Back to our roots
The G.O.G.G, and the growth of gravel riding in general, seems tap right into the sense of ‘freedom’ that riding a bike inspires.
As riders we all share a thirst for adventure. This manifests itself in many ways. For some, it means facing the challenge of riding across countries with few established routes, for others it means conquering ever-greater distances on far smoother roads.
However, talk to many riders embracing the movement towards gravel and they’ll tell you they were looking to try something new, mix things up or a combination of all of these. A search, it seems, for purpose.
The Thereabouts film series, created by brothers and professional cyclists Lachlan and Angus Morton, has served as both inspiration and a time capsule of how cyclists appear to be feeling en masse.
The pair recently released the third documentary in the series, charting their journey through Colombia. This followed films set in remote areas of the USA and Australia. The underlying theme of the series is the brothers’ falling back in love with their sport via the sport itself.
The popularity of blogs such as The Radavist, and the volume of forums and gravel-based events across the United States serve as testament to the scale of “gravel grinders” popularising their favoured form of cycling.
Given the popularity of the media surrounding it, a chord has been struck by the legion of riders now happy to include some gravel along their road rides, or seeking it out specifically. In many cases taking a bike on holidays is the reason for the holiday itself.
Here in Australia, one of the biggest drivers has simply been the sheer volume of roads provided to us that qualify as gravel grinding territory. Thousands of kilometres of fire trails, and specially built routes such as Canberra’s Centenary trail provide a perfect environment for Australians to embrace this gravel revolution.
Certainly, a large part of the appeal of gravel is a greater sense of connection between us and the path we’ve chosen, or in some cases the only one we can find. Getting a little bit lost is the new black, it would seem.