In recent years, we have seen a growing interest in gravel. Cyclists like Lachlan Morton – who released the documentary this year the divide – , Peter Stetina, Alejandro Valverde, Matthew Beers, Keegan Swenson, Hugo Derechou, Petr Vakoc, Konny Looser, Matt Beers, Lucia Gómez, Lauren De Crescenzo, Geerike Schreurs or Ahleigh Moolman, Greg Van Avermaet himself, have adhered to what some have been doing for years They were classified as fashion and now we can say that it is a reality that has come to stay.
No matter where you look, you see the word gravel. According to a study by Strava, gravel has been the sport with the greatest growth on the platform, with an increase of 55% compared to the 2022 data and in Spain the growth shoots up to 71%.
Keegan Swenson – Life Time Grand Prix in 2023.
At this point we find very diverse organizers of gravel events. Many of them are linked to the UCI (International Cycling Union), which acts as a legitimizer of gravel events with a qualifying calendar of 27 events spread around the world.
Especially in Europe we give a lot of "officiality" to the UCI seal, and that considerably increases the cache of the event, with the consequent increase in registrations, after passing through the organizer's checkout, obviously.
However, there are some organizers who choose to opt for their own model. similar to the one that on June 6, 1946, marked a new era in basketball: the NBA, which has always worked outside of federations but has managed to have the best athletes and be the reference championship. I stew it, and I eat it.
The Life Time Grand Prix It is the most prestigious racing series in the world and is attracting the best racers. Some of its events, such as a UNBOUND It is becoming the most reputable annual event, with the permission of the World Cup.
Still from Call of a Life Time Season 1 – Episode 2: UNBOUND Gravel (Men's Race)
Good organizations with the capacity to attract the best cyclists and that, outside of federations, promote their values, their ideals and their rules. The closest thing we have in Europe would be the Gravel Earth Series and the drive of Gerard Freixas, which this year presents evidence of global significance. The traka 2024 will be a truly international event, the European UNBOUND. All its tests are outside the UCI, even outside national and regional federations.
At the moment in the USA they are one step ahead, with considerable prizes. The Life Time Grand Prix was born in 2022 with six events and 60 renowned guest cyclists, sportingly and communicatively attractive, competing for an important financial prize. The second season added a seventh race, the Rad Dirt Fest in Colorado. This year is already in its third edition with seven iconic events and prizes of up to $300,000 (an important figure and never seen in gravel or MTB events). We leave the list of the athletes invited in this edition at the end of the news.
Three years ago it did not exist and today it is the most prestigious series. All the gravel pros follow their events: Sea Otter, Leadville 100, Gravel UNBOUND... An example of this is Kasia Niewiadoma, who a few days after becoming 2023 gravel world champion, ran the last Life Time race in Texas, Life Time Big Sugar Gravel.
The Life Time has revolutionized the panorama of “offroad” racing in the USA. It has created a series of elite hybrid races, mixing gravel and MTB in the same championship. It has caught the attention of the entire community and attracted the most important cyclists from around the scene. A lot of money in communication and prizes and 60 guests who become the best "ambassadors" of the format.
Photography by Kasia Niewiadoma
In the documentary series Call of a Lifetime, which this year has released its second edition, of which we made a compilation article, you can see the attention (and means) to detail they put.
In future news we will tell you about each of the races in more detail.
In 2024 there will be separate starts for the women's and men's categories, so that the women's races can take place without interference. Doping control has also been announced for 2024, which, seeing the impact that Life Time is generating, we believe is very appropriate.
At this point we find a relevant person, Kimo Seymour. Maybe many people don't know him, but he is the President of Events and Media at Life Time Fitness, which in addition to being a chain with more than 150 health clubs, organizes several events throughout the year. Kimo explains in an interview with “The rada vist” the incredible importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in these events.
Kimo Seymour – President of Events and Media at Life Time Fitness
«Cycling is, and has been for a long time, dominated by white men. The slow but steady influx of people of color and LGBTIQA+ communities has been a notable change… What does it mean to invite people? For us that meant working with a variety of groups that are already connected to those communities," explains Kimo. “We have a platform that creates opportunities, but it also creates a responsibility, and we feel like we have a responsibility to believe in inclusion.”