VeloNews Awards 2022: Gravel’s greatest hits
The bikes, people, and events that lit up gravel in 2022.
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.
The bikes, people, and events that lit up gravel in 2022.
Michelin star chef Matthew Accarrino talks about the parallels — and complements — between riding a bike and running a restaurant.
Four-time US national 'cross champ talks race commentary, and the challenges facing CX in the wake of huge growth of gravel.
Returning champs Haley Smith and Keegan Swenson join a roster of newcomers and 2022 series veterans.
'We believe that a gravel championship should have a certain standard of both quality and distance of real hardpack dirt roads,' says race organizer Maarten Patteeuw.
Roanoke, Virginia joins the lineup of whimsical pocket-sized gravel centric guidebooks, bringing the total lineup to seven.
This discipline isn't what it used to be, nor what I expected it to be. I got lost, but now I am found.
The five-day stage race that debuted in Tanzania last year will return in 2023 as two 425km stages with a mandatory 12-hour stop in between.
Registration for the UCI Gravel World Series race in Arkansas opens on December 8; UCI gravel worlds returns to Italy on September 30, 2023.
After five years with the US squad, Newsom is choosing to race closer to home and her family.
Ridley's new Grifn falls into the do-it-all camp, but is it really an N+1 killer?
The governing body will launch a gravel national championship in 2023, followed by a junior and collegiate gravel series in 2024.
Girona-based promoter Klassmark will oversee the series, which will unify 6-8 international gravel races under one umbrella.
With the UCI-sanctioned gravel worlds slated for Flanders in 2024, it might be too close to home for Van Aert to avoid.
A chance encounter with an old story I wrote about the Spirit World 100 reminds me that gravel is just the medium — the spirit is how we ride it
Significant changes include the addition of a seventh race, race fees paid for all selected athletes, and more doping controls.
Interview explores Boswell's struggles within the UK team, and his transition to gravel racing: 'In gravel I'm self-dependent.'
The gravel event founded by Ted and Laura King saw three successful editions
The six-event series will feature two timed races in Sweden and Finland, as well as social non-competitive rides of varying distances
A Texas judge denies motions by lawyers representing Kaitlin Armstrong to suppress evidence in the case.
The 31-year-old has twice won Gravel Worlds and is known for dropping the competition on fast, rolling roads. He's also a veteran of Latin American stage racing.
Retired Spanish star eyes dipping his toes into the booming gravel scene as well as acting as a liaison between staffers and riders at Movistar.
A Texas court began proceedings last month and a judge is expected to decide on an important question on evidence.
The friends, separated by 27 years, on their history and the playful rivalry at last weekend's Arizona gravel race
Guest contributor Molly Lofton takes us inside the irreverent Stillwater, Oklahoma event
The former professional road racer has found new inspiration in racing on the American off-road, as well as helping others get to the start line
The Hagens Berman Axeon rider took on Big Sugar Gravel aboard BMC's new race-oriented gravel bike.
Just a year after transitioning from World Cup XCO to endurance racing, Cole Paton finished fourth overall in the Life Time Grand Prix series
Grant is retiring at the end of the season, after a nearly 10-year career in which she was a five-time marathon MTB national champion and two-time winner of the Leadville 100
The 19-year-old from California had an offer from a Spanish development team but chose Mazda Lauf Factory gravel for 2023
Submissions will be accepted November 1 through November 30 and are open to the public
The recently-retired Irish WorldTour pro is going all in on gravel.
Technical wear with a more laidback styling and gravel specific features.
The Oregon carbon bike manufacturer's first gravel bike attempts to strike a balance between shredding singletrack and winning races
New rubber for every terrain you tackle.
Many riders said that gravel's season finale was the most full-gas race of all
At Big Sugar Gravel, we took a look at the Grand Prix series winner's gravel bike
A serendipitous end of the season saw women at the front of the race riding on each other's wheels
The new gravel race rig is aero and fast but more importantly, really fun to ride
The finale to a season full of challenges on and off the bike ended with everyone together at a brewery that felt like "a big house party, with friends left, right, center"
'Obviously my big issue is that every time there’s a descent I’m dropping the wheel and I have to sprint for 5km just to get back to the group,' Irish rider says after fifth in Big Sugar Gravel.
