So, When Did You Discover Gravel?

It isn't as though you can go out and buy it. You have had to experienced it.

I often realize my perspective on gravel cycling is a bit different than many people's perspectives. This says a couple of things to me. 1 - I'm old! 2 - People who "discovered" gravel cycling lately have a far different view of the sport. A view that often times is a bit lacking in a historical perspective. 

I will say here that there are , most likely, a LOT of newer to gravel cyclists that just plain do not care. History regarding anything may not be their bag. So, I understand my perspective falls on deaf ears many times in many cases. This doesn't mean history doesn't exist, however; and I am going to write it down, or record it on a podcast, whenever I get the chance.

This is my motivation to do a series of podcasts with the early gravel riding people. I want this to be a story they tell, along with myself, who will continue to write this historical viewpoint up here. Perhaps some new-to-gravel riders will stumble upon this and gain some perspective on the sport. If not, well I will be able to say that at least I tried. To anyone reading this who may gain some insight, welcome! I hope you find these efforts to be worthwhile learning. 

Winter 2006, probably February by the looks of it here.

My journey with gravel cycling started along with my involvement in Trans Iowa back in late 2004. The event was the first "modern day gravel event" which Jeff Kerkove and I started  and which I was involved with continuing onward from there until Spring 2018 when I shut the event down. 

Obviously, the "boom" in gravel cycling did not start then. Arguably it started in 2017/2018, but really took off right after the pandemic, when participation numbers soared worldwide. The influx of new-to-gravel cyclists is a number unknown, but certainly numbers worldwide have doubled since 2017 when "gravel" was still mostly a North American cycling sport. 

I know this because I kept track of gravel events worldwide up to the beginning of the pandemic. There were certainly events outside of North America in the earliest days of gravel, but they were odd, and until post-pandemic times, not numerous. Now that gravel is a UCI recognized arm of competitive cycling, the worldwide exposure and interest in gravel cycling is spiking. 

So the prevailing thought about gravel cycling for many is "this is new!", when in fact, it is definitely NOT new. New to them? Yes. I agree with this, and due to this new introduction it is fair to say many think the entire genre' is a "new thing" to cycling, which some in cycling media still like to intimate to their readership. 

The same bicycle as above from this Winter of 2025.

Online forums are rife with questions from people who just bought their first gravel bike in 2025. Often these people are asking what tires they should run, what upgrades should they consider, and more chatter like this is quite commonplace. These are natural questions and have nothing to do with gravel cycling in general, but are usually questions seen concerning any "newbie" to any genre' of cycling. So, this does not surprise me when it comes to all the questions about what to do with your newfound cycling pursuit. 

What I do find amazing is this: There is little to no appreciation for where any of these ideas, designs, and applications of technology have come from in regard to gravel cycling. Again: Most people don't care, most likely, but I remember when it was not this easy. We have an embarrassing amount of choices now. Many of the newer riders don't realize how "rich" they are sometimes. 

So, along with the interviews and my thoughts in general, I also want to paint a picture of how things used to be so there is at least a place someone could go to for context. I hope to provide this resource soon in the form of several posts in the series I have been calling "Gravel History With Guitar Ted".  The series will have it's own archive which will be accessible from under the header in the pages tab.

I haven't decided to stick to the name I have for this series now, but when I settle on a name things will start in earnest. You, my dear readers, will be able to see the posts as they come out in the regular feed, and those posts will then be archived on its own page. Podcasts with early gravel riders will also be linked here and on this new page. 

Of course, I am open to suggestions for this series and you can choose to email me here at g.ted.productions@gmail.com or comment on this post from the hyperlink below the post. 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!