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.  

Lost In The Transaction

The reasons we rode gravel are now ghosts of the past.

 I was in line at the Post Office the other day waiting to drop off a package to be shipped. A couple of people were ahead of me. One man. a tall, thin, athletic looking older gentleman, had on a t-shirt with a small logo on the back. I recognized it as the Life Time logo and just underneath it was the Unbound logo.

I smiled, thinking about how I was a part of what made the Unbound event what it is today. Then I started thinking about how that seminal, top-tier gravel event no longer represents what it did 20 years ago. 

Of course, I know why this is, and I just enjoyed the memories I have of what it was which motivated us back then.. Things this man ahead of me at the Post Office that morning likely does not know about, or care to know about.  And why should he? Gravel is big business now in cycling. It is a UCI recognized sport, and there is a UCI "World Champion" in gravel racing now with events spread across the entire globe. The gentleman probably thinks this is normal. It is how it is. Right? Why should he, or anyone who attends a UCI gravel event, or who reads the cycling internet sites, or attends Unbound, think otherwise.

It is dangerous for me to write about things concerning gravel riding and racing in 2025 because most folks coming across these thoughts probably have a completely different viewpoint than I do. And my viewpoint is unique in that I am looking at gravel events and modern day gravel cycling from "the beginning', so to speak. In other words, I have two decades of perspective on this sport. If you've been riding gravel for five years, or ten, your perspective is going to be quite a bit different. I understand this: Many people reading my perspectives may think I'm crazy.

I've recounted this story a few times here before, but I will risk one more retelling, since it has relevance to this subject. Many years ago, Joel Dyke, one of the co-founders of the event which became Unbound and a Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame member, emailed me after he had stepped away from the event. He was encouraging me to stick to my way of doing Trans Iowa, the gravel event I used to promote and produce. Trans Iowa was free to enter, self-supported, and ultra-distance with hard time cut-offs. We had no "podium" awards ceremonies, no prize money to 'winners', and no finish line furnishings or hoopla. The entire reason Trans Iowa existed was to be an alternative to what racing had become. An alternative to just focusing on "the Winner" and disregarding all other competitors. At Trans Iowa, if you even lined up to start, you won.

Joel knew this, and his event he started with Jim Cummings, (again - why isn't Jim in the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame?), was like Trans Iowa in the beginning, but it "grew" and changed, and well, Joel finally had had enough of that. Joel messaged me, as I said, and stated that "...when the money comes into it, it will ruin gravel."

UCI Gravel Worlds (Image courtesy of the UCI)

Ruin? Well......c'mon! I mean, look what we have now. Gravel tires, bicycles, gear, and even gravel specific bibs, for cryin' out loud! How would we have any of this without gravel cycling becoming a money-making machine? Who would invest their time doing anything for gravel cycling unless they could make a living out of it?

Well, I don't know.......ask me. I can tell you how that works. But I'm not like most people, so I understand.

But was Joel correct in his prophecy? Can we look around and see how "gravel is ruined", or is it at the pinnacle of cycling in terms of popularity? I would say it is a pretty big deal now, and thanks to gravel being big business for this. So, "ruin" in terms of the overall impacts of gravel, yeah.... This sport has put a LOT of people on bicycles, so just from this standpoint, I think the prophecy is not correct. But this is not the only way to look at what gravel has become.

There has always been something about what Joel emailed me which stuck with me though. In the context of what gravel cycling once was, and where it is now? Maybe there is something to this "prophecy" which is true.

I always felt what he meant, and in my heart, I knew something was right about what Joel, and to be honest, many others, were saying back then. Gravel cycling was done for many reasons, but there was an element of gravel cycling which was unique, had nothing to do with who crossed a line first, and was something which any person could experience, whether they were blessed with a top-tier athletic ability or not at all. 

Recently, a press release and an old public television episode helped me make sense of these feelings.

The press release came from a European cycling brand. They sent out a press release about their athlete's experiences at the 2025 Unbound event. I got eight seconds in before I stopped and sat aghast at what I had heard. I assumed this was from their male athlete in the event. His quote was this: "I don't think there is any reason to come here (Unbound) unless you have a chance to win the race".

Spoiler alert, this athlete did not win. (At least his name did not pop up in results for winners of Unbound) So......I guess he shouldn't come back again and this year was a waste? Admittedly, there could be something worthwhile about this person's experiences which came out through the video, but I couldn't get past those first eight seconds. I had heard enough. And this is why it is dangerous for me to write about this sort of thing. 

