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 Then I started thinking about how that seminal, top-tier gravel event no longer represents what it did 20 years ago.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. 

Aero & Gravel Cycling

The new Miche Graff Aero 48 wheel (Image courtesy of Miche)

 Five years ago I was testing an aero wheel set for Riding Gravel. It was a wheel set from FLO Cycling, a then player in the triathlon market that was trying to make a mark in the gravel cycling niche.

I wrote an article here detailing how many negative comments were being made about aero gear for gravel, and later on in 2020 I made the bold statement that we would see "a lot more companies jumping in on aero" products in the future. 

Anyone who pays attention to gravel cycling gear now knows aero is an entrenched facet of the genre. You don't have to agree with the concepts, nor believe the benefits, but I don't think anyone can say it doesn't exist and would agree that it is here to stay. 

This was not the case five years ago when comments were being made to the effect that the aero concept was merely another invention of marketers to take your money. Or, this one: "Aero doesn't matter to me because I am slow".

I'm going to make a few feathers ruffle, perhaps, but all of the negative thoughts concerning aero - whether it is merely a rude to make money, or that it doesn't matter at slower speeds, are wrong.  Aero matters on gravel roads. Especially in the Mid-West. Probably in other places too. You know, wherever you have air to move through? There it matters.

FLO Cycling wheels on the Noble GX5 in 2020.

 Of course, there are diminishing returns, and limitations to aero exist when conditions get weird, like with heavy winds and the like, but aero is a thing for gravel and I have always believed this. So, I don't get too bent about aero this-or-that when it comes to gravel cycling. There is a place for it even for a guy like myself, who admittedly is not all that fast.

Besides, we do ride on roads, of a sort, so it only makes sense to pay attention to some aerodynamic benefits. If you can avail yourself of these benefits, why not do that? And if some of this is in components, or what you wear, like my aero helmet, then I think it deserves some consideration for all gravel cyclists.  

Early Thoughts On Gravel Growth

 In celebration of the twentieth year of this blog, I have a few tales to tell. This post is one of them. This series will occur off and on throughout this anniversary year, I hope to illuminate some behind-the-scenes stories and highlights from the blog during this time. Enjoy!

 In 2012 about this time of the year I had just put on the eighth Trans Iowa event. There were tons of other gravel events with several years of editions behind them. There were also a lot of new events hitting the internet with promises of challenge, scenery, historical context, and fun times. There were new products designated as "gravel" products by this time, which was a new thing. Gravel cycling was in the midst of changes.

Gravel was changing by 2012 - Image by Wally Kilburg

I sensed this by 2012 and wrote a post saying as much back in May of that year. It was kind of a prototypical post which pointed toward my "State of the Gravel Scene" posts I started writing in 2018.

The post I wrote in 2012 is interesting, to me at any rate, because of who commented on it. There were two regional publishers and one current Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame member in there chatting about what they thought of all the changes going on.

Of course, looking back on this thirteen year old collection of thoughts about where the gravel cycling scene was headed should tell you a few things. One: Gravel wasn't "new" then and it isn't now either. A lot more about the gravel cycling scene has passed away than anyone probably even considers today, unless you were around in the scene then. There are things people would be shocked by which we accepted as common practice back then. (Cue sheets, no chip timing, no aid stations, etc.)

But it wasn't about products aimed at gravel riders, it wasn't about event innovations, it was about what one of the commenters said, which was: "You don't have to be Joe-racer-head to really enjoy one of these events." It was also about this, which another commenter said, "The interest in off piste cycling events is growing in general (simply) because they are less mediated and more fun (focus on fun)".

I also was able to discuss this on my last two podcasts in the "Where We Came From" series and I think the general consensus is gravel cycling has become more about "joe racer-head" and it has more mediation and  less focus on fun. At least in the upper echelons of the sport.

One thing is certain, which is gravel cycling is as big world-wide as it ever has been. Is this sustainable? Ehh...... Who knows? I will say the subject has been one which has been written about a ton here on this blog for the past twenty years, and today's highlighted post is evidence of this.

Changes Which May Extend Gravel Greatness

 Yesterday I opined about the reasons which may be pointing to a decline in the popularity of gravel riding. I also stated I did not feel gravel cycling was going away. It will survive in some form or another for as long as there is gravel and bicycles. 

In this post I want to share some reasons why gravel riding might stay as popular as it is today, and maybe even grow more in popularity. These are ideas which are being used today for both recreational, adventurous, and competitive events and rides.

First of all, in terms of competitive events, I would like to spotlight the efforts of the unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley event. One of this event's co-founders, Dave Pryor, was a guest on the most recent Guitar Ted Podcast, (listen to Episode #70 here)

Borrowing from enduro stage type events, and from ideas forged out of dealing with the COVID - 19 pandemic in 2020, Dave and his team came up with several features which not only have made the event more enjoyable, according to its participants, but safer as well. I encourage you to listen to the entire podcast, but here is a bullet point list of some of these ideas:

• Segment Timing: This allows competitors to ride casually in non-timed sections and then race hard in the timed sections. This allows competitors on the fast end to ride with their friends who may not be so fast, and of course, you can come up with other ways this makes sense as well. Secondly, non-timed sections can be placed at difficult road intersections, dangerous downhill bits, or near the end to prevent fast paced craziness in an urban setting. Other examples could also be utilized here as well. 
• Start Time Window: This idea allows a rider to decide when they want to start. For instance, the start time window could be 6:00am - 9:00am. Forgot your gloves, or nutrition? You've got time to go back and get it.  Pros can start later because it will take less time for them to do the course. And then they get to rub shoulders with other riders. (Now, this may not always be desirable, but see the first point, and I think it works. )
•  Course Length Choice: Feeling like a hero at the checkpoint but you signed up for the short course? Or - Maybe you are just off on this day and a hundy doesn't sound very fun, but 50? Yeah, that'd work! This rule allows a rider to switch courses at a prescribed point. The idea of allowing a person to finish in whatever way they choose opens up more chances for rider satisfaction. 

