Gravel bikes greatly impacted cycling, and nobody expected them to become as popular as they have been. We all knew it wouldn’t be long before races and sportive started popping up, and a gravel community would be born.
Gravel racing has gone to a high level, and not only did it become professionally recognized, but there are even races where you are able to run alongside the professionals and see if you have the skill and fitness to stay with the lead pack.
Gravel bike racing isn’t like other types of bike racing, and here at Gravel Biking, we often get asked what it’s all about. In this article, we’re going to be telling you everything you need to know by discussing:
Table of contents
What Is A Gravel Bike?
Before we start speaking about gravel bike racing, it’s important to understand what a gravel bike is, as there are many misconceptions about what actually makes a gravel bike. Here’s what to look for in a gravel bike.
Large Gravel Tires And Different Wheel Sizes
The large tires are the first thing you will notice about a gravel bike. These are to help you through rough and rocky terrain. You can expect sizes anywhere from 35c all the way up to 52c. You will also get two wheel sizes on gravel bikes, either 700c, like a road bike, or 650b, equivalent to a 27.5” mountain bike wheel.
Relaxed Geometry And Flared Drop Bars
Next, we have a relaxed geometry. This gives the rider a more upright position to ride in to help control the bike on loose surfaces and also gives more comfort. The flared bars also offer a wider stance in the drops for technical riding.
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Disc Brakes
Disc brakes are the best kind of brakes you can get on a bike and are perfect for gravel riding. They work well in all conditions, are very powerful, and also make easy work for the hands when it comes to stopping. If your gravel bike doesn’t have disc brakes, it’s going to be tough riding.
Low Range Gearing
You can also expect to find low-range gearing on a gravel bike. It is like a road bike in design, but it will have smaller chainrings, larger cassettes, and some feature clutch mech that can stop the chain from falling off while on bumpy terrain.
Gravel Accessories
You will also get a lot of gravel accessories to play with. Such as multiple mounts for carrying bikepacking bags, and some have hand storage in the frame for snacks and supplies. You might even find your gravel bike with a dropper post or even very light suspension.
Related Reading: Best Gravel Bike Trails in Canada
What Is Gravel Racing?
As mentioned before, gravel racing isn’t like other types of bike racing and offers an experience you won’t get from mountain bike racing or road bike racing. Here’s what you can expect from racing a gravel bike:
Terrain
The first thing you will find about gravel bike racing is that the terrain typically changes a lot. Sometimes you will find yourself on roads, other times on trails, but most of the time on gravel tracks. The terrain is designed to be fast but technically challenging for beginners and professionals.
Distances
Then we have distances, and you can expect races to be as short as 20 km all the way up to 500 km. These distances can see the pro riders tackling their longest races and can see them in the saddle for more than 15 hours.
It’s quite common in gravel events that they have multiple distances when it comes to races. Some will be very short and suited to beginners or families, while others will be long for the professional. They often set riders off at different times to ensure there’s not too much clashing.
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Bikes
When it comes to racing in other cycling disciplines, there’s not much in it between the bikes. Take road bike racing, for example, you get different bikes, but they are all of similar designs, and when it comes to wheels and tire sizes, the majority of the peloton is on very similar equipment.
With gravel bike racing, you can have one rider on 35c tires staying super quick on light terrain and suffering on the technical sections. In the same pack, a rider on 45c tires lagging on light terrain but excelling on challenging terrain. It’s very similar to mountain bike races where the equipment setup makes a big difference.
Support
Races like the Tour de France will see riders working in teams and pushing their strongest riders to the front to finish strong. They will also have a team car and anything they need to be delivered to them to keep them going.
In gravel riding, you typically work alone, and not much team mentality comes into play. You don’t have cars helping you, and although many races have resupply points, many of them don’t. If you have a puncture, then that’s going to be your issue.
Rider Categories
The best thing about gravel racing is that it puts everyone’s race together. This means you could be a complete beginner who has just bought a gravel bike and line up right next to your favorite professional. Just because it’s a race doesn’t mean you need to sprint to the end. Some riders are just in it for fun, others to win.
This format of mixing everyone together, you think, would be absolute carnage, but it isn’t. It builds an incredible sense of community, and after around 10km, the faster racers have cleared some distance, and relaxed riders sit at a slower pace.
Community
Finally, we have community. There’s nothing like going to a gravel bike race and being part of the incredible community. Once the race is done, it is not the case of jumping into a team bus to escape, but you crack on a beer and get celebrating with all the riders.
It is common for gravel bike races to be weekend events with food and a party involved. It can be treated like a celebration, and although a competitive event, everyone is there to ride great gravel roads and have a good time.
Can You Race With A Gravel Bike?
Most riders use a gravel bike at a gravel bike race, but it’s not rare to see hardtail mountain bikes, road bikes with wider tire clearances, and even some classic mountain bikes at gravel races. The gravel bike is definitely your best option, and it will give you the best experience.
On the other side of racing, it’s not rare to see in low categories that some riders actually use a gravel bike in a road race. They typically opt for carbon fiber wheels and choose much skinnier tires to keep up.
Can You Use A Gravel Bike For Adventure Racing?
When it comes to adventure bike racing, ultra cycling, and bikepacking, gravel bikes are one of the best choices. With the ability to go on all different types of terrain, the relaxed geometry to give you extra comfort, and lots of mounts for bikepacking bags, they are perfect.
If you look at the participants of adventure bike races in the past few years, the majority of them on road and multi-terrain races tend to opt for a gravel bike because it offers such a big advantage in a race.
What Is The Fastest Gravel Bike In The World?
Gravel bikes come in all different shapes and sizes, and you will find some are going to be more suited to certain riders and races than others. If we were to tell you about an incredibly quick gravel bike, it would be the Pinarello Grevil F.
Pinarello has been on the podium in a lot of racing, and they are not shy of pushing boundaries which their competitors often choose to follow. The Grevil F is their Aero Gravel Bike, and it doesn’t just look great. It’s incredibly fast too. Coming in at around $6500, it’s not a cheap gravel bike, but it does come with some great specifications.
Weighing in at only 8.8kg, it’s very light, and that’s with its big chunky tires and oversized aero tubing. It has Campagnolo Ekar gearing, carbon fiber wheels, and a carbon finishing kit to complement its racing frame. It’s a force to be reckoned with and a gravel riders dream bike.
Interested In Gravel Bike Racing? Here’s How To Get Involved!
So what’s the best way to get involved in a gravel race? Well, in our opinion, the best thing you can do is find an event you like local to you and turn up. The gravel community is amazing and very welcoming. A personal favorite gravel event of ours is Unbound Gravel.
We have an amazing article to tell you how to get started here How To Get Started Gravel Bike Racing and riding gravel.
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