Here is another quote. This time from a person who had ultra-distance cycling experience and knew competitive cycling norms from before 2010. His name, Jeff Frings. He filmed and produced the award winning documentary, "300 Miles of Gravel", which Iowa Public Television picked up on when they ran a portion of this film and interviewed Jeff about it. 

Image courtesy of Mondraker Bicycles.

Jeff was struck by Gravel Cycling Hall of Famer, Cory, "Cornbread" Godfrey's efforts in Trans Iowa v7, the version of Trans Iowa Jeff filmed. In describing this effort, Jeff asked some questions which summed up the very reasons all of us engaged in gravel cycling events in the early days of gravel. He said, "Can I finish this? Can I push myself beyond what I thought I could do?"

Looking at gravel cycling in this way, if you simply engaged in the activity, you were "winning". It did not matter who crossed a line, as long as it was a line you didn't think was possible for you to cross. This made gravel events inclusive of everyone. All bodies, all levels of fitness and talents. It did not matter a whit what bicycle you had as long as it was what made you happy and successful in reaching goals for yourself, or going beyond those to reach points you never dreamed of before.

So, was Joel right in this view of things? I think we have lost something here in 2025. We've exchanged a personal growth aspect to attain a business growth aspect. We've left the focus on "everyone" and focused on the riders so talented we could never hope to be like them. Where does this leave us who cannot attain to such heights?

Well, maybe you have no reason to come "here" (grave cycling) anymore. This wasn't how things used to be though.

pfft! I probably should watch the end of that video.....but I probably won't. 

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.

The State Of The Gravel Scene: 2024

 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 2004.

Now, a whole six years later, things have radically changed in the gravel scene. What is more, things are set to change even more in 2024 and beyond. This post seeks to lay out what I think will happen based upon my observations and from where we are now at the end of 2023. 

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. 

The State of the Gravel Scene: 2024 -

 Throughout the last half of 2023 it kept occurring to me that we were now reaching a time which could be defined as "post-gravel" when it comes to the "Gravel Scene", such as it is. My co-host on the Guitar Ted Podcast, N.Y. Roll, says we have plateaued. I think both things are true going into 2024. 

To see this we have to rise above all the discussions about Pro racers, men and women wanting different start times, equity in access, and all the rest of that, and look at a bigger picture. When we take in the gravel cycling scene from that perspective what we see is a sport that has permeated every facet of cycling you can think of. Even parts of road cycling and mountain biking are now represented as "gravel cycling". 

Every form and type of competition in cycling is being contested on gravel now. Yes, even time trials, triathlon, and circuit racing. Marathons, team racing, 24hr gravel races, and more are all represented now in 2024. 

The hardware is covered here as well. Full-suspension gravel bikes? Done! That was five years ago now! The latest craze in gravel cycling is full-aero and electrified. Big tires? Yes.You name it, gravel cycling has got it now. 

Another thing N.Y. Roll often says, and I think it is 100% true, and that is all the pioneering is over. We've been there, done that. All the problems have been figured out for you. So, as an example, when we see people throwing fits about muddy roads in gravel races we roll our eyes. This is not new anymore and people can easily research what has happened at gravel events these days. Race reports, blogs, Instagram, Facebook, and more all depict every possible form of road conditions at events. If you don't know about 'something', you just are not trying. I mean, the information is out there. Everywhere.

So, the book has been written, and the sport of gravel riding is now not going to have much more to add to its book other than more of the same. As long as new people keep showing up, taking on challenges, or try to squeeze a living out of cycling on unpaved surfaces, "Gravel" will plod along. I wouldn't expect any real innovations, changes, or huge growth now going forward. 

Sites like Gravel Kansas will help enhance the gravel experience

A Shift In Focus:

It is my opinion that a shift in focus from doing 'traditional' gravel events to doing independent, group and solo excursions on curated routes will start to be a more popular thing to do. We see things like "Gravel Kansas", a site that has several gravel routes with stories and history attached, springing up. The "Great Plains Gravel Route", a sort of gravel sister to "Tour Divide", should become available as a route soon. We see the Spinistry, a Texas based gravel cycling club, doing long gravel routes like their cross-Texas RAT 1000 route. 

Another shift in the gravel scene has been the growth in weekly group rides held all across the nation. These have grown in popularity due to their non-race pace, social focus, and free-to-engage entry. Personally I have heard about several of these group rides with weekly attendance into the triple digits of riders.

More and more, riders are choosing socially centered group gravel rides.