Now, you may say, "But that isn't how the big races are done.", and you are correct in saying this. The thing is, many gravel promoters decided their events should mimic a "certain other pattern" set before. However; while this may work for certain instances and for a certain, very small segment of talented athletes, these sorts of events which many promoters try to mimic with their gravel productions are one of  the very reasons gravel racing started. Gravel racing originally was in direct defiance of that ultra-competitive style of event and a rejection of all the rules and hoopla which those events represented. Over time though, it seems event promoters were wooed by the way big time Pro road style events did things.

Noted gravel cycling fun hog, Dave Pryor cracking an IC Lite.

"It's a trap", as the noted Star Wars general said, which is easily fallen into. However; as Mr. Pryor said in the podcast, "Not all gravel events have to be the same" and he is not only right, but he takes his own medicine. And it works.

But this is not all Mr. Pryor and his accomplices are doing to set a course for gravelly goodness. They are trying to promote gravel riding as a lifestyle.

Getting people to be jazzed about riding gravel in Pennsylvania is what is next on the menu. This includes events promotions, but it is also going to be more than this. Highlighting cool places to ride, cool places to visit, and the businesses and people which will help tie all this together will hopefully begin to put Pennsylvania's gravel roads on people's radar as a destination for vacations, adventures, and maybe even a place they'd want to call home.

These are the sort of ideas which go beyond creating a "bucket list" event to come and ride once, or a few times in one's life. That is all fine, of course, but there are only so many people who will be attracted to doing those types of events. Maybe you just want to have an adventure, or historical, cultural, and geographical highlights are what gets your interests up. What unpavedpennsylvania.com hopes to accomplish is being the information hub to guiding riders to come to Pennsylvania to ride for all the reasons stated above.

It is my opinion that efforts like this are what will extend gravel cycling's popularity and also could make gravel cycling something non-cyclists might want to help foster due to its potential economic and social benefits. Benefits that last beyond a weekend's impact from an event.

I think it is obvious where this could go in terms of impact. Other states should take note. I know Kansas has something similar, but not an all-encompassing effort such as this one I am highlighting today.

If gravel cycling going to keep riding at the high level it finds itself at now, it has to do so based upon more than a few "bucket list events" and competitiveness in general. This does not mean what is going on in Pennsylvania in regard to events and more is comprehensive and the exact template other states or regions should use. It is a fine example of what could be done though, and in my opinion, thinking like this just might save gravel cycling in the long run. 

Note: I'd like to thank and credit Dave Pryor for the images and information used in this post.

Gravel Cycling Faces A Dusty Descent

I've written about gravel cycling now going on 20 years, and I have paid close attention to its growth, development, and eventual rise to prominence. One thing I've said, amongst many things, is gravel will eventually fade as a popular way to pedal. Everything has an end. Gravel cycling's hot run as a trend is not immune to this fact.

Now, it will never go away completely, but it will not be as big as it is now in the future. Maybe even in the very near future.

I have noted on social media some chatter regarding soft turn-outs for some 2025 gravel events. I have seen one event cancel due to a lack of interest. And I have also noted a different sentiment arising in the gravel cycling ranks which may point to a larger issue going on in the segment.

N.Y. Roll and I had quite a text message chat the other day concerning this very subject. He is of the mind that gravel cycling has reached a point where it is essentially road cycling in all but the surface used. Anything that was part of the early gravel scene has been swallowed up by tech, attitude, and professional cycling's demands.

I, on the other hand, feel this has something to do with how people are reacting to the current political climate, economic situations, and the over-saturated gravel market. It has become exhausting emotionally for many to the point which some are saying they would rather just ride locally for fun.

And, of course, it is entirely possible that it could be elements of both our positions, or that neither of us are right! I still think there is something to it when you see one promoter saying registration numbers are off by around 50% this year compared to 2022. Something is definitely going on, and promoters are starting to see the downtrend.

Another sign pointing to a fading away of gravel cycling's peak days are the negative reports coming out of Far East bicycle factories where double digit declines and multi-million dollar losses are becoming commonplace news early in 2025. Brands are ordering less bicycles, inventories remain at high levels, and customers on the retail side are reticent to part with cash during these uncertain times. The prices for staple items are rising as well, which usually results in a retraction of funds put towards recreational activities by consumers. (Events, purchases of new bicycles and gear) All this negatively affects cycling in general, and gravel riding in particular is not escaping the effects of this. 

