How Fernie Gravel Grind hit a 50/50 gender split in its first year

Fernie Gravel Grind might be one of Canada’s newer events, but, rolling into its third year of in-person racing, it already has a lot to brag about. A beautiful course in the Kootenay Rockies, rapidly-growing registration numbers and an afterparty, with live bands and all, that’s also gaining some notoriety. But the achievement the young event’s organizers are really excited to talk about is the 50/50 gender split in participation.

Seeing beyond the status quo

Anyone who’s been to a cycling event, be it a race or an organized ride, has likely noticed the glaring difference in the number of men participating compared with women. With the exception of select women’s-only events, male participants generally greatly outnumber female riders.

“It is painfully obvious how far behind numbers in women’s cycling really are,” says Carter Nieuwesteeg, part of the quartet of FGG organizers that includes Katie de Bruyker, David Bennison and Hannah Simms. Still an active pro gravel and mountain bike racer himself, Nieuwesteeg is on a start line most weekends. When he started organizing his own event, the Fernie Gravel Grind team decided to do things differently.

“When we started organizing the first in-person FGG in 2021, we wanted to be at the forefront of change in cycling as the gravel scene exploded,” recalls Nieuwesteeg. After being forced to run FGG virtually in 2020 by the pandemic, the team set a goal to hit a 50/50 gender split in registration when they hosted their first in-person even in 2021. “It was a lofty goal and we faced a fair amount of criticism and doubt, but were confident and passionate about what we were doing so we let our numbers speak for themselves.”

Fernie Gravel Grind sold out its first year, with a perfect 50/50 split in its 100-rider cap. Two years later, one event has expanded into the AGES series (Anything Goes Event Series). While the event is growing in popularity, the core goal hasn’t changed. Nieuwesteeg expects between 400 and 500 riders when the 2023 Fernie Gravel Grind rolls out. With more than 300 registrations as of March, 42 per cent are women.

“If we did it, any event can.”

Increasing women’s participation is something race organizers have talked about for decades. What did Fernie Gravel Grind do to hit parity only now? And how can it maintain it as the event grows?

“I think there are a lot of events that overanalyze this. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel in order to achieve gender parity,” says Nieuwesteeg. “I mean really if we did it, any event can. Honestly, the two easiest things I can recommend is to look and listen.”

A few concrete steps helped. FGG hosts women’s rides, led entirely by female riders. There are multiple race distances and rides over the weekend. Organizers are also careful to make sure its media and dialogue reflect the inclusive and gender-equal environment they want to see on the race weekend.

“It sounds kind of silly saying that as at this point as you’d think that’s a no-brainer,” Niewesteeg admits. “But to this day, a lot of events still only highlight a certain demographic of riders. That can seem unwelcoming for a lot of other demographics on the outside looking in.”

FGG, and now AGES, also make sure their race is more than a race. Riders are encouraged to bring any bike, not just a gravel bike. And, while these are races, many riders are in spandex and on podiums at the end of the day, organizers work hard to make sure all riders can find their place in the weekend.

“We try our best to create an event that offers something for anyone and everyone,” says Nieuwesteeg.  “It’s more fun when everyone is welcome and you don’t feel like you need to act, perform, or look a certain way in order to fit in.”

Any road worth riding has a few bumps along the way

While Fernie Gravel Grind did hit gender parity in its first year, and is still working hard to keep that balance, the road to 50/50 had a few bumps along the way.

“We’ve learned a lot over the past three years,” Nieuwesteeg says of the AGES organizing team. “I think the most unexpected moment of learning was experiencing the backlash and intense criticism after stating our goal of gender parity in 2021.”

“To be frank, we were quite caught off guard,” says Nieuwesteeg. While the team’s first instinct was to react and try defend the goal, they ended up taking a different tactic. “We let it sit for a while and really tried to figure out why our actions prompted this backlash. It really made us think hard about why we are aiming for parity and how we will get there.”

The AGES team isn’t stopping at gender parity, though. Organizers are already working to make the events more accessible and welcoming to BIPOC cyclists. But, while organizers work on that, they’re also not losing sight of what they’ve already accomplished.

“I am extremely proud of the ’21 FGG team for setting the bar so high in the first year. We proved that it’s possible to achieve gender parity at events,” Nieuwesteeg says. “It really sets to tone, for AGES moving forward as well as for the rest of the events in Western Canada.”

As a gravel devotee, Nieuwesteeg knows the best roads and routes are rarely the smoothest or easiest. Asked what he’d say to any organizer looking to follow AGES lead, his advice is simple.

“Listen to people throughout the entire cycling community. Don’t get complacent in taking feedback from one group just because it makes your event look good. Get comfortable being uncomfortable by bringing up challenging and thought-provoking conversations with everyone in the cycling community.”

AGES is bringing its “Anything Goes With Gravel” motto to three events in 2023. The original, Fernie Gravel Grind, takes place on June 23-25. Crankbrook Gravel Grind returns for a second year on Sept. 15-16. A third, soon-to-be-revealed mystery event is, well, still a mystery.