Going Back To Road/MTB: 

 I suspect that wherever there are remote roads to be ridden, the group rides and more socially driven events will flourish. But there is an undercurrent to all of this that points to a bit of regression, I think. 

There are a lot of people who have tried "gravel cycling" out, they bought the bike, and then found that they just weren't turned on by that type of riding. That or they found that "gravel" doesn't exist where they live and a road or MTB bike serves them better. Some folks miss that single track, or that fast-paced peloton feel, and so the gravel bike gets sold and they leave the scene. 

So, while I don't think that MTB or road riding is "the next big thing", I think that because gravel was touted as "the next big thing" there are going to be more than a few folks who find that gravel cycling isn't what they wanted after all. 

Post-Gravel or Plateau? 

I can see it going either way. The alternative, unpaved cycling choices, I think, will only increase, so I think one could say that in 2024 we will see a shift in how we do gravel cycling more so than we will see a decrease in participation overall. As an example, prices for events, which keep increasing, and in some cases help fund prizing for semi-pro and Pro riders, will turn off more people and drive them towards these group rides and bikepacking/touring/camping style rides. 

And at some point events will start drying up. Making money at events will be increasingly more difficult as competitive dates for rider's to consider are now going to mean that choosing where to go to race may decide the fates of many events. We've already seen this happening, by the way. The calendar of events is ridiculous, and it isn't getting any easier to navigate.

This is a function of over-saturation and - in my view - this is a sign of a "post-gravel" era. The same sort of over-saturation in media and marketing will start to have less of an effect on riders who are already tuning out. Marketing will look for alternatives to gravel, and they already are. You'll know it when they latch on to whatever is deemed "The Next Big Thing" because it will become all you'll read and see.

Creating new routes to be toured, or raced for "FKT"'s will increase.

On the other hand, top-level, gravel surfaced racing by professional and semi-professional cyclists will be on the increase. This will initially be seen as "good". But eventually it will result in more expensive new bikes, events, and it will alienate a large base of the cycling public.

It isn't the late 1990's or early 2000's anymore and what professional racing cyclists are doing is not having that same "Lance-effect" that it had 25 years ago. It used to be that riding what the Pro's rode was an attainable thing, but more and more that is less possible for more people.

What is more, many won't see anything having to do with Pro/Semi-Pro gravel racing because it is so poorly covered by the media, especially visually. Just trying to follow any possible "gravel cycling heroes" will be difficult. That is, if cyclists will even want to have gravel cycling heroes.

 It would seem to me that it has become a thing to democratize "The Hero Status" anyway, so that everyone can be a "hero". You don't have to follow in the footsteps of those professionals anymore. Strava, Instagram, and other forms of social media have distributed attention and status to many and essentially this has decentralized cycling in particular. So, the effect of increasing Professional level events by the UCI/USAC won't have the effect that it may have had 20-25 years ago or more. In other words, many people just don't care what the UCI/USAC does or who wins their events. 

And really, because of the over-saturation caused by social media, there are 'more than you can follow' gravel influencers and athletes. So, because of all the "noise", you either focus on one or two things or tune it all out. On one hand information is good, but when it all just becomes mush, it isn't good anymore. This is the point gravel is at in 2024.

Well, those are my thoughts going into 2024 concerning gravel cycling. What do you think? let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

The Two Worlds Of Gravel

The UCI announced their next five years of dates for their championships

Recently I have noted a contrast in the "world" of gravel cycling that I found quite jarring, and honestly, I am not at all surprised by it. The announcement by the UCI Gravel World series is the starting off point here since they made their dates known for the next five years in terms of locations for their so-called "Gravel World Championships" events. 

So, let's start with that. Obviously, there is some disconnect between what the UCI thinks of, and perhaps what many Europeans think of, when they think of "gravel riding/racing" in comparison to what the rest of the world thinks. That term, "gravel", can be stretched to include many things that are not crushed rock, and let's be honest, that happens a fair amount here in the USA as well.

So there is that bit one can dissect and debate on. 

Then you have "how these events are run". The UCI events are essentially a cut and paste of road racing events on slightly sketchier surfaces. There may be less support than a full-on road event, but essentially, these are about a very small percentage of riders at the very pinnacle of athletic prowess. Not very "inclusive", nor is it going to generate much, if any, increases in ridership across all the groups of regular folks out there. 

Much the same can be said here in the USA about sanctioned gravel events where USAC is running the show, (not merely providing an insurance benefit). The focus is on developing talent for the Pro ranks and the Olympics. It's all about the less than 1% of riders that might have the potential to become medalists or go on to be successful Pro roadies, MTB'ers, or track cyclists. 