Maybe it is just a dip, and when things settle down, we will see a resurgence of gravel cycling's popularity. While this is possible, I don't quite see it this way, not unless some changes are made. Several factors are in play, one being the trend for younger people to not be out cycling at the levels we were used to seeing years ago. As gravel cyclists "age out", the new, young gravel cyclists are not filling in the void left, as much as we'd hope. I think this, at any rate, is partially why things are in decline, as far as participation numbers go. 

I said it a few years back - we were at "peak gravel", and I feel we are just past that peak now. We'll see where things go from here. Tomorrow I will have a post up which will point to an example of how the future for gravel cycling could be different, both in terms of events, and in other ways.

Twenty Years Of Gravel Grinding

  In celebration of the twentieth year of this blog, I have a few tales to tell. This post is one of them. This series will occur off and on throughout this anniversary year, I hope to illuminate some behind-the-scenes stories and highlights from the blog during this time. Enjoy!

 Checking out some of this blog's archives has reminded me of a few things. One of those being that - although I originally was known for being a 29"er nutcase - my tenure in gravel cycling started almost simultaneously along with this blog and was featured often here. 

Obviously, to anyone who has been paying attention here, that has to do with Trans Iowa. The ultra-distance gravel event which got its start about twenty years ago this week! Back in November of 2004 Jeff Kerkove and I decided to put on a cross-state bicycle race on gravel roads. Thus my fascination with gravel cycling began, and even though I and a lot of other folks had been riding bicycles on gravel roads previously, this marked a beginning. 

That beginning was the movement for having competition and fellowship while riding bicycles on crushed rock roads. It was, in no uncertain terms, the beginning of the modern era in what we now have abbreviated to "Gravel". 

The first header for Trans Iowa posted in 2004.

The idea Jeff and I had immediately sparked a movement. We were pelted with questions via Jeff's blog comments section, email, and personally via face-to-face communications and by phone calls. Keep in mind that what we know today as "social media" did not exist in late 2004/early 2005. 

For an idea of what this movement was like from my perspective, here is a snippet of a blog post I put up late in 2006 here:

"When you lead a sheltered existence like I have, only being aware of the local scene, you think you and yer buddies are the only ones insane enough to actually ride gravel roads. I mean, like really.......who else does this crap? Well, I get involved in Trans Iowa, and I find out that alot of folks like it. They like it so much, they actually copy the idea, and have their own events."

 I went on then to mention that I had heard of the DK200, (which I participated in during 2006) and rumors concerning a Nebraska gravel grinder, (not the GLGA or Gravel Worlds, by the way), and a gravel ultra-distance thing which was starting in Canada.

Trans Iowa v1 image courtesy of Joe Partridge

"Now I'm finding out about all kinds of gravel rides. Rides in Nebraska, rides in Colorado, rides in North East Iowa, training rides, fun rides, and all sorts of gravel grinding goofiness. I guess you could say we all have rocks in our heads. Whatever it is, I like it. I like gravel rides and somehow knowing that a bunch of other folks partake also is kinda.......well, I don't know........ I guess I have some like minded brothers and sisters out there, and I find that to be a good thing."

So, yeah....this blog got going partly on the momentum of gravel cycling, but mostly on the then new trend for twenty nine inch wheels. Gravel cycling has always been here though, and it still is 20 years on down the road. 

Part of this blog's influence is in gravel. My writings run deep within that influence to ride gravel roads. Out of this blog grew a gravel cycling specific site, a podcast, influences on bicycle design, tire design, and events, of course. Who can tell how many people were turned on to gravel cycling via this blog? In light of all of that, I think pointing out that Trans Iowa was the line of demarcation from whence this 'gravel" thing got started is a fair thing to do. 

And celebrating that fact after twenty years is a worthwhile thing to do, even if I am the only one doing it. You see, no other entity will bother with writing this history up, or even bother to recognize its existence. If I don't remind you, who will? Maybe you could say the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame, if you were to run across that entity.

That may seem a bit off-putting to some, but I am not going to allow the story to go untold, or be modified for someone else's gain elsewhere. Yes, I am proud of what I have accomplished and was a part of in the beginnings of gravel cycling in the modern era. 

Guilty as charged.

Made The Switch

  In celebration of the twentieth year of this blog, I have a few tales to tell. This post is one of them. This series will occur off and on throughout this anniversary year, I hope to illuminate some behind-the-scenes stories and highlights from the blog during this time. Enjoy!

At the end of 2014 I announced that I had made a switch. I was no longer involved with day-to-day operations of the "Twentynine Inches" website. This marked a finish line I had set for myself several years prior to that day when I announced this at the end of 2014. 

The switch was made and I focused on the gravel things after that point. Was  there any future in gravel cycling? Was this a move I made because I had some premonition that gravel cycling was about to become the biggest thing since mountain biking back in the late 80's/early 90's? 

No.

I had no idea where gravel was going in terms of what it has become these days. Frankly, I didn't really care at that point. We had "made it", as far as I was concerned already. We had real tires, we had bicycles designed to ride on gravel, and that, really, was all I was expecting this to be. A small niche cycling segment like fat bikes, maybe bigger, but not by much. 

The last page posted for Twentynine Inches in 2017

I think many people have forgotten my involvement with 29"ers. Honestly, if you are under 30 years old, you may not have ever known I was involved with 29"ers at all. Some say I was an influence in that scene. I say "maybe". I mean, I guess back in 2005/2006 I was one of the earliest bloggers on that subject, and it got me started in the cycling industry as a reviewer and writer. 

