The Path To Discovering Gravel: Part 4

Unidentified rider skirting a muddy road during Trans Iowa v2 2006

 This is Part 4 of a mini-series of posts telling the story of what it was like to attend events in the early days of the Modern Gravel Era. In today's post I wanted to continue with a view to how the events were looked at by riders and what was important from a rider perspective. I think you will find things were very different 20 years ago!

When gravel events started to show up in 2005 and afterward for several years, it was a niche of cycling competition which drew heavily from endurance mountain biking culture. In the early to mid-2000's, the heyday of 24hr MTB events, certain ways things were done were taken for granted by the riders. Some of this culture was transferred over to gravel, certainly, and was done so in an unspoken way. However; the real emphasis philosophically was for gravel was drawn from the unsanctioned, off the grid ultra-mountain biking events. 

Self-sufficiency in those events was paramount. Not only was a rider expected to be able to do repairs in the field, but riders were also tasked with something else which caused no end of debate in the endurance community at the time. This debate also was a large part of early gravel events. The debate? It was centered around when a rider should abandon an event and how not to be a burden on the event. 

From T.I.v8 Image by Steve Fuller

Riders wanted to go as far as possible, at least this was the thought before an attempt at an event. Race directors did not like the idea of having half-dead, dazed and confused riders wandering around out in the wilds. What was the middle ground? 

I recall during the first Trans Iowa in 2005 reports coming in to me concerning a cyclists wandering far off course. It wasn't 100% known for certain if the rider was in Trans Iowa or not, but in all likelihood, the rider was probably in the event. I mean, who else goes wandering about in Iowa on gravel in late April in 40mph gusty Northwest winds? 

Obviously I was shocked and very concerned, but being I was the only functional person running the event, it was not possible for me to do much about this. Eventually the rider was corralled and brought back to safety by his support people, but I am not 100% sure how it happened at all, even now. The thing is, there was responsibility on both sides. Mine, because I wasn't able to keep track of every single rider, and on the rider, because they pushed too hard into a heavy wind, got dehydrated, disoriented, and lost. 

This was the debate. When to say when. Not to burden the event. This meant every rider was on their honor to "pull the plug", get themselves extracted from the course, either self-sufficiently, or by support people called in, and report their status to the event director. This was the operational rule in many early gravel events. It is echoed in the oft still used "You Are Responsible For You!" tagline you may have seen before on certain registration pages or event sites. 

An exploded rear derailleur on the course of Trans Iowa v4. Image by Rob Walters

The philosophical tenets of early gravel events were far different than today's events. Now event directors cater to their "customers" in ways which were never dreamt of as Modern Era Gravel got going. Aid stations, support for hire, course sweepers, media vehicles, and more leave little room for danger and self-reliance in the field. 

Some may see this as an 'improvement' over the old ways and think early gravel events were not 'real racing'. On the other hand, it was challenging, a thrill, and a different sort of 'fun' to ride in an event which placed the burden on you, the rider, to make it out the other side safely. You can still find some semblance of the old philosophy in events like the Arrowhead 135 and the IDITAROD Trail Invitational fat bike events., But in gravel, it is very hard to find this style of event in 2026. 

Things have certainly been changed to where the burden lays at the feet of race directors when it comes to rider well-being and success.