Even USAC president, Brendan Quirk, says that most gravel riders are not there to be "hard-core racers". He was quoted in a "Velo News" piece late in 2022 as saying that there will be a split in gravel: "The other side is hardcore racing. These athletes that want to win and are going to be doing everything possible to win. They’re not there for the afterparty, they’re there to win the bike race. Ultimately, that’s how I see this bifurcation.” 

But there isn't going to be a lot of those "hardcore racers", I'm afraid, and the other side of the Gravel World is proving that everyday.

From Gravel Worlds social media.

The United States, where "modern day" gravel events were born, and where they first flourished, was not built upon such hardcore racing foundations. Not that the hardcore were not welcomed. Of course they were, but so was everyone else. 

What is more, there are several variants in terms of events. There are "ultra" distance gravel events, "Big" gravel events, events with definitive local flavor, events with varying rules and procedures. Event fees range from hundreds of dollars to nuthin'. 

I've always said that if you cannot find an event that caters to your ideals then start your own, and in the gravel scene on this side of the Gravel World, you can do that. People do it every year. No need to get a sanctioning body to do anything we already can do on our own. That's good if you like choices. That's good if variety is a valued characteristic. 

That's why the whole idea of a "world championships" is nonsensical. It's someone's construct. It isn't a "real" world championship. It's just made-up and people buy into it. It is the ultimate non-reality that people think is really real. But it isn't at all. 

It reminds me of the time when I interviewed Jeff Kerkove and we were talking about the World Championships for solo 24 hour racing. (See the portion of the interview where this comes up HERE) In that interview we joked around about having Trans Iowa be the "Gravel Worlds". And while I am not claiming that Jeff or myself had anything to do with the Good Life Gravel Adventure becoming Gravel Worlds here four years after that interview, the guys and gals behind Gravel Worlds had that similar ethos in mind when they did make the name change. 

The weekend of August 26th Gravel Worlds will roll off  again and they will be trying to celebrate everyone. The fast folks, the mid-packers, and the tail end of the field. They will be listening to the tales of those who tried but did not finish with an attentive ear. The UCI Gravel World Championships will happen and maybe a few people will be interviewed but most of the field will be anonymous racers who will be left as pack fodder and only remembered in some forgotten digital document by the UCI. A cold reminder of the dehumanizing effects of ultimate competition. 

Which side of the gravel world would you rather be on? 

NOTE: A history of the Good Life Gravel Adventure/Gravel Worlds will appear tomorrow here.

The Two Worlds Of Gravel

The UCI announced their next five years of dates for their championships

Recently I have noted a contrast in the "world" of gravel cycling that I found quite jarring, and honestly, I am not at all surprised by it. The announcement by the UCI Gravel World series is the starting off point here since they made their dates known for the next five years in terms of locations for their so-called "Gravel World Championships" events. 

So, let's start with that. Obviously, there is some disconnect between what the UCI thinks of, and perhaps what many Europeans think of, when they think of "gravel riding/racing" in comparison to what the rest of the world thinks. That term, "gravel", can be stretched to include many things that are not crushed rock, and let's be honest, that happens a fair amount here in the USA as well.

So there is that bit one can dissect and debate on. 

Then you have "how these events are run". The UCI events are essentially a cut and paste of road racing events on slightly sketchier surfaces. There may be less support than a full-on road event, but essentially, these are about a very small percentage of riders at the very pinnacle of athletic prowess. Not very "inclusive", nor is it going to generate much, if any, increases in ridership across all the groups of regular folks out there. 

Much the same can be said here in the USA about sanctioned gravel events where USAC is running the show, (not merely providing an insurance benefit). The focus is on developing talent for the Pro ranks and the Olympics. It's all about the less than 1% of riders that might have the potential to become medalists or go on to be successful Pro roadies, MTB'ers, or track cyclists. 

Even USAC president, Brendan Quirk, says that most gravel riders are not there to be "hard-core racers". He was quoted in a "Velo News" piece late in 2022 as saying that there will be a split in gravel: "The other side is hardcore racing. These athletes that want to win and are going to be doing everything possible to win. They’re not there for the afterparty, they’re there to win the bike race. Ultimately, that’s how I see this bifurcation.” 

But there isn't going to be a lot of those "hardcore racers", I'm afraid, and the other side of the Gravel World is proving that everyday.

From Gravel Worlds social media.

