Gravel is the Newish Ironman

Six reasons why you are set up for gravel success from a triathlon background

by Chris Bagg

Your author, in a previous life and his current life

Every few years, there’s a new “marathon.” In the 1980s, that new marathon was...the marathon. The running craze had seized the United States and the world beyond. Regular citizens were running for fun and fitness, U.S. athletes challenged for the Boston Marathon win, and joggers everywhere thought maybe I could do that. In the late 1990s Ironman became the new marathon, fueled by Mark Allen, Dave Scott, and Outside Magazine. By the 2010s the focus shifted again, to ultra-running, SwimRun, or cyclocross. Often many multisport athletes returned to triathlon, sensibly finding that three sports kept them motivated, engaged, and generally fit for anything. In the 2020s, gravel is the new Ironman, and if you have a long distance triathlon habit in your background, there’s a good chance you’ll find gravel crunching under your 40c tires before you know it. 

Uniquely Suited

70.3 and Ironman-distance triathletes are uniquely suited to gravel racing. First of all, though, what’s gravel in the first place? Well, they’re bike races, sort of. Unlike traditional bike racing, with its categories, unwritten rules, and gnostic behavior, gravel racing sets few barriers against entry. Races tend to start all at once rather than in categorized waves, and all are welcome: world tour riders and grandmas alike. Gravel races often challenge their participants through a combination of length and terrain on a combination of surfaces, including pavement, dirt, trail, and (of course) gravel. The atmosphere at gravel events is much more grassroots triathlon than downtown criterium, so you’ll probably feel at home. Here are six reasons why you, triathletes, are going to crush this style of racing.

You’re used to riding alone

Remember all those Saturday mornings when your bike racing friend invited you to come on “this epic group ride?” As a rules-following triathlete, you probably demurred, saying something like “My coach wants me to get in some long, steady aerobic intervals.” Group rides are fun, for sure, but they mimic bike races, with their stochastic, punchy periods separated by stretches of spinning and chatting. Maybe you watched, forlornly, as a pack of cyclists rode past while you toiled along, dutifully performing intervals 30-45 minutes in length. Well, those years of riding alone now makes you the strong one in a gravel race. Gravel events (whether you are racing or just participating) hinge on strength rather than tactical savvy, since it matters less what kind of draft you’re getting and more on if you can ride up this muddy hill or not. Bike racers, who are good at punching and attacking, may not have the same kind of sustain that you have. Also of benefit is the mental strength you have from spending long hours alone with your thoughts. You will spend much of your gravel event riding alone, and the ability to do so without losing your patience will set you up for success when facing several hours of solo riding to the finish line.

You’re (probably) Metabolically Efficient

As someone smarter than we have said, “metabolic efficiency is just getting fit.” Metabolic efficiency is having a moment right now, and a group of people have tried to cut corners to get their faster, often from the “high fat, low carb” approach. For sure, this can help, but it’s the final approach, not the first approach. Want to become more efficient at mobilizing and oxidizing (using) fats instead of carbohydrates? Pedal more, and pedal more at lower intensities and lower cadences. Oh, does that sound like 70.3 and Ironman base training? Why yes it does.

You Understand aid stations

Gravel events utilize a refueling system that is much more triathlon than bike race. Cyclists have always preferred Feed Zones, where teammates or assistants or parents wait for the field and desperately try to hand bottles and food up to participants moving past well over twenty miles an hour. Chaos usually reigns, with dropped water bottles exploding under the wheels like grenades.Triathletes, although many do grab bottles at aid stations during their events, often take the stations slower, and many stop to refill their pockets and reservoirs. You’ll find the same familiar system at most gravel events, with helpers and workers handing up bottles to passing riders but also welcoming those that get off their bikes with cookies, PB&J sandwiches, and many other goodies. The races are long enough that stopping at aid stations very rarely affects your time or result too much, so use them. They are part of the attraction and very often part of the fun.

you’re strong as opposed to “fast”

The amazing thing about long-distance professional triathletes is that they are really good for very long periods of time. Even if you’re not a professional, you’re likely the same: you may not be able to win a town-line sprint, your local 5k, or the 200y Free at a Masters meet, but you just never stop going. That’s strength, and you’ve got it in spades. Maybe it’s the endless big gear sessions your coach gives you, or the years of four-to-six hour rides on Saturday, but you’re a strong athlete. Gravel racing, with the lower speeds on high-friction surfaces, suits you perfectly. You don’t need a big turn of speed—you just need room to let that diesel rumble.

You’re used to long days

Cyclists can adjust to this time frame through their training, certainly, but most are used to races that last one to five hours, usually. Many gravel races will see you out on course for time frames favoring the preparation and event duration that is suited to the triathlete. Ride from sunrise to sundown? For most triathletes, that’s just a day well spent.

You just like new things

Triathletes tend to be curious, always looking for that next new thing that may help them become better endurance athletes. Some time these things are…slightly misguided, but something that isn’t misguided is trying a new, challenging activity in a new space. Being good at gravel racing (or bike racing, or cross-country skiing, or rowing) requires jumping in and taking part, and due to your background at tackling two or three new sports all at once, you won’t be fazed by that challenge. So. Find yourself a gravel bike, learn about tubeless tires, and go express your triathlon fitness in a new sport!