Streaming gravel: SBT GRVL will air a two-hour live broadcast this summer

It’s not a secret that non-European cyclists have a much more difficult route to professional road cycling. While the number of high-level road events in Canada and the states continues to dwindle, a new cycling discipline is carving out a space for itself in its place.

Hugely popular American gravel events are quickly churning out a new kind of professional cyclist—the North American pro gravel cyclist. As the gravel phenomenon grows larger every year, mass participation events such as Unbound Gravel  and SBT GRVL have attracted the interest of not only thousands of participants but cycling fans as well. Names such as Ted King, Amity Rockwell, Peter Stetina and Sarah Strum are well known in some cycling circles, yet, for most events in which they compete, fans at home simply have to patiently wait for results to be posted online or on social media to see how they’ve placed.

There’s no question that the market for live gravel event coverage exists, so it’s not surprising that the first ever professional broadcast of a gravel event will finally happen this summer at SBT GRVL. The broadcast marks a significant moment in the growth of the cycling discipline. It also offers the opportunity for organizers to take what they like from traditional race coverage, while shaping it in a way that will keep audiences engaged in the content.

SBT live

In partnership with its sponsor, Wahoo Fitness, SBT GRVL will produce a two-hour live broadcast of this year’s Aug. 15 gravel race. As 3,000 riders take on the rugged Steamboat Springs, Colorado course, STB LIVE will air on two TV stations, a Roku app, and online at SBT GRVL’s website.

The event, which sold out of 2021 entrances in 10 minutes, has four courses which range from 37 miles to 142 miles with elevation gains ranging from 2,000 to 9,200 feet.

Live on-course coverage, hosted by former pro triathlete and top 10 SBT GRVL finisher Matt Lieto, will cover that final leg of the 142-mile Black Course women’s and men’s races. The show will also include athlete interview and equipment features, with additional coverage from Jayson O’Mahoney, founder of Gravel Cyclist.

MTN TV will produce and help distribute the coverage, which will air on MTB TV channel 28-1 in Denver, Colorado, and Comcast channel 18 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

“The SBT GRVL community, in just a few short years, has blossomed into something truly special and we feel there’s significant interest in bringing live race coverage to friends, family and fans who aren’t able to attend the event in person,” said Amy Charity, SBT GRVL co-founder and owner. “We’re thrilled to partner with Wahoo Fitness who share our vision of bringing this unprecedented live coverage to gravel racing.”