Did Racing Ruin Gravel or Did Gravel Save Racing?

E-bike sales may be benefiting the bike industry as a whole but I don't think the major players are American. Mostly low-cost imports aimed at people who would never think of riding a bike under pedal power.  I could go on a rant here but this isn't the proper thread.

It seems that in the US, gravel bikes are saving both racing and the bike industry, though the latter is also benefiting greatly from E-bike sales. Road and MTB racing here were mere shells of their former selves when gravel came along, providing another avenue that was both competitive and a lot of fun. One can argue that pro riders jumping did some damage, but they have to make a living somehow. 😉 We haven't done as many events in the past couple of years as we used to, but at the ones we do ride, the racers take off at the start and the rest of us follow at our own pace and enjoy the same scenery and relaxed atmosphere that we did before gravel racing became a thing. The events are still a great day on the bike with friends, so no real harm done.

Many good replies here.  My two cents.  I'm older and back of pack.  I've only done 17 gravel races.  Sixteen were the smallish Mississippi Gravel Cup (four races Jan-Feb) the last four years.  One was FNLD GRVL (Finland Gravel), which was a big event for me.

 

Seems to me that the racers only benefit gravel rides.  In Finland, I heard about the front of the pack from my son who was there, but in the mid pack, folks were just having a fun day out.  At the awards in Finland, the pros were all hanging around and it was really cool to see and be around them.  At the small (almost tiny but great) Miss. Gravel Cup races, occasionally some national level pros come (e.g. Ian Boswell).  They have always been friendly and hang around till the very end.  Maybe they are fulfilling sponsor obligations, but they have been great.

 

Maybe the "spirit of gravel" is dead while the race is underway, but the gravel pros love the sport (they gotta love it to do it).  And in my limited experience (and from what I've heard) the majority of gravel pros are awesome after the races.  Therefore, racing makes gravel better.

Ok just in case you didn't know it I am on a 50 State 50 mile gravel bucket list. I started out in 2017 and bought my first gravel bike Easter 2017. The Raleigh Tamland 1 that Ted Guitar had some feedback in production. It had the 50/34 crank and mechanical brakes. It weighs 25 lbs. but still a decent gravel bike. I decided to buy an upgraded bike and bought the Raleigh Roker Comp direct from them saving lots of money. Upgraded that bike with the new Shimano GRX 810 with the 48/31 crank and a 11-40 rear. Redshift stem and a custom set of wheels. In 2018 I did 8 races 8 months in a row in 8 different States. That is when I came up with the 50 State bucket list idea. 

I now have done 44 races in 27 different States with a few new States being added this year. IMHO Lifetime and a few other races have ruined gravel riding. Since it is now cliquish to do crazy things are happening. People aka race directors are seeing there is money to be made in it and some races are being run by people that don't have a clue on how to run races and or take care of the riders. Of the 44 races I have done I would say 3-4 were that way. 

The biggest change I have seen is how the prices have gone up for the races after Covid hit. Not sure if the race directors are trying to make up for the lost revenue they had during Covid and or that it just costs more now to run races. At my end I have been trying to just ride in what I call the grassroots type of races for me means under a $100 entry fee. I will go to a higher race on occasion. I saw a race in GA. this spring that was well over a $100 that wasn't a Lifetime race. I also saw a race where the guys said lets just go ride bikes over the weekend and it was well over $100. Before Covid I also noticed that most races had tier pricing and if you were riding the shorter race it wasn't as expensive. Now lots of races have the same price no matter what distance you are riding. I don't know what the answer is but I sure am not liking the trend of the race registration fees just skyrocketing and yet riders still signing up and going to those races.

 

Oh yeah for me this season I am on a Lauf True Grit Weekend Warrior Wireless that I got on a killer deal from Lauf as it was a return to their warehouse. It's a game changer for me and the bike is all that.

 

Zman

Bnystrom:

 

I hear what you are saying and I guess two of the biggest expenses are getting insurance in case somebody does something stupid at your race and then tries to sue you and then if you have to pay for any emergency personnel/police etc. You are right that it won't get any better. I am just curious why some races can still be run under say $75 for an event while others are almost in the $200 range. As a person that likes to go to the grassroots races yet. I really appreciate the labor of love that the race directors take on running their races.

 

Zman

• As you said, insurance is a big consideration and a potentially large cost.
• Local permitting regulations vary pretty dramatically, as can the cost.
• Since you're using public roads, more than likely, you're going to have the local and/or state police involved and that can get really expensive, really quickly. Again, it's a variable cost based on local ordinances.
• The length of the race matters, as the longer it is, the more support is generally provided and it can increase some of the costs mentioned here.
• Prize money can be a big factor, and trophies aren't particularly cheap, either. Even swag comes at a significant cost, unless it's donated/support by sponsors.
• The amount of sponsor support greatly affects how much the promoter must charge riders to cover all the event costs
• The anticipated number of entries and their mix (if costs vary by class (Pro, Am, kids, etc.).
• Advertising can be quite costly.
• Logistical items like signage, banners, barriers, food/water, and such aren't free and are affected by the length and complexity of the course.
• Ambulances and support vehicle are not a trivial expense.
• Does the organizer have paid staff and are they actually trying to turn a profit?
• Is the race a high-profile event where the promoter charges more simply because they can?