There are also UCI-sanctioned grand fondo events, and grand fondo worlds, I’d imagine the gravel races will be similar. It also hasn’t stopped anyone from putting their own fondos on.
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I agree with a lot of what Guiter Ted is saying, but he loses the plot here, IMO:
The bottom line here is that whatever the UCI, USAC, or the “Big Gravel Event Machine” does won’t have any power unless you give it to them.
Completely disagree with him here…because at some point, the marquee events will inevitably, IMO, become part of the UCI series…and that is outside the ability of any of us to “give the power” to the UCI.
It won’t happen in 2022, or even 2023…but five years from now will be a different story.
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This is the problem for me. Right now any of us could theoretically race to win Unbound Grave, which I’d say is the closest thing to a gravel world championship right now. I think that’s part of the appeal. Everyone is together. I’m in the same race as Colin, Peter, Payson, etc.
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I disagree, I’d say that you’ll more likely have a UCI / Lifetime split, or similar. Like Ironman corporation and ITU many moons ago.
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I can’t remember which podcast it was, but Boswell was making a similar point to this re: amateur riders being able to just show up and prove their worth. No need for teams, to “cat up” and have to play the political game. Just show up, race and see what you have.
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In the 80s, I heard racers say that the UCI was going to ruin MTB.
The sport evolves.
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yeah… not going to fly halfway around the world. My rule is that I don’t travel to race - I’m too old and like my own bed too much. My days of killing time travelling to races are well behind me.
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Won’t it be exactly like the fondo worlds, where you have to do one qualifying event to get in. Details are sparse, but I can’t imagine it’s going to be too different from the fondo format - it being the other mass participation series the UCI are involved in.
Possibly, but the big worry I have is bikes. You know the UCI will have equipment rules, and some of them are very likely to be silly (sock length, tire width, etc). Will that trickle down to the bike makers? There are a lot of UCI-illegal tri bikes you can buy, which is great. Those are triathlon bikes, not TT bikes. Will the same thing happen with gravel? Will it be necessary? Or possibly with components? The selection of really good CX tires wider than 33mm is pretty small (gravel has been a boon to that market) because tire companies don’t want to make a tire that is illegal in some/many races.
I think you could make a pretty good case they did…back in the 90’s and early 00’s, MTB dominated racing and the bike industry.
Today, you are hard pressed to find regular coverage of MTB racing on any of mainstream cycling outlets.
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Are you implying that UCI had a hand in the fall of MTB from the highest peak to it’s current position? If so, how exactly?
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Yeah, I agree with questioning that statement.
MTB went through the same explosive growth, leveling off, and stagnation, and some decline as BMX did, and it will repeat with gravel, just as it has with all of them.
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I actually think MTB racing is some of the easiest racing to watch. All the UCI races (XC and DH) are free on RedBull TV except World Champs if you live in a place like the US who has sold the broadcast rights to NBC. I pay nothing extra to watch any UCI MTB racing (again except WC), and it’s all in one place. That’s arguably way better than it is to watch the GTs or the classics, where you’re probably dealing with multiple streaming services.
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That is essentially my thought. All this stuff ebbs and flows over time. Each discipline has seen explosive growth at one point (or more in some cases) and the eventual recession down to prior levels or so.
Considering the UCI in MTB specifically, I’m not able to think of specific limitations or controls it put in place that pushed the downfall from the notable peak it saw back then. Just the natural progression of sports when they follow a similar lifecyle as so many others have shown.
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If a racer could race to win Unbound Gravel (or any of the potential UCI events), then they are the caliber that will be in the UCI event anyways.
If a racer would come to the race if everyone starts at once, and wont come to the race if they start the pro’s UCI race ‘x’ hours/minutes before the non-pro’s race just because they wanted to say that they started simultaneously with the pros, thats kind of odd and their loss (to skip the event).
I think they may find it more enjoyable to be racing those of similar abilities (think riding in the A group and being dropped every week when they are done warming up rather than jumping in the B group and riding strong w riders of a similar ability). If the gravel is about challenging yourself to finish the event, none of this would change just bc the big time riders now race their own race (think like Ironman world champs vs ‘age group’ world champs)
I imagine the events will lose very few would-be participants for this reason, tho I do hear what you are saying (that you particularly enjoy it). I dont think its a reason to thumbs down to the UCI bc this will probably happen.
UCI world championships are different as well. Countries assemble national teams and select the best competitors for the course. It wont be just like Unbound converted to UCI-Unbound.
I think what people really don’t like (currently competitive in the gravel scene), is that if UCI can increase popularity and bring money into it, then stronger riders will come and displace the current leaders. The probably would-be best gravel racers likely ride on world tour road racing teams right now to make a proper pay check. Similar to how US cycling (and track and field) isn’t as good as Europe bc the best athletes in US tend to migrate to baseball, basketball, and American football to earn large salaries.
I doubt gravel racing will really change all that much, but the big change will be the composition of the elite field.
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Well, it would take more space than a post could handle to go through the details, but overall mismanagement of the sport and a hyper-focus on the elite side of the sport for starters.
They set out to snuff out any competitive series (NORBA for example), failed to secure new title sponsors for the World Cup after Grundig left, and largely ignored the “participatory” side of the sport.
Was the decline of MTB solely due to the UCI? Of course not…concurrently you had the rise of -7 and the reemergence of the road scene. That played a role as well. But I think it is reasonable to see how the UCI’s mismanagement of the sport was a key factor in its decline.
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As far as I know this isn’t how the UCI Grand Fondo worlds, the only other massparticipation world champs, works. You compete in a series event and if you meet a certain standard you’re in the world champs with a chance to take a tilt at the title.
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UCI will ban bangle bongs or gravel sacks, whatever the cools hang from their bikes.
No more arrow extension (Dylan Johnson in tears), forced stops at all aid stations, and for God’s sake no weed!.
The coolest and funnest cycling trend since fat bikes just got lame. Like, Boomer lame.
I’m just glad Gravel Worlds is now a protected, registered trade mark as of last week I believe. UCI can’t take that away from them! (for free at least)
All those up in arms and opposed to the UCI’s entry should make it a point to sign up and race the original Gravel Worlds in 2022 and beyond!