Before that I was pretty much nobody. A mechanic in a shop, like thousands of other human beings. 

But writing about 29"ers here made a dent, and enough of one that companies were ghosting my blog for trends and chit-chat on big wheels. Web folk were starting to poke around my blog and a couple asked me to start writing for them, including "Twentynine Inches". Then things took off from there.

I was published in "Dirt Rag" for an article or two, one on 29"ers, one on gravel riding/racing around about 2011

So again, if I didn't totally understand where gravel cycling was headed, and didn't have big-time media credentials to lean on, why would I have quit on the 29"er thing? Well, there were a LOT of reasons for that decision. But for the focus of this post, it was because, much like gravel bikes are the commonplace drop bar bike for everyday road riders now, 29"ers had become the de facto mountain bike. A MTB was a 29"er by default. Big deal! So, there was no real passion or reason to push into writing news and reviews on 29"er stuff for "Twentynine Inches" when all the cycling companies wanted to have the heavy-hitters in media do the reviewing and get the invites to press camps, and all of that sort of thing. This weighed heavily on those who remained at the site until after about two years beyond my departure, "Twentynine Inches" ceased operations here in the USA. 

As for myself, I just wanted to write about gravel cycling mostly, and the blog here really showed that focus. The site, "Gravel Grinder News" came out of this blog in late 2008, and by 2014 I was already doing reviews and write-ups on gravel stuff anyway. And in one sense, I kind of went from the frying pan into the fire as I merged "Gravel Grinder News" with "Riding Gravel" and started pretty much running that site. So, in a sense I just made a swap from one trend that had run its course to another that was gaining momentum daily. 

And now I am not doing anything with "Riding Gravel" either, so is the gravel thing no big deal anymore? Why did I leave the gravel site? That's for another time....

More soon.

Changes In The Wind

 In celebration of the twentieth year of this blog, I have a few tales to tell. This post is one of them. This series will occur off and on throughout this anniversary year, I hope to illuminate some behind-the-scenes stories and highlights from the blog during this time. Enjoy!

The year 2013 was a pivotal year for this blog in terms of my direction in focus on cycling. This was a time that was about the turning of the page in mountain biking. The "wheel wars" between 26', 27.5", and 29" were about to swing hard toward 29"ers as being the de facto wheel size for MTB. 27.5" had made a big push, but would finally be supplanted by 29"ers in a few years hence. 26 inch was effectively dead by this point, and who would have ever guessed that would have happened even five years prior? 

This all had the effect of making 29"ers mainstream and therefore, not a niche segment relegated to weirdos blogging on the Internet anymore. Now "professional" coverage of the wheel size was dominant, and that meant that what I had been doing for a decade already was now outdated. Once I had been promised a paycheck for doing my 29"er stuff, but in 2013? Heck, our site could hardly scare up decent review stuff anymore and money? Ha! What money?

In 2013 my focus had shifted to gravel cycling. Image from T.I.v10 recon.

The minor addition of a calendar of known gravel events to this blog in 2008 led to a full-fledged blog covering gravel called "Gravel Grinder News". The gravel based content and my involvement in the 29"er scene coexisted for several years but ultimately proved to be too much. All of this combined with Trans Iowa coming fully under my purview as a promoter in late 2011 forced changes. 

I didn't execute my plan for leaving the 29"er site until the last month of 2014, but I started to lay the groundwork for getting out in 2013. That year I also started up "Gravel Grinder News" as its own website with the help of "Grannygear", my friend in SoCal. Another gravel oriented site, "Riding Gravel", popped up about the same time, and that would end up becoming where I went online, but that's another story. 

2013 - My last trip I made to Interbike.

2013 was a beginning and an ending. This blog catapulted me into the realms of cycling reporters and to the industry. 29"ers were the reason why that happened as well. But now that was all fading away, and I was attracted to gravel cycling all along. I had been a fixture of the scene as the director of Trans Iowa since 2005. Gravel was where my heart was really at in those days. 

So, whatever was going to happen with gravel did not matter to me. I was going to follow my heart and get back to things I cared deeply about in terms of cycling. The rest of the world of cycling could go on its merry way, deriding gravel cycling, as they were wont to do often. I cared nothing about that, and I wasn't deterred in my passions for turning this blog's focus toward gravel cycling. I was going to do what I was going to do. 

Of course, we all know now where that took me. But in 2013 that wasn't a thought. I was tired of beating down doors and having promises made with no regard to following up on them. I was done with the traditional cycling media's focus on upper echelon racers and racing gear. I saw gravel as the every-person's cycling scene. But yeah.....

Now gravel has become "that" thing as well. This is why we cannot have nice things.

More soon.....

Published In Japan

My article appeared in this issue of Bicycle Club recently

In early June I met an editor of the Japanese publication, "Bicycle Club" and two of his friends in Emporia, Kansas. The editor's name is Taiki Sakamoto. He wanted to ask me some questions and take some imagery of myself for an article he was going to produce for "Bicycle Club" around his experiences doing the Unbound 200. In my case, he wanted to know more about me and my role in the early formation of the gravel scene and what I thought about gravel "culture", past, present, and future. 

