously not the same, (how could it be?), the level that gravel has reached, and will in 2025 and beyond, is on par with the road scene. In some ways, it has surpassed it. 

Why? Because people are still flocking to gravel as a way to compete, recreate, and otherwise enjoy cycling. I've said it for years now - gravel is easy to do, easy to turn into an event, and does not require a specific venue, as does mountain biking, nor does it require roads to be shut down, or permits, or insurance to have an event. (Think about that before you fly off to the comment section)  World-wide, gravel is off the grid of cars, sanctioning bodies, and rules. 

There is big money and prestige in gravel racing, you'll find this stuff, of course, but world-wide gravel riders really don't need any of it.  The high-level, paid, sponsored, and notable rider is but a tiny fraction of the numbers of world-wide gravel riders. You just hear about the tiny fraction more, due to how we seem to have a need to worship athletic prowess and the people who possess it. Well, at least cycling media does this elevating of persons. 

So, what is the state of the scene? It is so vast and so diverse now, who knows? Furthermore, who cares? As long as we can ride our bikes, it will be happening, this gravel thing, and this is a good thing. So, one could say 'gravel is good', and thriving, so why worry about it? 

So, this is where I stand on the subject in 2025. 

We are in the third generation of gravel ridership. In my opinion, we are at least this deep into it. I was thinking when we started Trans Iowa, if you were 15 years old then, you'd be 35 years old sometime this year. You would be a parent, possibly, and maybe you found out about gravel five or so years ago. This tracks with many people I have heard talk about "how gravel is new" and when they found out about it.

The teenagers in gravel now represent a third tier of riders coming up, and maybe you could extend that upward to early 20-somethings. I met several people within this age group at Mid-South last year. Many told me it was one of the first times, or it was the first time, they had attended a gravel event. Gravel is new! At least it is to them. 

History is a funny thing. Many 'younger than I am' folks don't care about the history of gravel events at all. They are worried about "the now" and old stuff is.....well, old. Gravel is here, this is all that matters. This is pretty much the bottom line, if we are talking about active young people. If they are young and active at all. Which is a big "if" these days....

As someone who has been there and with all it entails, I have a different perspective. It isn't a majority opinion on gravel, and I am not a spokesperson for the scene over all. Who could be? It is too widespread and too diverse. Anyone who thinks they are on the pulse of gravel at any level is a fool. (I admit,  I was and am guilty) But I do have an opinion on the history part, and maybe a few folks do hearken to my takes. However; at this point? I think it best to say that this will be the last "State of the Gravel Scene" post I do. 

Again, I have opinions and I know some history. I am able to speak to that, and I will remain a voice for those things. I also know why "gravel" got its start. I found a great written thought which resonated with me concerning the reasons we started the gravel scene the way we did back then on Threads, a social media platform you may have heard about. It was a thought put down by a user named "ray.pedals.on" He wrote the following:

"Somewhat crazy thought…I want to ride for 12 hours straight. I want to see how far I can go, how much I can push myself. I know others have ridden longer and farther than I probably ever could, but that’s not the point. I want to do it."

"ray.pedals.on" wants to try this, I wanted to try this, and many others who were seeking an impactful experience wanted to try this. The early gravel scene provided a canvass for people to paint their own challenges on. This "gravel thing" was out on rural roads, with no fanfare, with no one cheering riders on, and this made it more personal. It made it mean more in a way that traditional racing on bicycles couldn't approach. This was the point of it all.

Traditional racing is not the enemy, it isn't "bad", but it is not and never will be that which we had. Sure, there are some spots where this can be still grasped by the seeker of self-challenges. Those who are willing to face those inner "demons", as some have described them, alone, self-supported, and without the trappings of what many consider a "race". This sort of thing can be found yet.

 But you'll never read about this on traditional cycling media. Many folks coming through the gauntlet of posts in online forums will not read about these special events, and maybe they will never care. Maybe this is the bad thing....

I will continue to speak to this sort of event/challenge/riding. This is why I started getting into gravel. It is what keeps me pedaling onward. This is my goal. "I want to do it."

This is the state of my gravel scene.

Saturday I will have my Events Cost Survey post up.

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.