Get your gravel on! – Bike Magazine Australia

Words: Richie Tyler      Photos: Matt Hull, Mike Blewitt

The blend of road cycling on looser surfaces has become the latest trend to sweep the cycling world. Accessible to most cyclists, especially in Australia, it’s tapping in to the heart of why we ride.

Once the bastion of cyclo-tourists and would-be beatniks, gravel roads have entered the mainstream of cycling culture. Whether an antidote to the perceived threat of city roads, or something more philosophical, gravel and grinding have become by-words for freedom on two wheels.

On one hand, it’s easy to understand. When asked as cyclists why we love our sport, the word ‘freedom’ almost always tops the list. As cliché as it may be, the moment we ditch our training wheels and take off on our own, something inside each of us is stirred. We become freedom personified. As grown ups, it seems, there is something about riding off-road that captivates us in similar ways.

The growth of gravel riding has been both rapid and incredibly organic. Cyclists have spread the word, pouring fuel on the fire through Instagram and other forms of social media. Manufacturers have joined in via ‘adventure’ bikes, but the movement has largely been led by cyclists willing to use whichever bike they have at their disposal.

Cyclocross bikes, too, have found a purpose far beyond their short-course routes. From one-day gravel rides to multi-day lightweight bike packing adventures which have been embraced amongst more experienced cyclists, there has been a trickle-down effect from this cross-pollination of cycling disciplines. A fact that should serve to make events such as the G.O.G.G viable.