Yeah, I think that is a fair criticism. And with some races like Unbound and SBT GRVL as “standard bearers”, it makes the bar for “epicness” pretty high.
But there are still a bunch of local, grassroots events available…many of which are free. There is a local race our near Rockford, IL in February that is only about 50 miles, relatively flat and is completely free…and all that includes a mid-ride rest stop (with baked goods and a cooler of Hamm’s!!) and a chili meal after the race.
As others have noted, the UCI entering gravel won’t affect those races at all.
This is an interesting development. It will be curious as to how it plays out.
Will the current gravel “pros” stay out and stick to unsanctioned events?
Doping (pot or otherwise) is out now if you are going to do a UCI event.
I have a feeling that when a gravel world championship event is official, we’ll see guys like Sagan, MVDP, or other top pros try their hand. They will do it for another shot at a rainbow jersey.
Maybe I’ve missed something, but the link provided in the first post really only seems to talk about a gravel version of the UCI Gran Fondo series and Championships. Which doesn’t have a pro field, it’s an amateur series with world champions (including rainbow jerseys) in each age group. If they’re planning to emulate this on gravel then I don’t think we’re going to see people like Sagan or MVDP turning up (or even being allowed to turn up).
I’ve done a few of the UCI Gran Fondo events in different countries. Great experience - well organised, good atmosphere, decent value for money, especially given that they’re on closed roads. They also attract a lot of people who don’t race - trying to finish top 20% in their age group and qualify for the worlds (you get a nice qualifiers medal even if you have no intention of actually going) is a good achievable goal for riders who are fit and competitive but not interested in racing. Could see a gravel version of this being successful and getting more people into gravel riding.
This news comes at a horrible time . I’m doing my first Gravel event on Oct. 2nd with a borrowed gravel bike. Now the races have been ruined before I’ve even had an opportunity to see if I like it. I was even considering buying a gravel bike! Might as well dump that dream. I’m always a day late and a dollar short.
You’re not going to see top flight road cyclists lining up for these races any more than they currently do for Gran Fondo. It’s still very much a second tier (or lower) from the World Tour.
If they have pro races I think you’d more likely see second tier mountain bike and road pros, or the cyclo-cross crowd.
Why does it suck? Media attention, money, sponsorships, new people, etc. all sound like positive things to me.
Worth noting is that despite the UCI’s involvement in road, you can still find a shop/charity/fondo ride with no difficulty and ride however/whatever you want.
Although I’m not much of a gravel racer (I’m a committed roadie), I’m happy to see anything that brings more attention to bike racing.
FWIW, those 3 first reasons are why it sucks imo. Not a popular opinion but I’d like less of these in cycling generally since they are something something root of all evil and all that. But I’m not a pro so I know why they’d want those in it.
I’d prefer gravel to become more of a “everyone’s Everest” kind of thing like marathons vs yet another category in the UCI pro scene that stresses elitism and exclusivity. But to each their own.
Why does the UCI need to be involved. They need to get TF out and stay out! They just want our money! As far as rulesare concerned tge one and only rule we need is “Don’t be a Dick”
Is that extended to a current gravel pro who has used his platform to shame people that beat him?
“The only rule is that I decide what’s cool and what isn’t” - a paraphrasing few gravel pros, male and female.
In motorsports, we’re entering into what is referred to as the “silly season”, where anyone and everyone spends the offseason speculating, commenting, and complaining about everything.
Maybe it’s me but, 2021 gravel feels like 1980’s mountain biking. It’s more about what it isn’t than what it is. The UCI will format gravel similar to other disciplines.
Hopefully the mass start (amateur, pro, ages of every decade) will continue and the festival vibe will continue. Most I know go to experience and SHARE the experience with everyone and anyone. If the UCI fucks that up this will go underground.
Sort of related but, more of a tangent…it’s crazy looking back at cycling history. Helmets were made mandatory by the UCI in 2003 (Giro). UCI took control of mountain in 90. Wonder where we would we be today with out the UCI?
Yup…I’ve made the correlation before, but I’d say it it is more early 90’s mountain biking where roadies who were at the end of their careers started making the transition to dirt (Bob Roll, among others) and the sport was really exploding.
I am sure there is a huge permit fee to pay the cities and the Counties to use their roads for an organized event. Not to mention paying for Law Enforcement and Firemen and Paramedics to be on standby.
Sorry, no sale. Where would TR be without Media attention, money, and sponsorships? Why would I train so hard if I didn’t get a regular dose of seeing my cycling heroes push the limits of human endurance?
Hasn’t the entire industry been pushing for more coverage, more money, and more sponsorships for women and minorities? Haven’t we all wished cycling was just a little more mainstream when we’re touring somewhere where cycling isn’t common and they treat you like a martian? Wouldn’t we like to see more opportunities to race, more places to ride, and more ways to encourage new riders to participate? Those things don’t just happen because we want them to.
If 10 years from now, gravel became the new TdF, and tens of millions of people around the world were watching gravel races on TV and planning their own gravel rides, that’d be a good thing wouldn’t it? And nothing about that scenario precludes anyone from simply enjoying gravel the way they want and nothing precludes organizers continuing to organize laid back rolling parties for people who like that.
I see this as UCI recognizing the fact that cycling is evolving, and trying some new things. We can all poke fun at rules on sock height or bottle throwing, and we can complain but they do still put cycling on the world stage in a way that no one else has or does.
??? TR has been built from the ground up and has no sponsorships. I can’t even say as I have ever seen them advertise anywhere. Sure, they have gotten some media attention, but it seems much of their growth has been through having a great product, word of mouth and influencers.
Yup. Gotta make that bread. Thats what its all about.
I dunno, I train for personal fulfillment and to see what I’m capable of. Everyone has very different reasons for why they train and for what purpose. Thats a good thing.
Nothing starts up a good conversation than you looking like an insane person. Part of the adventure. It is literally impossible to look threatening while wearing bib shorts.
Gravel has done really well to grow the sport without a major push from UCI and other sponsors. The vibe is very different and its clear that is very appealing to many people. Road, in contrast, has been on the severe decline in the US. I’m not of the opinion that the UCI is able to grow the sport when its major discipline cannot have traction in the US anymore.
I don’t agree. The cycling as it is currently governed and operated has deep, systemic problems. More fame and money won’t fix any of them. I would very much like to see a more local focused approach that tries to build up the sport over time rather than a quick push to get more TV views and mega dollars in the sport as is.
I see this as the UCI has realized where the cash is and is now going to force itself onto the scene to maintain its position as the governing body of the sport. They will standardize everything to ensure the money can flow and will dash any chances at experimentation and evolution of what is cycling and how it should be done.
I just fundamentally disagree that there will be good things to come from UCI involvement. Theres just too many problems in the international sport of cycling as is and there’s one body to blame for that. Money can’t fix that.
TR doesn’t exist in a vacuum. If cycling (or tri) was a low key niche hobby with no closure or incentive to compete, there would be a lot fewer athletes eager to improve their performance and willing to pay for training plans to do so. The bigger the sport gets, the more potential customers there are.
. I’m doing my first Gravel event on Oct. 2nd with a borrowed gravel bike. Now the races have been ruined before I’ve even had an opportunity to see if I like it. I was even considering buying a gravel bike! Might as well dump that dream. I’m always a day late and a dollar short.