Sakamoto-San asked me to write a four page article detailing my take on those subjects. He told me that he wanted to show his audience that gravel cycling was more than competition. Sakamoto-San promised that he would send me a copy of the magazine the article appeared in when it published. That has happened and I now have the magazine (actually, he sent me three magazines!), and I thought that it would make for a good story here, as far as how this all went down. 

First of all, the entirety of what I wrote to Sakamoto-San can be seen in my post from early July HERE. While not all of that was used, a majority of it was, and I am forever grateful and honored that Sakamoto-San and his magazine crew found it worthy of putting in front of their Japanese audience.

Sakamoto-San and Guitar Ted Image taken by Otaki-San

I've told this story before here, but it bears upon this experience, so I will risk a brief retelling here. Once during a Frostbike weekend at QBP where I was shadowing Jason Boucher, then of Salsa Cycles, I was found watching Jason clearing up his cubicle space. Jason was telling me that he had to meet with some of Salsa Cycles' Japanese distributors. He expressed his admiration for them, but couched that with his dismay concerning how long it took to wait for the Japanese folks to take imagery. "Mark, they take pictures of everything!", he told me as he stuck smaller objects and papers in drawers that he did not want seen in public. 

I pressed into that a little bit and Jason explained that, for whatever reasons, (and I am going off decade+ memories here) the Japanese find that your objects and surroundings speak to who you are as a person, so they want to capture as much of this as possible. If I got that wrong, please somebody correct me in the comments, but that was my memory of the moment. 

So, when Sakamoto-San and his two friends showed up on the streets of Emporia looking for me, I noted that all three had massive, expensive digital cameras and some serious looking glass attached to them. I was quickly reminded of what Jason had said and I was ready for lots of picture taking. 

The article as it appears in "Bicycle Club" issue #457.

I was not wrong about my expectations. I was asked to move to a few different spots, pose, and several images were clicked off in each instance. I was shown the raw images in the camera, and the way Sakamoto-San flipped through the screen images and options was like watching a gamer play. It was amazingly fast! Anyway, I was impressed that I warranted such attention from he and his mates.

Image taken by Otaki-San

Sakamoto-San even wanted to have images taken showing he and I in mock conversation. While Sakamoto-San is not fluent in English, he had enough of a command of it that I could make out his meanings. I think he was afraid the conversation between us would be impossible, so he suggested through his friend, who did interpreting for us, that we should stage the conversation. 

I had other ideas, and pressed into conversation with Sakamoto-San anyway, and we ended up having genuine discourse, which was pleasant. You can see in the image there where Sakamoto-San is describing something to me and this was at the point where we were engaging each other and having a genuine conversation. I really enjoyed meeting him and his friends also. 

Of course, I went home, wrote what I wrote (linked above) and sent it off with no expectations of anything. However; last week a package showed up in the mail from Japan. It was three copies of issue #457 of "Bicycle Club". I was immediately struck by a few things I'll share here. This may be a well known thing to some of you dear readers, but for me, this was a learning experience. 

I cut out and saved the stamp.

First thing I noted was how the magazine was formatted. The binding was on the right side as you look at the front cover. So, in our Western way of doing things, this appears backward. The next thing you might note is the Japanese language, in this case, is written in columns. The format is called tategaki. The reader reads down the first column which is furthest to the right then when they reach the bottom they continue at the top of the next column to the left. 

Curiously the image captions seem to be written in the yokogaki format and this would mean the characters are read left to right, as in English. I could be wrong about this, so if anyone reading is knowledgeable on Japanese magazine style, please correct me in the comments.

My piece in the magazine was edited somewhat, but Sakamoto-San sent me his translation beforehand to approve, so I knew what would be going into the article. On the whole, it represents the article I wrote well enough and it seems to have connected with the audience from what Sakamoto-San has shared with me. He tells me via Messenger, "It was truly an honor to talk to you. Since the magazine was released, I have received the following comments: "I'm so glad you were able to cover such a valuable story about the early days of gravel!" "How did you meet Mark?" It was all made possible thanks to Mark's help! Thank you so much!"

So, I guess it was a successful effort. I was gifted the opportunity to speak to an audience which I would not have had the chance to speak to without Sakamoto-San's invitation. For this I am very grateful. I am curious, of course, about how this article was interpreted by their audience and if it makes an impact on riding in Japan. Perhaps I'll never know, but I see it as an honor to have had the stage to speak from, thanks to Sakamoto-San. Plus I was able to get to know Sakamoto-San a little bit, which was great. Through the whole process of this article and meeting he was extremely kind and gracious. The experience was really good. 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions

I'm Not Sure Why This Took Off

This is a rendering of the first customized header for the blog celebrating 20 years of blogging.

I was recording a podcast recently with The Spinistry's Kevin Lee and after I thanked him for his support of the podcast he stated that he was happy to do so because, as he said of me "...for all of your contributions to gravel cycling....". 

That still blows me away when people speak of me in such a way. Inside the head of Guitar Ted, he still feels as though he is a "regular guy" and is still being amazed that people listen to/read what he has to say. And to be honest, I never thought anyone would care to hear from "Guitar Ted" anyway, but how wrong was I about that?! 

Very wrong!