The United States, where "modern day" gravel events were born, and where they first flourished, was not built upon such hardcore racing foundations. Not that the hardcore were not welcomed. Of course they were, but so was everyone else. 

What is more, there are several variants in terms of events. There are "ultra" distance gravel events, "Big" gravel events, events with definitive local flavor, events with varying rules and procedures. Event fees range from hundreds of dollars to nuthin'. 

I've always said that if you cannot find an event that caters to your ideals then start your own, and in the gravel scene on this side of the Gravel World, you can do that. People do it every year. No need to get a sanctioning body to do anything we already can do on our own. That's good if you like choices. That's good if variety is a valued characteristic. 

That's why the whole idea of a "world championships" is nonsensical. It's someone's construct. It isn't a "real" world championship. It's just made-up and people buy into it. It is the ultimate non-reality that people think is really real. But it isn't at all. 

It reminds me of the time when I interviewed Jeff Kerkove and we were talking about the World Championships for solo 24 hour racing. (See the portion of the interview where this comes up HERE) In that interview we joked around about having Trans Iowa be the "Gravel Worlds". And while I am not claiming that Jeff or myself had anything to do with the Good Life Gravel Adventure becoming Gravel Worlds here four years after that interview, the guys and gals behind Gravel Worlds had that similar ethos in mind when they did make the name change. 

The weekend of August 26th Gravel Worlds will roll off  again and they will be trying to celebrate everyone. The fast folks, the mid-packers, and the tail end of the field. They will be listening to the tales of those who tried but did not finish with an attentive ear. The UCI Gravel World Championships will happen and maybe a few people will be interviewed but most of the field will be anonymous racers who will be left as pack fodder and only remembered in some forgotten digital document by the UCI. A cold reminder of the dehumanizing effects of ultimate competition. 

Which side of the gravel world would you rather be on? 

NOTE: A history of the Good Life Gravel Adventure/Gravel Worlds will appear tomorrow here.

Leave No Trace

Note: Today's post contains some graphic descriptions and salty language. You've been forewarned! 

Recently the Iowa Gravel Series head honcho, Chris McQueen, wrote a post on the IGS site regarding an incident that occurred at one of his events. The events Chris puts on have signed turns. He uses "real estate" type signage, the sort you might see in front of a property for sale, to mark corners. So, these are valuable and he retrieves them after every one of his events. 

While fetching signage after a recent event he discovered one sign missing and it had been replaced with a handmade sign bearing the visage of a penis riding a bicycle. The directional arrows were scrabbled on each of the four corners, so riders weren't misdirected. On the reverse side, Chris found the message "Tell Your Riders To Stop Being Dickheads To The People Who Live Here Or Find A Different Route!"

As the race director, he was, unsurprisingly, concerned and is seeking to get to the root of things. But as I contemplated this story, I was reminded of past negative, or potentially negative interactions with "locals" and also how the presence of bicycle riders can leave impacts on local residents. Those impacts can be positive or negative. In some cases, my preference would be that no impact was made at all. 

A potentially negative outcome with a local almost shut down this checkpoint location for T.I.v12

  Rural residents are people that are typically very insular and protective of "their" land, (whether or not they actually own said land is not material to the discussion), and suspicions arise whenever a rural person sees anything out of the ordinary when it comes to people, vehicles, or other oddities. Things stand out more in the wide open areas. It's easy to see that the sight of a cyclist is an odd occurrence for most rural residents. 

Rural residents can also be very charming, helpful, and a fantastic resource to cyclists or those involved with putting on events in the cycling realm. Stories of kindness and help unlooked for abound with gravel cycling and I have personally witnessed things like that in my time as an RD and a rider. I recall riding the first DK200 in 2006 and finding a water jug on a card table alongside a dusty road with no farm house in sight. A sign was hastily made and taped to the table's edge that read "Free Water! Take what you need." This was not an outlier either. Folks still do this at many events all across the nation and I hear and see this from gravel events all the time. The kindness and concerns of rural residents is fantastic. 

We can all get along nicely if we try.

But a warning to race directors and gravel event riders or rural riders in general: Ignore rural residents and their concerns at your own peril! Most rural residents will not suffer fools or acts of tomfoolery gently. Trespassing or taking of things is frowned upon and may be met with lethal force if you cross the wrong person. 

