Sport: The rise of gravel cycling in the Netherlands

Off the beaten path: the rise of gravel cycling in the Netherlands

Mention the word gravel and few if any people would immediately think of a fun activity. Rocks are only truly sexy for geologists and collectors and gravel is just little rocks - so what’s the fun in that? Well, it turns out that there’s a lot of fun in those little rocks and more and more cyclists and turning their bikes off the tarmac and on to the road less travelled. In addition to road, MTB, cross and even beach, gravel cycling is now a thing in this country and its popularity is growing year on year.

“Gravel” has a broad defi nition—generally, any terrain between the steep, rocky inclines of mountain biking, and the smooth asphalt of road biking. In practice, it translates to gorgeous scenery, pleasantly challenging conditions, and no cars. Combined with advances in bike technology, gravel’s decades-long explosion of popularity makes sense. Gravel riding takes place in competitive formats but also in recreational rides as well. We’re focused here on the recreation side of this evermore popular derivative of cycling.

The sport has its roots in the U.S. where road riders who were intimidated and rightfully so, by sharing the road with vehicle traffi c, found their way to the back roads and gravel paths. It was not long before enough kindred spirits pitched their tents in the same place and more and more organized events started to take place. Nowadays, thousands of riders fl ock to gravel events for their chill, friendly vibe and grassroots feel.

It turns out there are a lot of gravel in the Netherlands and enough of it forming pathways through nature offering new and exciting vistas for the off-road cyclist. The gravel genre seems to be a natural for this country and considering the congestion that can form on some of the more trodden paths on a fair weather weekend, it offers a welcome escape. whatever you started out with is still in the shed and you could at least get started on gravel by swapping out the tires for something a little fatter. You could also come from the other direction and slim the tires of a mountain bike somewhat, but you’ll miss the aerodynamics of drop handlebars which might be annoying if your ride includes some long segments on hardened or semihardened roads or paths.

If you fi nd out the crushing gravel is your thing and there’s a good chance you might…it could be time to look into a proper gravel bike. Actually, the term gravel bike really did not appear in any stockist’s catalogue until the mid-teens and while nobody is getting new bikes anytime fast in these post-pandemic supply chain shortages, there are at least a lot of mouth-watering pretty pictures to be ogled. Gravel bikes are essentially a road bike pedigree with a mountain bike attitude and most of the attributes will be a geared towards more vibration and the dust that inevitably goes along with off-road riding.

Riding gravel will take a bit of searching but is by defi nition easier than fi nding a place to let loose on a mountain bike. GPS sites like Komoot or Strava offer plenty of user-generated routes and rides. If you get hooked enough to start following the popular social media gravel hashtags such as #gravelcrusher, you’ll fi nd more routes than you’ll know what to do with. A google search on the subject will also turn up a number of options for organized recreational and race events. A good place to start is the Gravelty Series which offers a calendar of recreational rides spread throughout the year. The rides refl ect the riders so expect to see more laid back apparel and a craft beer and burger post ride. The seasonal ‘Rudolf Ride’ even features your choice of “ugly Christmas sweater” cycling shirts. Racing on gravel is still in its infancy in this country but far enough along that the national cycling federation, the KNWU, has claimed the domain and ran its fi rst ever Dutch Gravel Championship in Ede. the streets and cycle paths not to mention a fair amount of mountain bikers tearing up the offerings throughout the country. Coupled with the sharp rise in recreational cyclists added to the already formidable tally during the pandemic years and the need for more recreational space will ultimately see gravel become an increasingly popular outlet for this cycling mad nation. An additional plus is the grip offered by gravel means that, provided you dress appropriately, gravelling can be done pretty much year round. So grab the old steel horse out of the shed and with a few mods, you could be plying the road less travelled and quite possibly fi nd yourself thinking that rocks are rather sexy when you get right down to it.

Written by John Mahnen