Gravel Roads Do Not a Gravel Race Make

Sort of like how water, yeast, and flour don’t necessarily lead to a loaf of bread.

My good friend and former colleague Sean “Sully” Sullivan had a blistering take on last month’s First Ever UCI Gravel World Championships. “Spensah,” he said in his Australian accent, “Isn’t Strade Bianche the real gravel world championships?”

There was an elegant logic to this ex-pro roadie’s thinking. Strade Bianche has lots of rough gravel roads. It is a really long route. It’s part of the WorldTour, so it attracts a murders’ row of top riders to Tuscany every year. Therefore, the rider who wins Strade Bianche is de facto the best gravel racer in the world — in both men’s and women’s categories. Right?

Racing bikes on gravel roads doesn’t automatically make it a gravel race.

I won’t dispute the merit of Strade winners, such as Tadej Pogacar or Annemiek van Vleuten. But I am here to tell you that racing bikes on gravel roads doesn’t automatically make it a gravel race.

I’m not trying to be a gatekeeper. If you have a bike event that you love, I love that you love it, whatever it is and whatever nomenclature you prefer. I’m also not here to say I’m the authority on gravel riding and racing. Plenty of folks have seen more, ridden more, done more. However, I have participated in a huge range of gravel events all over the country, and I’ve done so for many years. I’ve interviewed many of the promoters and top riders who make these racers so special. I also care deeply about the language that defines our sport, and I think it matters if you show up to a start line expecting one thing and you get another.

So, here goes.

First off, yes, of course, a gravel race requires gravel roads. Yes, the Tour de France raced on gravel roads in the prewar era. Like many of you, I too raced bikes on gravel roads long before we called them “gravel races.” This is a case of all squares being rectangles but not all rectangles being squares.

If it were as simple as just sending riders out onto dirt roads, then why haven’t the myriad dirty road races boomed in popularity like gravel races have?

Also on the topic of race courses, let’s talk laps. A few of the dirty road races I’ve seen (and UCI Gravel Worlds) cover multiple laps of the same circuit. There are practical reasons for this configuration: spectators, road closures, and television coverage, for instance. But it’s not what I want or expect if I’m looking to ride a gravel race.

Gravel races breed a special strain of perseverance.

A true gravel race needs to be held on one big, long loop, or even a point-to-point if you’re feeling ambitious. No laps, no finish circuits. This way, most riders are pitting themselves against the course itself, not each other. Getting dropped is a bummer, but it shouldn’t spell the end of your race. A massive loop will take you to parts that would be out of reach without the event. If you have the route to enjoy, it stings a little less if (when) you end up riding alone. Plus, that makes it harder to bail out. Gravel races breed this special strain of perseverance.

Unlike road races on gravel roads, gravel races offer intrinsic rewards and motivation. At the finish of a road race, about three people will be happy, while the rest drive home cursing bad luck, bad legs, or a mechanical. At the finish of a gravel race, about three people will be bummed; the rest will be elated by the accomplishment.

Gravel racing fosters this competitive yet non-competitive environment with how it stages the starts, too. Everyone goes off at the same time for a given race distance. Admittedly, this has some drawbacks. There is usually chaos. It is tricky for top women to race each other head-to-head. Despite that, I think it’s still the right way to start a gravel race.

Unlike road races on gravel roads, gravel races offer intrinsic rewards and motivation.

When you split up races into umpteen age groups and ability levels, you are signaling to riders that they are racing for a result. It changes the vibe. When you send off everyone at once, top pros and first timers alike, you’re telling them that everyone is in this together. It’s egalitarian. And anyway, it avoids the awkwardness that ensues when a faster age group field catches a slower one on the road. Move over! No, you move over!!

Along those lines, in a true gravel race, organizers prioritize the last place finisher as much as — if not more than — the winner. The Mid South even offers a sweet prize for the final rider to make the time cut. Every organizer has a different way of approaching this, and it might be hard to perceive, but it’s there. I’ve been to some bike races where they’re tearing down the venue while the stragglers finish. That’s not the gravel way.

Any gravel race worth its salt puts the participant experience first.

Gravel races have a ton of other great things going on too: Music, food, an expo, parties, free group rides, and more. In fact, some folks just turn up to hang out and enjoy the vibe. But I don’t think you need all of those extra trimmings to call it a gravel race.

All it takes is a long, difficult route and a welcoming atmosphere.

Gravel racing’s greatest achievement is not the bike technology, the routes, the sponsorship, or the mainstream media attention. Any gravel race worth its salt puts the participant experience first. Everyone with the courage to take the start will be supported on their journey, whether it’s to the top of the podium or just to the finish. It sounds obvious, but I have seen what happens when bike race promoters lose track of what matters.

Here’s hoping that, as gravel continues to grow, it will stay true to the participants that helped bring it to where it is today.