From Untamed To Unbound: How Gravel Riding Has Changed

Image by Guitar Ted

Gravel cycling  has been in its"Modern Era" now for over two decades. In those early days, it did not take long for a debate to ensue amongst its participants as to what would happen if and when "sanctioned" events, large amounts of money, and professional level riders came into the sport.  This debate sprung up because everyone who participated back then was in tune with what was going on with the early gravel events. However; this was so long ago now, many cannot even begin to understand when older gravel riders shake their heads and look away in dismay when younger riders extol the current gravel racing scene. 

Somewhere there is a discourse to be had which might connect the two feelings and viewpoints represented by the older way gravel events were conducted and how these events are conducted in 2026. It might explain why the UCI has not made a lot of headway into gravel racing in the USA. It could be a way to explain what people are talking about when the much-maligned term, "spirit of gravel" is mentioned.  

Today my hope is what you are about to read will shed some light on these two disparate views.  

I am a big J.R.R. Tolkien fan. I was introduced to his writings back in the early 1980's by way of an acquaintance who suggested I read "The Hobbit", and loaned me his copy of the book. I took it home and devoured it in two sittings. Of course, Tolkien's famous trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings" was next, and I read this three book series eight times. I'm not trying to brag about my voracious appetite for the author's most famous books, but I am trying to let you know I was fully engaged and knowledgeable on the legends Tolkien created. 

This explains why, when I went to watch the first, blockbuster movie of the books, directed by Peter Jackson, I firmly rejected Jackson's rearrangements and omissions of what I held to be critical parts of the stories. While it is true Jackson's movies based on the fantasy trilogy brought the "Lord of the Rings" to millions who otherwise may have never read the books, it was done at a cost to the visions of J.R.R. Tolkien and to how the book's fans believed the story should be told. 

I feel similarly about gravel event's past versus today.  

A gravel race start line4 in 2008. Image by David Story

Many fans of Tolkien's books will freely admit there is probably no way a film adaptation of the trilogy could ever be done 'properly', and done accurately to the books. This translates to where we are in gravel events in 2026. I agree with this sentiment in terms of gravel events, and I think it is pretty plain as to why this is. 

Those early events most assuredly have little chance to be recreated in terms of "feel", function, and outcomes in 2026. The story which was told twenty years ago is so vastly different and unimaginable to most riders today. Most riders of gravel in events now have expectations which were not even considered necessary twenty years ago. Event directors demand a certain level of insulation from catastrophe and  a certain level of compensation for liabilities and efforts they are willing to shoulder in 2026. No, things have changed so much, in critically important ways, that the "feel", the essence of those early gravel events, is nearly impossible to find at the "bucket list" events people queue up to get into now. 

So, what is this thing, this "feel", this essence which I speak of? Yes, it is often referred to as the "spirit of gravel', but this term has been so laughably misused and misunderstood, I hesitate to mention it anymore when speaking about gravel events. It is a thing which most people do not have a clue as to what it meant, and it has almost no bearing on the way things are done in gravel in 2026 anyway, so the point is mostly moot.  

However; it was a thing. It was "how the story was originally written" by the event directors and participants back in those days. To fully understand what the essence of gravel was then, one must drop the preconceived notions of what a "race" is and look at competition in a bit different way.  

Difficult conditions were actually relished by early gravel riders and considered a badge of honor to have gone through. Image by Wally Kilburg

I used to have difficulty trying to express what it was which made the early gravel races and rides different. There were the obvious things. Things like start and finish line trappings, chip timing, aid stations, and now - media coverage - which were all non-essentials in early gravel racing. Those things, while seen as unnecessary, were not why gravel events felt the way they did back then. It was something I always had a hard time putting my finger on. It is why any discussion of the term "spirit of gravel" was useless. 

However; I recently came across a dissertation on the views of J.R.R. Tolkien regarding his contemporary, Walt Disney. I found some lines from the dissertation to be particularly enlightening when it comes to explaining the essence of early gravel events versus today's version of gravel. 

Tolkien was reportedly disturbed by Walt Disney's portrayal of fairy tales. Originally, these medieval tales were written with a view to the moral and ethical complexities of situations and choices. Sometimes fraught with danger and frighteningly descriptive details. Disney sought to soften these edges and simplify the moralities for his creations within these tales to make them more accessible and lucrative .  

