Gravel Cycling: The Complete Guide to Gravel Racing and Adventure Bikepacking

by Nick Legan

The popularity of riding and racing on unpaved roads has exploded in the last five years. With iconic events selling out in hours and field sizes for races in the thousands, the rural adventure of remote roads has resonated with a wide spectrum of riders and families. Over one-third of the roads in the U.S. are categorized as unpaved by the U.S. DOT, and cyclists are rapidly finding that the road less taken has fantastic opportunities for escaping traffic and discovering what lies beyond one's backyard.

In Gravel Cycling: The Complete Guide to Gravel Racing and Adventure Bikepacking, the author shares his love of riding dirt roads and gravel racing by telling the story of its history, its 21st century incarnation in North America, and its rapid spread to Europe, Asia, and South America. He speaks with founding members of the gravel racing scene and also looks at the cycling industry's adoption of the category. Most of all, he will inspire others to seek out dirt and gravel roads by offering helpful tips on getting started, gear recommendations, riding tips, and successful outfitting strategies for bike and rider alike.

Genres: Cycling, Travel

304 pages, Paperback

Published October 19, 2017

Reviews

[darce vader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't find this useful for my information needs.

[Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome book! I vacillated for months as to whether to buy it, thinking it would be one-dimensional, but it turned out to be an amazing resource for all kinds of cycling: road, gravel, mountain, touring, bikepacking. There are wonderful vignettes of gravel rides all over the world, plenty for the bucket list. And plenty of solid advice to give one confidence to get out there. I'll be keeping this one on the shelf!

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only does Gravel Cycling offer enjoyable reading and all the information I had hoped for, the book also features beautiful photos on most pages. This is the type of book screaming to be read on the printed page. I highly recommend purchasing a physical copy.

[Marc Fernich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging and informative introduction to the world of gravel cycling. Stunning photos alone are worth the price of admission.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible book! The book itself is high quality with good paper and crisp, clear photos. The format is laid out very well with a good mix of reading content and photos. It really drew me in and kept me turning the pages. There was not a single dull or boring page in the book

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

Gravel Riding is a bit of an odd mixture: the intro describes gravel riding as a pleasant, hassle-free enjoyment suitable for mostly everyone - but then immediately launches into a long section of gravel competitions requiring a fair level of expertise to even complete, let alone to properly race. Similarly, there are parts where 'any bike will be fine', but large parts of the book are dedicated to what can only be described as gear porn. And even in the gear sections, on occasion some very basic bike component information is given, and on another very specific tire make and model information is thrown around in a manner that expects the reader to be familiar with them all.

Due to the large parts of the book being lists of events, it is hard to imagine someone sitting down and reading the book at a go. As a reference manual it is a bit light, and as physical books tend to, likely to be outdated sooner rather than later.

For me, the best sections are the interviews with cyclists describing their adventures on various courses and the large selection of beautiful pictures showing off each course. I also liked the section on bike packing, even if the information there is pretty basic.

For best use, get this as a coffee table book - you can read a few sections now and then and dream of the events you'll one day partake in - you know, once you have the time (and time to get better fit). Better yet, keep it at the office for some quick escapism in the middle of a work day.