The Abus rider celebrated a breakthrough victory in Bentonville, with Emily Newsom and Alexis Skarda rounding out the podium.
He is joined on the podium by Keegan Swenson and Adam Roberge
The Abus Pro Gravel newbie has had a challenging season but is riding the steep learning curve upward
30 mm of rear suspension travel, 20 mm of front travel, and clearance for 700x47 mm knobbies is a formula for a good time on rough terrain.
The suspension system comes with only a modest weight penalty while maintaining the responsiveness of a rigid frame.
A very deep field and a very fast and technical course are on tap for this weekend as Bentonville, Arkansas hosts the last race of the Life Time Grand Prix
Swenson has the men's series in the bag, but outside of that it's anyone's game, especially in the super tight women's race
BWR Kansas provided dynamic and dramatic end of season racing, and I achieved a season-long goal
The cyclocross pro hasn't had the Grand Prix series she hoped for, but a win at BWR Kansas makes her curious for what's next
Plus there's now a more affordable RX6 and a rowdier RX8R.
The ultra runner and big mountain skier have both found healing — and more — riding gravel
The two are competitors in the fierce off-road endurance circuit, but it hasn't gotten in the way of a decadelong friendship.
10 riders paid out on best cumulative time across four Belgian Waffle Ride races
Thoughts from an experienced, inexperienced gravel connoisseur
A green and gold Colnago is just one of this year's special bikes for the Australian gravel privateer.
The first-year event featured big climbs, long descents, and cheerful volunteers to create a magical autumn gravel ride
The veteran Belgian opens up on the new discipline on the block.
F1 driver Valtteri Bottas and SBT GRVL to debut Finland event on June 10, 2023.
What does Peter Sagan make of the first Gravel Worlds? All that and more in a chat with Shoddy Dave.
Amidst rumours of Ineos interest, the Frenchwoman says we'll learn more about her future next week.
The short film explores the friendship — and inspiration — between the decorated pro paracyclist and an aspiring new rider named Jack
Will it be a roadie, an actual gravel pro like Lauren De Crescenzo, or Pauline Ferrand Prévot? The elite women's race promises show-stopping excitement.
But I don't think we need to blame the UCI — entirely. Let's first embody the true spirit of gravel and holler like hell for our friends who are racing
Team USA sends a strong women's squad including Lauren De Crescenzo, Sarah Sturm, Lauren Stephens; other nations rely on athletes from different disciplines.
The pair won the GL150, putting in big miles late in the season
Frenchwoman will line up at gravel worlds in Italy after becoming world champion in short track, cross country, and marathon mountain bike one month ago.
The new event, held in Colorado’s ski country, promises thin air, amazing views, and a bumpy descent or two.
The event debuts in southern Colorado on October 1 and registration remains open.
I didn't love this bike for racing, but it was a workhorse in the mountains, especially going downhill.
Factor brings road aerodynamics to gravel capabilities 'to create what we believe to be the world’s fastest gravel bike.'
The third BWR of 2022 rolls out of Cedar City on Saturday, featuring 132 miles and 6,847 feet of climbing
Registration for the first half of the 2023 BWR season opens on October 3 at 9:00 a.m. PST.
American heads to Australia for his UCI Road World Championships debut.
'It’s kinda revealed itself to not only not be a threat but to be something entirely different,' Alex Howes says
$15,000 will be awarded to top finishers and must be donated to a non-profit organization of their choice
The inaugural event takes place in Veneto, Italy October 8-9, 2022
The Oklahoma gravel race will award free race entry, travel, accommodation, and a $500 stipend to 10 qualifying athletes
The EF Education-TIBCO-SVB rider will line up at marathon MTB worlds this weekend, then fly to Australia for road worlds, and she hopes to earn a spot at gravel worlds in early October
Elite women will race 140k and elite men will race 190k on a mostly flat course comprised of 70 percent dirt and/or cobbles