Not that I am condoning the reactions rural residents may have, but this is the reality of rural areas. You'd best be aware and ready to be diplomatic, understanding, and willing to compromise. A little grace goes a long way with rural folks. In my experience, a direct explanation of your doings in a kindly tone will smooth over almost every encounter you may have, as long as you are not willfully breaking the law or engaging in other like activity. In fact, I haven't had to really give up anything when having such encounters except some of my time and patience. An inexpensive investment to make to keep the event or ride going. 

Not that every interaction goes swimmingly. You can expect that not all of them will. But the majority of them will if you have the mind to be aware of rural residents concerns and "need to know". Remember, it doesn't help to get aggressive, angry, or combative. You'll only make matters worse. 

Racers that drop garbage chap my hide. (Image by Jon Duke of C.O.G. 100)

The other thing I think is an impediment to racers or riders and rural residents getting along is how racers (especially racers, but regular riders as well) act during events. A few things that I have heard about or personally have witnessed really make me concerned and could be having a negative effect upon the relationship between residents and riders. 

First up is a mostly unspoken concern that happens all the time at many gravel events: People relieving themselves along rural roads. Public urination is pretty much frowned upon almost everywhere you go, but it would seem that many, (mostly male) riders need a reminder that a little prudence goes a long way toward keeping rural residents from crying foul when it comes to your taking a piss. (Shouldn't that be leaving a piss? This never made sense to me....) Anyway... Get behind a tree, out of sight of homes, down in a ditch or something. Or wait till you reach a checkpoint. But don't stand alongside the road in sight of homes and do this. (I feel like I am speaking to children.) 

And finally, why do we even tolerate gel packets, food wrappers, or other garbage being thrown on gravel roads? This is the one that really irks me. I've seen it more and more since "Pro" riders, sponsored riders, and those who think that they are one of those two, got into gravel racing. This needs to be addressed.

Riders will not do anything until race directors take a stand, or...... Race directors have to clean the course after the event. One or the other. The DK200 used to have a Klean Kanza event the week after the 200 where they not only cleaned up their mess, but they picked up ALL the garbage they could find. This was class-leading event operation there. Who does this anymore? 

But if that is not possible, you would have to put the onus on the riders. And you'd have to have a no tolerance policy. In fact, all of the above mentioned issues in this post should be no-tolerance reasons for riders to be kicked out of events. But which race directors have the wherewithal to do that? I'd like to know..... 

I'll tell ya what. If RD's did take a stance as I suggest, you'd see a lot less issues. And yes, you'd see a lot less riders at events in some cases. But does littering and acting a fool make their entry fees worth it? The answer to that says a lot about what is and what is not important in any gravel event.

Leave No Trace

Note: Today's post contains some graphic descriptions and salty language. You've been forewarned! 

Recently the Iowa Gravel Series head honcho, Chris McQueen, wrote a post on the IGS site regarding an incident that occurred at one of his events. The events Chris puts on have signed turns. He uses "real estate" type signage, the sort you might see in front of a property for sale, to mark corners. So, these are valuable and he retrieves them after every one of his events. 

While fetching signage after a recent event he discovered one sign missing and it had been replaced with a handmade sign bearing the visage of a penis riding a bicycle. The directional arrows were scrabbled on each of the four corners, so riders weren't misdirected. On the reverse side, Chris found the message "Tell Your Riders To Stop Being Dickheads To The People Who Live Here Or Find A Different Route!"

As the race director, he was, unsurprisingly, concerned and is seeking to get to the root of things. But as I contemplated this story, I was reminded of past negative, or potentially negative interactions with "locals" and also how the presence of bicycle riders can leave impacts on local residents. Those impacts can be positive or negative. In some cases, my preference would be that no impact was made at all. 

A potentially negative outcome with a local almost shut down this checkpoint location for T.I.v12

  Rural residents are people that are typically very insular and protective of "their" land, (whether or not they actually own said land is not material to the discussion), and suspicions arise whenever a rural person sees anything out of the ordinary when it comes to people, vehicles, or other oddities. Things stand out more in the wide open areas. It's easy to see that the sight of a cyclist is an odd occurrence for most rural residents. 

Rural residents can also be very charming, helpful, and a fantastic resource to cyclists or those involved with putting on events in the cycling realm. Stories of kindness and help unlooked for abound with gravel cycling and I have personally witnessed things like that in my time as an RD and a rider. I recall riding the first DK200 in 2006 and finding a water jug on a card table alongside a dusty road with no farm house in sight. A sign was hastily made and taped to the table's edge that read "Free Water! Take what you need." This was not an outlier either. Folks still do this at many events all across the nation and I hear and see this from gravel events all the time. The kindness and concerns of rural residents is fantastic. 

