Keegan Swenson Poised to Take on Euro pros: ‘It Brings More Legitimacy to Gravel Worlds’
Q&A: We catch up with the top American ahead of the elite men's 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships in Italy.
In just a few years, gravel cycling has gone from a fringe pursuit to the hot style of riding and racing, with current and former WorldTour professional jumping in the mix. Gravel cycling has many attractions: escaping traffic, noise, and congestion – whether rolling solo, riding with friends, or racing with competitors. At VeloNews, we cover all the major events and many of the small, quirky ones, bringing you the inside stories from the riders at the front and the back of the back. We also test a wide variety of gear, often in races like Unbound Gravel or The Mid South, and give you our unvarnished feedback here.
Q&A: We catch up with the top American ahead of the elite men's 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships in Italy.
The Specialized Off-Road pro has put in the work and is more prepared than ever
In the women's race, Alexis Skarda and Crystal Anthony rounded out the podium, while Pete Stetina and Brendan Johnston were just behind Vermeulen in second and third place.
Series athletes will race 110 miles and nearly 10,000 feet in the penultimate race.
The second edition of the UCI-sanctioned gravel worlds is expected to see more of the established gravel stars to compete in Italy next month.
After retiring from the WorldTour in 2021, then racing two seasons of the Life Time Grand Prix series, Ruth Edwards is returning to the sport she loves.
A weekly roundup of what's happening in the off-road.
Truman Glasgow and Melisa Rollins take the wins at this lesser known race where just finishing is a challenge.
The October 22 event is sold out, but we've got you covered.
New gravel national champions Keegan Swenson and Lauren Stephens headline Team USA's elite 23- rider squad.
Guest contributor Clare Paniccia, the founder of Oklahoma's Truffle Shuffle gravel event, suggests an antidote to the 'pro-ification' of gravel.
Keegan Swenson and Alexis Skarda best of the rest in men’s and women’s races.
Men will race 169k and women 140k on courses that "are much harder and hillier than last year," says Erwin Vervecken.
Can Lachlan's legs handle another race? Will Swenson and SGV dominate? And, Beers is back.
I was keen to experience firsthand how USAC organized the inaugural national championships, even if my personal result was a DNF after a mass pileup
Alexis Skarda and Crystal Anthony finish second and third in the inaugural national championship race.
Windy and dusty conditions make for tactical racing in Nebraska. Alexey Vermeulen, Brennan Wertz, Payson McElveen, and John Borstelmann make up the top five.
Dry, windy conditions produced tactical racing in the elite men's and women's races.
The Idaho off-road event, founded by former endurance pro Rebecca Rusch, celebrated its 11th year last weekend.
A weekly roundup of what's happening in the off-road.
The event will move from Vicenza to Treviso and be produced by Pedali di Marcha. Course details remain scant.
The inaugural event on September 9 is USAC's big gravel debut.
The US's top gravel talent is converging in the heartland for the inaugural gravel national championship on Saturday, September 9.
Stacked start lists for Saturday's inaugural event show that gravel racing has reached new heights.
The 10th anniversary of the off-road event paid tribute to the late Sule Kangangi.
The new pro and the Aussie battle veteran BWR racers to take the top step after a characteristically challenging BWR race.
It was a three-peat for Borstelmann at the Nebraska event, while Stephens took 21st position overall.
MTB Marathon World Championships race organizer Massimo Panighel is rumored to be creating a 'more demanding track than that of 2022' for the October 8 championship race in Italy.
Iowa "B" roads, a cyclocross finish, and a post-race party in an orchard make Core4's sophomore edition a huge success.
'SBT GRVL has shown that a top tier event where the result is extremely important for a rider like myself can still include all the other ingredients that make gravel special.'
Modern adventure race geometry, 50mm tires, and stealth routing bring the Sage Titanium Storm King V2 up to speed.
Gomez Villafañe is dominating the off-road race scene this season. Here's the bike that she rode to her latest win at SBT GRVL.
Tiffany Cromwell of Canyon-SRAM comes in one minute later, followed by Flavia Oliveira Parks.
Swenson bests his last year's time by 19 minutes; Petr Vakoč and Alexey Vermeulen round out the men's podium.
No vowels but lots of vert for the gravel race's inaugural Friday night hill climb
The GT Grade Carbon X is a gravel bike for the masses and makes gravel fun and predictable.
