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| From CIRREM's social media post |
Despite a robust growth in numbers from around 2015 until just after the pandemic, it now seems we are experiencing a downward trend developing in participation across gravel events.
Events which once had to turn away would-be riders are now posting messages trying to entice registration. One may not care about this, but I wondered why this might be occurring at this time. As with most issues involving humanity, this is not an easily answerable issue. It's complex.
I did a little - admittedly light - research into possibilities for why gravel events, and events in general, seem to be having more trouble getting people to commit to participating. This is not an exhaustive list of reasons, by no means, but it is interesting to consider where we are in terms of the gravel scene.
Well, at least I find it interesting! Your mileage may vary on that.
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| Is it fun to pay to do the same course year over year? |
Been There - Done That:
First of all, I think there is a bit of fatigue relating to gravel events which may be a factor here. I think this is especially true if an event uses the same course year after year.
You see the same things and it is not like the first time you saw those things. The discovery phase is exciting. The "here that hill comes again" phase is.....boring.
Same with event venues, formats, and overall experiences. There are 'discovery" elements to any event which may keep things fresh for a time, but after a while, things get stale and then you have......
Rising Costs:
Probably the number one factor I saw in comments on this issue. Rising entry fees, housing costs, travel, etc. It all adds up to a larger obstacle to attending events. Unless there is an overarching reason to go to an event beyond the high cost of entry fee, lodging, and travel, I would have a hard time making a decision to attend. Of course, having friends there makes it a bit more enticing which leads me to.....
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| Events have gotten so big we've lost the ability to have intimacy. |
Finding any social benefits to attending gravel events is becoming harder to find these days. It's no wonder when events have grown to having thousands of participants.
I hear a bit of complaining about how people finish events and then pack up and head home with no time for relaxing and connecting afterward. This is harder to do when you are simply part of a crowd which is there, really, to support the career choices of a few individuals.
It was not always like this, and in my opinion, the social side of gravel events was one of the big attractions to attend events like CIRREM, The Gent's Race, and even Gravel Worlds back in the early 2010's. Odin's Revenge had possibly one of the best, intimate social facets to an event that I can point to. But now days? Yeah......why would you stick around? Everything is geared toward being a big time production with a big crowd of people around and things just get too hectic and crazy.
We went to gravel races for the calm atmosphere, the bucolic scenery, and to connect with a few others doing something we loved. Not to be a cog in a wheel for some LLC that needs to turn a profit.
Changing Culture:
Much of my research turned up the way younger generations see events and what they like in their entertainment choices. It seems anything with a start to finish time of three hours or less is okay, but anything beyond this time period seems to lose younger audiences. This also goes for participation in events.
Many younger folks also are tied to digital means of entertainment which they find more engaging. Opinions on this may vary, but it is a factor in why younger folks don't gravitate to outdoor activities or physical exertion. Obviously, it takes an effort to do a gravel event and usually these events are longer than three hours.
Trend Cycles:
Finally, trends and movements have cycles. The typical long-term cycle for a sport, or fashion, or cultural trend is said to be around 20 years. Gravel cycling, in its Modern Era, has reached the 20 year threshold already. Could it be we are experiencing the natural ebbing of a once growing sport?
In my opinion, I could see this coming in 2019. The pandemic threw a wrench in the cycle, I think, and extended things for a few years afterward. But I feel as though we are back to a descending part of the wave of gravel cycling. Of course, I could be all wrong about this, but everything I see is indicating to me we are on the downward slope now.
Those are my thoughts and what I found in my limited research. What is your opinion? Is gravel suffering from a long list of ills or are we still on the upswing? Maybe things have plateaued a bit? Let me know in the comments.
"Been There - Done That" --> This is me. I did CIRREM 5 times, the last of which was in 2020 right before the Pandemic went nuts. In that 2020 race I found myself having a hard time getting excited for it.
ReplyDeleteThats part of what got me interested in Triathlon late last year and this year. I've done road racing, gravel racing, and MTB racing for about 18 years now. The thought of doing something related but still new enough is what got me excited about Tri.
Funny enough, from the little research I have done Triathlon has also declined significantly since 2010, but has stabilized at a lower level for the last few years.
Interestingly enough, one of the biggest shifts in participation in Tri is the growth in the under 30 age group folks. That group grew by 35% in 2025, and (according to this article I am reading) was greatly impacted by growth in female athletes aged 25-29 at 44% year over year.
My personal opinion is that gravel is going through a (much) milder correction just like fat bikes did a few years back. Massive boom, then as folks decide it might not be for them (not me - love my fat bike) they pull out and things stabilize.
I went through the race results on CIRREMs page. Obviously with an event like that the weather can make a massive difference, but still it is telling.
2011: 98
2012: 111
2013: 102
2014: 100
2015: 107
2016: 123
2017: 103
2018: 92
2019: 56
2020: 135
2021: 106
2022: 163
2023: 168
2024: 162
2025: 99
2026: 87
Looks like a correction back to pre-boom times to me, with maybe a bit of fall off.
I feel like the number one reason we aren't going to some of the events we have in the past is the lack of a social aspect and in many cases a feeling like "we" aren't even who the event is for anymore. Beyond that though is that a lot of the events are starting to become cookie cutter events in that they just copy what everyone else is doing. The distinctness of events is disappearing, all that seems to be changing is the geographical location of the start/finish line in many cases. I also feel like there is an aspect of Pro burn out, sure they are fun to watch and some people like to fanboy over all that stuff but what other sport tries to mix pro and amateurs on the same playing field? If you're driven by performance and results, which many are, I suspect you'd avoid events where the chance of doing well isn't a possibility because of the amount of pro racers in the field. I am liking the trend as of late of trying to organize gravel series in some of the Mid West states as those events are generally smaller, cheaper and like mountain bike series you see a lot of the same people which leads back to a more social aspect of the event. Maybe that's the way to go now, back to smaller events with lower prices and less Pomp and Circumstance.
ReplyDeleteI offer a slightly different view on the been-there-done-that. Long gravel events are hard. They take a lot of preparation and diligence to get ready for and do. I think for a lot of people, meeting the challenge once, or a few times is enough. You've got to be really into these to keep doing it year after year, and I've been doing it for over a decade. It's not exactly burn out, it's more like saturation. And one the young people side; there aren't as many of them. So some decline might be expected.
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