We can all get along nicely if we try.

But a warning to race directors and gravel event riders or rural riders in general: Ignore rural residents and their concerns at your own peril! Most rural residents will not suffer fools or acts of tomfoolery gently. Trespassing or taking of things is frowned upon and may be met with lethal force if you cross the wrong person. 

Not that I am condoning the reactions rural residents may have, but this is the reality of rural areas. You'd best be aware and ready to be diplomatic, understanding, and willing to compromise. A little grace goes a long way with rural folks. In my experience, a direct explanation of your doings in a kindly tone will smooth over almost every encounter you may have, as long as you are not willfully breaking the law or engaging in other like activity. In fact, I haven't had to really give up anything when having such encounters except some of my time and patience. An inexpensive investment to make to keep the event or ride going. 

Not that every interaction goes swimmingly. You can expect that not all of them will. But the majority of them will if you have the mind to be aware of rural residents concerns and "need to know". Remember, it doesn't help to get aggressive, angry, or combative. You'll only make matters worse. 

Racers that drop garbage chap my hide. (Image by Jon Duke of C.O.G. 100)

The other thing I think is an impediment to racers or riders and rural residents getting along is how racers (especially racers, but regular riders as well) act during events. A few things that I have heard about or personally have witnessed really make me concerned and could be having a negative effect upon the relationship between residents and riders. 

First up is a mostly unspoken concern that happens all the time at many gravel events: People relieving themselves along rural roads. Public urination is pretty much frowned upon almost everywhere you go, but it would seem that many, (mostly male) riders need a reminder that a little prudence goes a long way toward keeping rural residents from crying foul when it comes to your taking a piss. (Shouldn't that be leaving a piss? This never made sense to me....) Anyway... Get behind a tree, out of sight of homes, down in a ditch or something. Or wait till you reach a checkpoint. But don't stand alongside the road in sight of homes and do this. (I feel like I am speaking to children.) 

And finally, why do we even tolerate gel packets, food wrappers, or other garbage being thrown on gravel roads? This is the one that really irks me. I've seen it more and more since "Pro" riders, sponsored riders, and those who think that they are one of those two, got into gravel racing. This needs to be addressed.

Riders will not do anything until race directors take a stand, or...... Race directors have to clean the course after the event. One or the other. The DK200 used to have a Klean Kanza event the week after the 200 where they not only cleaned up their mess, but they picked up ALL the garbage they could find. This was class-leading event operation there. Who does this anymore? 

But if that is not possible, you would have to put the onus on the riders. And you'd have to have a no tolerance policy. In fact, all of the above mentioned issues in this post should be no-tolerance reasons for riders to be kicked out of events. But which race directors have the wherewithal to do that? I'd like to know..... 

I'll tell ya what. If RD's did take a stance as I suggest, you'd see a lot less issues. And yes, you'd see a lot less riders at events in some cases. But does littering and acting a fool make their entry fees worth it? The answer to that says a lot about what is and what is not important in any gravel event.

The State Of The Gravel Scene: 2023

  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 2004.

Now, a whole five years later, things have radically changed in the gravel scene. What is more, things are set to change even more in 2023 and beyond. This post seeks to lay out what I think will happen based upon my observations and from where we are now at the end of 2022. 

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. 

Gravel Family or Gravel Factory?

While I was contemplating the state of gravel and considering what I would write about, it struck me that an easy way to give my thoughts a simple definition would be to use the analogy of the "gravel family". Now days, you might think the term is the trade mark of one event called Gravel Worlds. They kind of co opted the term several years ago. However; they weren't the originators of that idea. The idea which defined all those folks who congregated at the earlier gravel events and who ended up becoming like family to each other. 

Early gravel events had smaller fields and there was a certain core group of riders that became well known on the circuit. They in turn welcomed others in, and it became much like a family reunion when these older events had pre-race meetings and social activities. Obviously, it was one of the main components for the gravel grinders early success and popularity. 

I've written about different aspects of this phenomenon in the gravel scene before. I tried searching my blog to see when "gravel family" was used earliest in my writings, but my search function does not recognize that concept,. Instead it kept giving me separate results for any post with those two words in it. Bah! Suffice it to say that the concept has been around about as long as the modern gravel riding scene has been around. 

DK200 pre-race meeting 2010. Back when it was more like a family reunion than a corporate affair.