Gravel culture has normalized insanely long events. But they aren't the only option.
Deep pro fields, a film fest featuring para-athletes, tons of shakeout rides, and lots of miles on 'champagne gravel' are all on tap for the weekend ahead.
Sometimes you just need a break from an event, but I think I'll try Leadville on a gravel bike soon. However I wouldn't recommend it.
If enough money is raised for the gravel race's scholarship program, the L39ION star will get a horrible haircut on stage.
The Rallye is solid all-around, with exceptional steering and handling from the dirt to the tarmac.
Let these stories and event recaps inspire you to have more fun on two wheels
The Hunt 42 Limitless Gravel Adventure wheelset is an aero gravel wheel that is wide but also has a hooked bead. Hunt is doing it a bit different and targeting the fast endurance crowd, but they could be great for everyone.
Michael Marckx says new rules will protect "integrity and parity." Promoters of other gravel races say they have no plans to change rules of inclusion.
Some recent personal and professional changes had me in good mental and physical condition for Saturday's showdown with Swenson.
Alex Howes is the first person to complete both the Tour de France, which he did twice, and the Tour Divide bikepacking race.
A gravel race bike that can also get geared up for a long haul.
Lauren De Crescenzo and Flavia Oliveira Parks round out the podium, while Gomez Villafañe sets new course record.
Pete Stetina and Matt Beers are second and third.
Defending XCO national champ Keegan Swenson is racing gravel this weekend, as are a dozen other nationals contenders.
A weekly roundup of what's happening in the off-road.
For some, the high altitude race was a tune up for next weekend's Crusher in the Tushar; some 625 riders competed over the race's three distances.
The EF Education Pro Cycling alt rider won the 850km gravel ultra in Tanzania this week and got exactly what he was looking for.
The pro gravel racer is showing the 20-year-old mountain biker what a career in off-road endurance might look like.
Gravel's five-stage summer camp wrapped up on Sunday in Bend.
The third edition of the four-day stage race in Kenya saw the deepest field — and most East African participants — yet.
With bunch sprints increasingly common in the elite men's race, organizers are looking for ways to mitigate congestion with amateurs at the finish.
After a three-month test, I agree that this gravel bike goes fast in all conditions.
How we got here and why you should probably ride tubeless road tires.
A weekly roundup of what's happening in the off-road.
Bike racing and family time at the Cascade Gravel Grinder in Bend, Oregon.
The event debuted last October; last weekend, Durango locals Sarah Sturm and Payson McElveen won the climbing-heavy race.
Cromwell is the co-producer of the Finland event, which was Skujiņš first gravel race ever.
Carolin Schiff is on a tear in the gravel world right now, and she's only just beginning.
Velo Support will be at gravel races across the country this year complete with a pro mechanic to get your bike primed for a great day of riding.
Whether you have 4 hours per week to train or 20, we’ll help you roll up to the start line with confidence.
Peter Rajcani finished his Unbound XL course in just over 47 hours and couldn't be happier.
The inaugural gravel race in F1 driver Valtteri Bottas' hometown features lakes, forests, and Finnish pastries.
A weekly roundup of what's happening in the off-road.
The SBT GRVL founder sits down to talk about moving success from America to Finland, their partnership with Valtteri Bottas, and the future of gravel races in Europe.
Doesn't matter, Keegan Swenson still won Unbound.
The German bests reigning champ Sofia Gomez Villafañe by 15 minutes, while Sturm, Shrosbree, and Lange celebrate break-out performances.
Petr Vakoc and Lachlan Morton were the second and third to cross the line.
After Moriah Wilson's death, Rockwell took a season-long hiatus from racing. She's finding her own way back.
The AG2R-Citroën WorldTour pro is lining up for his first gravel race ever on Saturday.
Our editors weigh in the best gravel tire for Unbound Gravel, gear to bring, and how to stay prepared during the event.
Our editors weigh in on the biggest storylines in the Flint Hills.
New in 2023, riders in the elite category will have their own start in the 200-mile race.
Between 'a really crappy Jeep' and not knowing where she's going live for six months, 'the racing feels like the easy part,' says the Aussie rider.
Details about the 2023 Unbound gravel routes, shakeout rides, and more.