Gravel Cycling 2021

Gravel riding’s booming but is arguably the original form of cycling, harking back to when most of the world’s roads were dirt. Forward to the present day and gravel’s renaissance comes down to seeking adventures beyond increasingly packed and anxiety-inducing roads. Instead, sanctuary, exhilaration and fitness derives from navigating trails, former railways, moorland, viaducts and country roads. The gravel genre’s about celebrating the bicycle and the independence it brings – of enjoying a day in the saddle or turning your gravel bike into your mobile home, a tent or bivvy your accommodation for a night. Or two. Or, why not, weeks at a time. Whatever your gravel goals, Gravel Cycling, brought to you by Cycling Plus magazine, will elevate your enjoyment and fitness. What follows is everything you need to…

What is gravel riding and where did it begin? The current boom started in the United States, where long, remote stretches of fire road offered a new middle ground between the worlds of road, mountain biking and cyclocross. With terrain that’s more technical – and often more remote – than your average stretch of tarmac, it allows riders to explore their passion for racing, exploration and adventure. It’s a change-up, for some, from the focus on speed and the science of hardcore road riding, and a respite for others who find increasing tyranny in riding on roads among speeding tons of metal. The bike industry twigged and created specific models to replace the hotchpotch of modified road, ’cross and mountain bikes that people were using for gravel riding, which has…

1 WHEELS Most gravel bikes can accept 700c wheels or a smaller 650b wheel size borrowed from mountain biking. Its advantage is that you can fit a bigger tyre into the frame for better comfort and grip, but at the expense of speed. 2 HEAD-TUBE ANGLE Gravel bikes tend to have more relaxed head angles than racy road bikes, and more fork ‘rake’, too, which increases ‘trail’. Trail is the distance between the steering axis and tyre contact patch. More trail slows the steering, making for greater stability over uneven terrain. 3 WHEELBASE Gravel-bike geometry means increased wheelbase (horizontal distance between the axles). This is to accommodate bigger tyres in the frame and also contributes to more stable handling. 4 FIXTURES AND FITTINGS Fork legs usually have triple bosses –…

A IS FOR… ATTITUDE Adventure isn’t all about rowing oceans or climbing mountains. Adventure is a way of thinking. And to start any adventure you need the right attitude. Remember, if there is no risk of failure or peril, then it’s not an adventure, it’s just a holiday. B IS FOR… BLISTERS Whether these be on your feet, hands or backside, make sure you tend to them ASAP. When I swam the length of Britain I got the smallest blister on day one and didn’t take any notice of it. Within a week it was a gaping wound that took over two months to heal. I even gave it a name: Stuart. Stuart the Scab. I still have the scar to this day. C IS FOR… CAMPING Most of my…

Fact: many of the road skills that have been drilled into you and become ingrained need to be unlearned – or at least tailored – for gravel. That’s where Nick Craig comes in. Craig’s a former British cyclocross champion who’s been tearing up the trails above his Peak District home of Hayfield for years. So who better to teach gravel novice Mark Bailey on conquering the gnarly terrain… Smooth operator With sharp turns on loose stone, your road technique – go in wide, clip the apex and exit wide – won’t always work, as the outer edges can be the roughest bits. “It’s better to choose the smoothest line and keep a nice flowing motion around the bend,” says Craig. Trim your speed before you reach the corner and try…

Humans are creatures of habit, but can also thrive when things are shaken up. With that in mind, I’m back in the Peak District for my first bona-fide gravel ride, a trip designed to help me escape my usual road-riding routine and explore narrow towpaths, bumpy bridleways, muddy climbs and stony descents in pursuit of a wilder off-road experience. But like all the best bike journeys, this one begins in a cosy kitchen with an Ordnance Survey map spread across the table, a military-style debate over kit and the buzz of a new adventure. The kitchen belongs to Nick Craig, a former professional cyclist who lives in the old mill town of Hayfield, which sits just beneath the iconic gritstone cliffs of Kinder Scout. Having won three national cyclocross titles…