First up - Here is a quote as taken from "The Inspireist's Post", as seen on social media. 

"For Tolkien, mythology was not meant to be improved, modernized, or made accessible through simplification, It was meant to be preserved - its complexity, its darkness, its moral ambiguity, its genuine danger all intact. If that meant that fewer people engaged with it - so be it. Better a small audience encountering the real thing than a mass audience consuming a commercialized substitute."

I will freely admit I was one of the "Tolkienists" of early gravel. In fact, I was appalled when I found out the Dirty Kanza people were going to take the impromptu parking lot finish line from 2006's inaugural running of the event and refine it. The "feel" of the experience that evening was not repeatable by tinkering with the loose formatting of the first event. And one might argue it couldn't ever be replicated. But this is but one example I have concerning all facets of those early events. 

Pop-up tents, coolers, and clipboard check-in sheets. 

One could also argue that an"elitist" stance of holding gravel to those sorts of limitations may have discouraged many would-be gravel riders. Riders who have since engaged in gravel events because of the simplifications, the amenities, and technologies allowed in events these days. Similar criticisms were laid at Tolkien's feet concerning Disney's treatment of fairy tales and their subsequent successful acceptance amongst millions of people. 

Again, from "The Inspireist's Post" -

" But Tolkien's counterpoint would have been, "What exactly did Disney introduce them to? If the darkness is removed, if the moral complexity is simplified, if the genuine danger is replaced by manageable scares, are children encountering fairy tales? Or are they encountering something that looks like fairy tales but functions differently - as entertainment rather than a myth?""

As I stated earlier, there is almost no way to turn back the clock and do things "the way they used to do things". You have smart phones with desk-top computer functionalities. Navigation, maps, and contact with any knowledge one desires is hand-held and ready for the taking. Demand for inclusion dictates a certain level of care and responsibility on the part of event producers. Certain governmental levels of approval and acknowledgement require levels of guarantees and compliance which weren't considerations twenty years ago. I understand these things to be inherently true. It is also why this entire "spirit of gravel" thing is misappropriated and a moot point today. 

The "genuine danger", moral choices, and the "darkness" of early gravel events is now mostly sanitized and streamlined to fit a model of efficiency, creature-comforts for riders, and sheer numbers of participants.. The substantial monies necessary to produce such big events also creeps in with its own set of demands on events. Social media and sponsors demand a level of viewership which has resulted in coverage of the larger, more lucrative events by way of media vehicles, drones, and helicopters. 

Image by Wally Kilburg

Gravel in 2026 is nothing at all like it used to be. Besides a few examples like Iowa Wind and Rock, the Heywood Ride, and several smaller, lesser known local events, the old narratives of adventure, daring-do, and pure grit are gone. 

They have been replaced by a sharp rise in the level of physical preparations, technological applications to the bicycles, and a focus on competitive fairness in regards to age categories, gender, and an ability to earn money above all else. 

It used to be competition was against oneself. A chance to see if one could overcome Nature, The Course, and Spirit. Others in the event were not seen so much as "competition" but as potential life-long friends who had endured the same situations as you had through to the finish line. Choices were paramount to success. Make a wrong turn, eat the wrong thing, or choose the wrong clothes and your ride might end in a ditch somewhere. 

One is not necessarily better than the other. I admit to being more attracted to the latter rather than the former, but there is no denying the fact we are experiencing things we would not have otherwise if gravel had not followed the 'path of Disney'. My point in this post is to show why the essence of gravel in the early days is not repeatable - or maybe even applicable anymore - today. Many people wouldn't want those things we cherished then anyway. It would be said to be too hard, too dangerous, and too risky. Maybe even stupid. 

While the old ways and experiences may not be replicated today, and at odds with how today's gravel scene on the bigger stages is, I find it ironic that the whole "Spirit of Gravel" thing was what drove this niche into the behemoth of competitive cycling it has become today. We couldn't have today without yesterday, yet most involved in the storytelling of gravel seem to forget about this fact. It is something which is being lost as the years go by. I find this to be a worse thing than not having today's events reflect the true spirit of the old days and events.   

It is a story worth being told.  

I hope this helps explain where we came from in gravel, and why it is different today. Thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave a comment in the comment section.