Taking a look back at the end of 2006, when this blog had barely been around for a year and a half, I can see that things went nuts for me right off the bat. Jeff Kerkove, who pushed me into blogging in the first place, must have been smiling from ear to ear knowing he was right about me. I would never have guessed that anything of the sort would have been happening to me at the end of 2006 if you had asked me about this in May of 2005.

One of the last gravel group ride announcements Jeff Kerkove made.

Ironically it marked the beginning of Jeff's time out of the spotlight. He had been a pretty well known solo 24hr racer. He was sponsored by Giant bicycles, Cannondale, Cat Eye, and Hammer Nutrition at various times in the early 2000's. You don't get two free bikes, lights, and nutrition unless you are making a dent in the bottom line. Either in marketing awareness or actual sales. 

So saying that Jeff was a "big deal" in cycling back then isn't hyperbole. It is a fact. However; Jeff was dabbling for a way to get into the mountains of Colorado, Ergon offered an opportunity to do that with a job, and Jeff took the opportunity and ran with it. 

By the end of 2007 Jeff was pretty much ensconced in all things Ergon and was all but gone from the 24hr racing scene. His timing was impeccable. That was about right when that scene went into a steep decline in popularity. And Jeff did not quit racing. No! Not at all. He just went in a different direction. 

One other thing bears mentioning here is that I credit Jeff with organizing the first gravel group rides that I was ever aware of. One of his clever announcements from his old blog can be seen above. I was fortunate enough to be on that particular ride with he and several other locals here. 

Now, as for me, I went the other way. By the end of 2006 I was onboard with the 29"er site, "Twentynine Inches" as a contributor. I was being promised a salary for my writing, and a possible way out of having to work at a bike shop. In fact, had the original owner of that site not missed his marks, it is quite possible that this blog would have ended in the late 2000's, that I would never had been involved in gravel cycling as deeply as I ended up being, and my expertise and influence would have been limited to the 29" wheel and subsequent innovations coming from that. 

I'm happy that did not happen, by the way! 

What did happen was that a long, drawn out promise, well promises, really, were made to me and then 'poof!' Nothing. I was left with the loose ends and I felt I needed to make amends, because I felt responsible. And right or wrong I ended up turning the ship around with some much needed help from friends and finally was able to cut ties with that site at the end of 2013. It's hard for me to say that "I wish that had never happened" because a lot of great stuff happened and I met so many awesome folks. Maybe things could have gone a little differently, but maybe things happened just how they were supposed to happen. 

I believe it was the latter that is the truth.

Stay tuned for more stories about this blog and what things that it has done in my life, (and maybe yours too) along the way.

The Gravel Paper: Reactions And Comments - Part 1

Haley Hunter-Smith

In 2022 I was contacted by Haley Hunter-Smith, a professional cyclist who won the inaugural Gravel Grand Prix on the women's side and is a past representative of Canada as a Canadian Olympic mountain biker. Ms Hunter-Smith was interested in interviewing me for a collegiate research paper. I agreed to the interview and waited patiently for the paper to be completed and published. That has now happened. This post will be my commentary and reaction to the contents of the study.

First of all, you can read a portion of my interview with Ms. Hunter-Smith which I published on the blog previously. This is in two parts. Click these links to read those parts of the interview. Part 1  Part 2

 If you want to read the entire paper, I have a link which the PDF of this study can be downloaded 50 times. HERE. If that doesn't work for you, let me know as I have the PDF file and Ms. Hunter-Smith has given me permission to share that "far and wide", as she said to me. Update 4/11/24: It appears the 50 downloads have been taken, so please email me @ g.ted.productions@gmail.com for a copy.

 This paper was based on the interviews of nine individuals carefully chosen for their representation across the gravel scene. Racers, promoters, influential individuals, para-athlete, non-binary, transgendered, and marginalized individuals, some representing more than one of these groups, were included.  The interviews were all conducted via Zoom and were transcribed, then the data was considered and the paper was based on this information to hopefully contextualize what the "spirit of gravel" might be and how gravel provides freedom, challenge, and connection. This information was gathered to hopefully help future gravel event promoters to further the cause of gravel cycling and to engage more people in the activity. 

Reactions: With all that out of the way I will get on with my thoughts on the paper. First of all, I am humbled to have been considered for a part in this paper. I applaud Ms. Hunter-Smith for taking up this idea for this study and I can say that I have been enlightened by what I have read.
 

The first theme I drew from the paper was the idea that there is a two-part way of looking at the people who sign up for a gravel event. The paper described the fields as being made up of those who were competing and those who were 'completing' events. The idea here was to try to discern the motivations for those event participants. Competitors are there for a different reason than those who are there to finish a challenge, let's say. Some might even go so far as to interpret that as being the difference between "racing and riding an event". 

My thought was that this resonated with me but not on a binary scale. In my view, this can be a multi-faceted thing for an individual in one event, or it could be internal-external in nature. A person could, for example, be competing against themselves by setting goals, not necessarily being "in it to win it". Or a person could change thier viewpoint during an event based upon circumstances. One moment you might be competing and the next just hoping that you could finish. 

That said, I thought the paper gave some good context to why people enjoin in gravel riding and this is a good way to jump off into further discussions about why people choose gravel events and what their motivations might look like. 