Somewhere along the line it was decided, or maybe "accepted by default" is a better way to say this, that "bigger" meant "less intimate and personal". Events started behaving more like businesses and less like hosts inviting you over for coffee and cakes. Things got more "serious" and the concept of economic benefits started to attract those who had zero interest in, or any idea about, the way many of the gravel events got started and what it was that made them attractive in the first place.

I need to pause a moment here because this is a very complex, tangled web that needs to be carefully handled. I don't mean to say that the concept of making money is necessarily a bad thing. Event directors, volunteers, and venues need money to keep the wheels greased and to be able to put out a welcome mat that retains the good stuff about an event, but also one that has amenities that riders are looking for. This is not at all easy to do. 

However; it is my opinion that once the attendance for an event reaches a certain size, after that point the event becomes less about "everybody" and more about certain groups, and more about abstract ideas which may be popular at the time. People get left behind and slip trough the cracks. That "family" feeling doesn't exist anymore. It's kind of like the difference between seeing a band in a small venue and seeing a band in a stadium with 40,000 people. Both have their appeal, I suppose, but in the gravel scene, we didn't grow and have appeal because we were like the big concerts. We made hay with the more intimate concept. 

It's more difficult to not feel like "just a number" when crowds are so big now.

With many events reaching attendance figures into the thousands of riders, the unavoidable waiting in lines, jockeying for food, a place to stay, and the processing of entrants into the event becomes less like family and more like a "factory" assembly line. Get in, get out, wait here, line up. When its over, you are not only exhausted from the effort of the ride, but just as much from having to run that whole gauntlet of registration for the event, getting there, being run through all the lines to pick up schwag bags, and number plates, and then off to bed. 

Afterward you just want to get out of there and go home. Wait....what?!! That's so goofy to anyone that was around in the earlier days of these events. But then again- if you don't know- you don't know. A more factory approach may be how you think things should be, and well, how else could it be done? 

And now you've got the Pro riders with their set ups and special vehicles and training regimes that cannot be messed with because there is money and sponsorships on the line here. The average gravel riders line up over there, the serious ones, which are racing for prizes and monetary rewards? They get the front of the field to themselves. And listen- I get it. There is no way you'd want the Pros trying to blast their way through floundering seas of recreational riders and weekend warriors. I'm just illustrating the fact that there are two very different things going on here now. There are two classes of people being defined. While the efforts to try to mix those together have been admirable, it is time to separate these elements. 

An article in the "New Yorker" which was published late in 2022 was quoted on social media as saying the following: "...gravel racing, an American innovation, allowed an elite contest to be underwritten by the people who lose."

Provocative? Yes. Harsh? Maybe, but the author is not necessarily wrong about that. At least in terms of the bigger, more produced events, that is perhaps the case more than it is not. And listen, many people think that is fine. They are okay with that concept. These are people that want to hold up the elite and - well, worship them. They want to be "associated with greatness" even if it means that as part of their allegiance to the elite, they have to foot the bill for the elite to participate.They want "kings" and "queens" and are willing to ride their coattails. 

From Trans Iowa v13. Image by Ari Andonopoulous.

On the other hand, a smaller group is more capable of experiencing an event as a shared experience. This typically forges life-long connections, and fosters equity. There are no "kings" or "queens". There is just 'The Group" and everyone is valued, more or less, in the same view. 

Everyone's experience is valued, and all are welcome without being judged. This is a hard thing to foster with an event with big attendance numbers where the focus is a lot less on the rider's experience with each other. The rider experience in a personal sense is also important, but that has overridden the community aspects of the gravel scene. With the economic and social needs of the elite riders earning a living at riding gravel at stake, many events have decided to cater to their needs as this group brings notoriety and that brings sponsorship money to the events. 

That's when 'making coin' trumps 'making relationships' at some events, at least in some senses. That's when things begin to feel more corporate and less "fun". Again- the corporate, athlete worship, large group dynamic, "big deal" effect is an attractive type of event for a lot of people. Obviously, or people wouldn't go to attend these events. But that's not how this gravel thing got started, and in the end, people will return to something more like "family" - be that traditional gravel riding, community walking, playing pickle ball..... I don't know what it will be - but this cycle will be repeated and "big time gravel" will collapse under its own weight. 

When will THAT happen? Is it happening NOW? I don't think you'll see a line where the tide turns on the gravel scene. One day people will notice that there is something "else" that is more akin to a small community and a family like atmosphere and whatever THAT is will take over. Slowly. But I think we're getting to that point for many, and for some we've already passed that point. 

Meanwhile, enjoy the gravel scene while you can, because it ain't gonna get any better than it is now, in my opinion.