An ex-pro asks: What’s the future of gravel racing?

When gravel racing began to grow in popularity across North America a decade ago, and as it progressively became a new category in the industry, the racing was still a unique adventure for most and, for many, a step away from the often cutthroat world of road racing. It was inclusive—everybody was welcome whether a rookie or veteran, while your age, gender, or the type of bike you rode didn’t matter. Gravel races popped up across North America, following the boom in Gran Fondos, which are mass participation events often run on open roads where riders don’t need licenses to compete, and the results are not as important as the post-race beer tents and BBQs.

The future of gravel

Most cyclists seek novel experiences where they can ride with their friends on unique and challenging courses and then, as the endorphins from the ride flow through their bodies, chat about their day over drinks and food. Most participants are content with a t-shirt or cap and a good day out on their bikes, despite the steep entry fee that is often charged. Gravel races appear on many bucket lists.

For event promoters, they are easier to organize and more profitable than sanctioned road races, as there are rarely road closures and thus little or no police presence. Additionally, the categories are usually only segregated on results sheets, not at the start line. Like a randonnee or a club ride, riders are responsible for following traffic laws as they often ride on open roads when not on dirt tracks.

The event format remains the same today as it was a decade or so ago, but the racing has evolved to become fast and competitive, attracting professional cyclists from around the world who now are paid significant salaries to compete. The stakes have become high, and a victory in one of the major events will determine a rider’s income for the coming years. With the boom in gravel, the peloton size has ballooned, and often hundreds or even thousands of riders are spread out across hours. As a result, the format of many races needs to change, including the marquee event Unbound (an event in Kansas that draws thousands of riders), so that participants are better protected on the open road.

What’s changed?

The ethos of gravel racing was once that riders were to be self-sufficient and that perhaps a talented college kid without a fancy bike could be the first to the finish line. With the influx of industry money and prestige, that’s no longer the case.

Without categorization or licensing found in most other sanctioned race disciplines, the level of skill within the gravel peloton varies. As speeds increase, so does the level of risk. A strong athlete who doesn’t yet have technical or peloton skills not only puts themselves at risk in a pack hurtling over a narrow gravel track but is also a potential danger to all those around them.

Although most premier gravel events still try to masquerade as something unique, they are quickly becoming bike races like any other, where the finish line has more value than anything else. The top riders have pit crews, specialized aerodynamic equipment, and the support of industry sponsors. Several are now bringing teammates to help them during the race. We aren’t far away from seeing full teams arriving at the start in team buses and executing their race tactics as they might in Paris Roubaix. All of this will only make the races faster.

As the level of competition increases, riders stay together for longer periods and may often finish in larger groups, changing the dynamic of the race and making road security increasingly important, especially during the final kilometers. Speeds are higher and with more riders, there is a greater chance of crashes.

Gravel racing’s moment of reckoning

Gravel racing will face a moment of reckoning where a serious crash on the open road with a vehicle not involved in the race will change the way races are organized. Bad crashes have already happened where riders have been killed, and there are countless close calls, but it is irresponsible to wait until more tragedy occurs to implement change.

For now, many marquee North American events have resisted adapting, citing tradition. Yet, all events are forced to adapt due to conditions: the Tour de France stages are no longer 300 km long, riders don’t have to fix their own bikes, etc. As a good friend said, “Tradition went out the window when gravel races started charging $400 entry fees.”
Riders who are pushed to their limits make bad decisions or fall into a delirious fog caused by exertion and lack of sugar. In tough, long events, protecting the riders to ensure their safety is not only the organizers’ ethical responsibility but also that of those who endorse or sponsor the event. Unbound, the longest and most competitive of the gravel events, almost absurdly only has two feed zones over the 300 km route, and riders aren’t allowed to get bottles, food, or help outside of them, which doesn’t seem safe or necessary. Multiple feed stations along the route would simply make it more enjoyable and safer for all participants.

The evolution of the sport

Along with the growth of gravel racing, the UCI, the sport’s governing body, saw an opportunity to add a category to the world championships and a qualifying series of races on every continent. Not only are they recognizing the best gravel racers in the world, but they are also drawing revenue from their qualifying system and races. The possibility of winning a World Championship title has drawn the interest of many of the top professional road racers, further increasing the level of competition.

A hybrid of road racing rules and gravel rules, the UCI’s format of gravel racing differs from most other races as they are often held on circuits that are policed and safer. On every level, closed circuits are safer and for spectators who watch from the roadside, more exciting. Of course, it is also far easier to film and broadcast a circuit race than a point-to-point race, which is both beneficial to the audience and sponsors.

The majority of gravel events should stop pretending to be something other than highly competitive elite bike races for the first few hundred riders. They should either embrace the high level of competition, as the UCI has with their continental events and World Championships, or scale down to be mass participation events like any of the multitude of charity and fun rides across the calendar. Similarly to mountain bike racing in the 1980s and early 90s, the boom in the sport created an entirely new segment of the industry where millions of bikes were sold, but the races, which were somewhat fringe and fun, became as competitive as road cycling and the sport at the highest level was forced to adapt.

Some of the best and most memorable moments I have had on a bicycle have been at gravel races. A good day out on a bike is often an adventure that challenges us by testing our limits, leaving us buzzing and with stories to tell. Of course, it doesn’t have to be a race, and if events want to maintain the mass participation non-competitive aspect, they can simply be organized similarly to randonneur events. However, with a number on our backs or bikes and incentives for winning, mindset shifts, speed increases as competitive juices flow, and riders take risks. It is not only the riders’ responsibility to race with respect for others and caution but also becomes the organizer and sponsors’ responsibility to make the racing environment as safe as possible for everyone from the first place to the last.

Michael Barry is a former WorldTour racer, and rode all three Grand Tours. He is an author and co-owner of Mariposa Bicycles.