Image from March of 2010. I *think* this is from the Trans Iowa Tune-Up Ride. Image taker David Pals? [not sure on that]

Freedom: The paper showed that the concept of "freedom" seemed to be important in gravel. The paper divided this from 'autonomy' which the researchers felt was important "as it encompasses both autonomy and this broader sense of empowerment that participants value."

Here again I was struck by how the paper found that core values of gravel riding: self-sufficiency, freedom of choices, lack of over-arching rule structures - were important enough that the interviewees mentioned these things. The freedoms of choice were also mentioned alongside of freedom of movement, freedom from fears, and freedom to be at one with self/nature/activity as being core things in gravel. All things I could attest to or have personally experienced myself. 

October 2011 T.I.v7 recon. Image by David Pals.

Community: The theme of being at one with nature, having to accomplish a hard task being in a remote area and doing so based on one's own decision making skills alone, was there. Ironically, this was in contrast to the sense of community many found at events and the encouragement that this allowed for simply by being in a group of people who were accepting and of like mind to the event participants. That said, these were both things I always found important in gravel events and I was in agreement with the findings. Not surprisingly, perhaps, since I was involved as one of the participants in this study, but then again, the others may have disagreed with me as well. 

Conclusions: Of course, there is a lot more in the paper and that described in much more academic terms. I was impressed that this research even happened, and was astounded to read that other studies concerning gravel cycling have been undertaken. I would never have thought that gravel cycling would ever be the subject of any academic research, or that a paper of this caliber would ever have been produced about the subject. Much less that I was actually tabbed for my thoughts on the subject, which is simply mind-blowing to me. 

I think that the paper is a positive thing overall and I hope that it will be an influence, as the researchers hope it to be, upon the future of gravel cycling. Tomorrow I will consider how cycling events have been changed forever because of gravel riding.

What Will The "Post-Gravel" Era Look Like?

A week or so ago N.Y. Roll asked a question during the recording of the "Guitar Ted Podcast" concerning the post-gravel era when he said, "Are we seeing the end of the Age of Gravel?" 

I found that question to be particularly intriguing. I am a strong believer that there are the beginnings and endings of things. Sometimes you see a cyclical, rise and fall, thing happening with trends and styles, but mainly, it is more of a beginning, middle period, and an ending. 

N.Y. Roll also mentioned in our latest recording (which you can listen to HERE) that we may not know when we are off the "peak of gavel" until after about three years, in his estimation. Hmm..... Okay. Let's assume that's about right for argument's sake. 

In the beginnings of this "Modern Day Gravel" era, we didn't have anything "gravel specific" at all. N.Y. Roll likes to say that we were in a "discovery phase" back then, and I cannot say he's wrong about that. So, it is easy to say we were at "the beginning" then, right? 

Then we had a period of growth, events came on line, more people were showing up to these events and then the cycling industry kicked into gear with gravel specific things about ten years ago now. People became less and less reliant on "self-discovery" and more and more it became an experience you "bought into". Things that were once a conundrum, (how to set up non-tubeless touring tires as tubeless, route discovery, bike choice) were now on a checklist to be procured at your local bike shop or online retailer. 

There were "bucket-list" events, Pros started showing up, prize money went up, and big corporations came in like Life Time Fitness, and even the highest form of competitive bicycle racing has a "world championships". Social media is flooded with gravel-this, gravel that to the point that it becomes white noise. 

"Peak Gravel" anyone?

There isn't anywhere else for "gravel" to go once it permeates everything.

I would submit that , yes, we have reached "Peak Gravel". When the genre has nowhere else to go in terms of reach, well....you are there, my friend!

So, I think it is safe to say that now we're on the backside of gravel cycling's growth curve. How will that look? Well, I think that in terms of cycling, we are in a depressed state, economically, right now. So, it is hard to say with any clarity what will happen right now without another form of cycling to come in and fill the void which will be left as gravel cycling declines in popularity. 

And make no mistake, gravel cycling cannot continue to grow forever, and it won't reach a plateau and stay there either. Evidence is all around us right now that supports this theory. People are selling gravel bikes and stating that they don't ride them, or that the niche of gravel is not for them. Sure....you are going to have that with any type of cycling. I understand that, but you gotta figure that the amount of folks that bought a gravel bike that are selling them off now have a certain element within that subgroup that came out a bit disillusioned with gravel cycling.  

Image courtesy of the Flint Hills Ultra Gravel Tour

There are splinters off the gravel scene proper which also may give us some clues as to what people will gravitate toward in the future. One of those activities is "touring/bikepacking". (Same thing?) Routes are popping up that cater to the gravel cyclist that can be done in a weekend or over several weeks and everything in between. Sites like Gravel Kansas are being populated with curated routes that have a story and historically significant landmarks to discover. I suspect that other states and counties may follow suit with this idea.

We even talked about this on the latest "Guitar Ted Podcast" with Bryan Hansel, a landscape photographer that lives in Northern Minnesota. He discovered an off-road vehicle route being proposed by the Minnesota DNR and went ahead and rode it recently. "Adventure by Bike", a concept initiated by Jason Boucher at Salsa Cycles, may actually make headway as an "alternative gravel style" via bikepacking routes across various states. 

Of course, traditional forms of cycling could certainly make comebacks. I feel that mountain biking is due for a bit of a renaissance. Same for road cycling, but on a much less popular stage due to the inherent risks involving motor vehicle/distracted driver issues. 

Those are my thoughts, but what about you? Have we reached "Peak Gravel"? What will be the "post-gravel" cycling form of choice? Let me know in the comments. 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of 45NRTH

 45NRTH Announces New Latkat Winter Tire:

Last week 45NRTH released news of a new 700 X 40mm non-studded road tire for wet Winter conditions. Dubbed "Latkat", the tire features a rubber compound that 45NRTH is calling "Gripkraft" which is said to enhance grip on wet pavement. 

The tread is also heavily siped for better gripping on slick surfaces. The tire features bead-to-bead puncture protection and is also tubeless ready. 

The Latkat costs $70.00 USD and is available online or at 45NRTH dealers. See more about this tire HERE. 

Comments: This reminds me a lot of "Blizzak" car tires. (IYKYK) I'd think that these might also work okay as a gravel Winter tire, but I also know that ice on gravel is weird and I would rather run studs because of that. Your mileage may vary.

As a commuter tire in the city? I get it. However; there are really decent gravel tires that do a pretty good job at this already, so the LatKat would have to show significant snow and ice performance bennies before I'd spend the bucks on a set. Seventy a pop isn't all that bad though, so if you haven't got a tire for Winter, and studs seem like overkill, this could be a great solution.

The Guitar Ted Podcast Episode #32:

We're back again with another episode, this time featuring several interesting subjects. N.Y. Roll and I ramble on from the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame noms, which are open now through December 1st, by the way, to industry troubles and we even talk cameras at one point. 

The title is from a quote by N.Y. Roll where he says at one point during the episode, "Are we seeing the end of the Age of Gravel?", which I thought was an interesting question. 

While we don't answer that in the episode, I think that we are at a point right now where that is a fair question to ask. Gravel™ has "peaked", in my opinion, especially in the rider's viewpoint, and media has already reached a point where "gravel" is everything and besides Pro roadie stuff, which has always been the cycling media's darling, those are primarily the two subjects that dominate their coverage on their sites. 

People are sick of it all and that's usually the beginning of the end for many disciplines of cycling. The thing is, what's next? I don't see it being a resurgence of road racing, although the websites and YouTube media wonks are sure pushing that narrative hard. Especially in terms of the Women's Pro events. The thing is, road cycling, as a participatory sport, is a death wish in the USA. The "Lance Effect" isn't going to happen again, and especially with the advent of electrified, assisted bicycles. 

So, until a viable, grassroots based type of cycling emerges, we're probably going to be stuck with this "gravel thing" a while longer.

Triple D 2024 Registration Open:

Triple D, the Winter endurance race, is going to occur on January 13th, 2024. This event runs out of Dubuque, Iowa and traverses parts of the Driftless Area and utilizes the heritage Trail as parts of its 70 mile course. 

Riders can choose a half distance of 35 miles or an untimed, fun ride of 17 miles as well. Runners are also a part of Triple D and can choose several distances also. 

Event headquarters for the bike part of the event will be at 7 Hills Event Center just off HWY 151 in downtown Dubuque. Registration is $75.00 for the full distance and you can sign up HERE. 

Comments: I have participated in this event on three occasions and I can recommend it highly. Conditions can be brutal or difficult in several ways, so don't take this one lightly. In my three years of doing the event we had sub-zero temperature starts, copious amounts of snow, and on one occasion ice was a big factor, sending me skittering off the Heritage Trail into the ditch head-first! 

This is a long-running event in Iowa and the cycling part was taking place before fat bikes were commercially available. That said, a fat bike is recommended although I have seen people tackle this on mountain bikes and one year a guy showed up on a cross bike! 

Pinched from Instagram

Jeff Kerkove Finishes Another Ultra:

So, if you are not familiar, Jeff Kerkove and I worked for a few years side by side as mechanics at a bike shop where we concocted the idea for this gravel event called "Trans Iowa". Then gravel became a thing. That was back almost 20 years ago now. 

So, while I stuck around and forged ahead with the gravel race and riding stuff, Jeff moved to Colorado, got a job at Ergon USA, and continued his mountain biking while doing well and winning long distance events. 

He still works for Ergon, who are based in Germany. While on a business trip to the home office Jeff noted that there was an event in Morocco where he had already ridden in an ultra earlier in the year. It is called Bikingman Origine Ultra X Morocco. The course was a mixture of pavement and gravel.

Jeff had to ride 638 miles and he did it in 61 hours and change coming in 4th overall and 3rd place Mens. So, congratulations to Jeff! What an amazing ride in an amazing country. 

Jeff kind of "live-blogged" his journey on Instagram and he was saying that he thought a lot of the riders were "under-biked" having more road biking gearing, not much storage, and "slammed stems". he finished off the description by saying "...you know the type.", which made me chuckle. Roadies! Jeff has always had the tiniest bit of disdain for the overall stereotype of a roadie. You know....him being a dirty mountain biker and all. Ha! 

This really reminded of 2004-2005 when Jeff was killing it at solo 24hr races and riding the roadie group ride here on his MTB on the shoulder and keeping pace with the group. It was great training, obviously, and a thumbing of the nose to the local road riders at the same time. Good times!

That's it for this week. Have a great weekend and ride those bikes if you can.