Unbound Gravel organisers Life Time and the heavyweight Spring Classics organisation Flanders Classics shaped a novel partnership, bringing the ‘unique spirit’ of the latest biking self-discipline into the fold of a bunch charged with placing on among the most historic races in street biking.
It’s not as uncommon a pairing because it appears on the floor, nevertheless. Both teams deal with ardour, group, and aggressive racing in creating biking occasions for the professionals and the lots. Both provide a “monumental sporting purpose and distinctive expertise”.
Flanders Classics is the heavyweight of the skilled spring marketing campaign of one-day races, organising races just like the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Tour of Flanders, and Gent-Wevelgem in Belgium. But they’ve additionally dabbled in gravel and can, for the primary time, provide its Heathland Gravel occasion, set for August 11 in Maasmechelen, Belgium, as a qualifier for the 2025 Unbound Gravel in Emporia, Kansas.
In an interview with Cyclingnews forward of the 2024 Unbound Gravel, CEO of Flanders Classics Tomas van den Spiegel emphasised the explanations behind the collaboration between the 2 occasion giants and why the Spring Classics and gravel have much more in widespread than you may suppose.
“The very first thing is the fervour for biking that we now have right here in Flanders but additionally inside our firm [Flanders Classics]. Everything we do begins with ardour first, after which we attempt to create a enterprise mannequin round it,” van den Spiegel stated.
“Gravel, particularly what I prefer to name ‘the unique gravel’, which got here from the United States, the community-based gravel has that type of ardour that we like very a lot and that we wish to respect. We had been looking for that sort of match throughout the gravel scene, and I believe we discovered it with Unbound.”
Van den Spiegel can be an avid gravel racer and not too long ago tackled the Traka, which has affectionately been dubbed the Unbound Gravel of Europe. As a gravel group member, he’s aware of how necessary it’s to protect the participation and competitors points of those occasions whereas additionally providing riders a bodily problem and a possibility to expertise a brand new location and “a bucket checklist gravel journey’.
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“I’m a passionate gravel rider myself. I discuss to everybody. You can really feel there may be plenty of evolution occurring between aggressive racing, group, the attractiveness of having the ability to begin along with your heroes,” he stated.
“It’s type of unclear, at this level, the place gravel will go sooner or later. I believe lots of people are attempting to determine it out, and so are we. For us, what is essential is that we respect what I name ‘the unique spirit of gravel’. With the Spring Classics, we’re type of protectors of heritage as properly, and that goes for the gravel scene as properly.”
Flanders Classics at the moment provides occasions in Durbury, Bilzen, Oudenaarde, Heuvelland and Maasmechelen-Terhills. Van den Spiegel defined that the objectives of their occasions are to construct on two approaches to gravel route designs: longer circuits with which to construct a competition round and extremely distances that cater to the lots.
“In the gravel racing scene, there are brief races, extremely races, loops, and A to B occasions. Some riders are superb on the 200-mile races like Unbound whereas others are good at what may very well be thought-about a dash race with six laps,” Van den Spiegel stated.
“In my excellent world, and what I see from a participation perspective, and what I believe is the way forward for gravel is the longer distances the place you do an enormous loop. Gravel can be about discovering new areas, going locations the place you will have by no means been, and checking off a bucket checklist of races which are greater than only a race but additionally an expertise – occasions like Unbound or Traka. You go for the longer distances the place 1,000 individuals need to take part due to the bodily problem and since they’re going locations and its providing the spirit of gravel.
“On the opposite hand, if you wish to create a sustainable enterprise mannequin round it, I’d moderately see races with 10 or 12 loops or longer laps to create a fan village, see the riders go by, an extended cyclocross sort of race however on gravel. So which you could create some sort of expertise that approach. I believe that there’s a lot within the center, that gray zone, the place individuals do 40km loops two or 3 times, otherwise you create a competition expertise with 10 or 12 laps. The circuits aren’t one thing we plan to do now, however it’s one thing we wish to do sooner or later.
“From a mobility perspective, as a result of we aren’t Kansas, we do not have the area like areas within the US. From a logistical perspective, a circuit makes it simpler to handle. We have to take a look at how we will maximise participation on a circuit, and that is one thing we’re wanting into.”
Gravel racing has change into extra regulated lately, particularly with the introduction of the UCI Gravel World Series and UCI Gravel World Championships, however Van den Spiegel stated he has no need to affix the game governing physique’s worldwide calendar, though Flanders Classics has the rights to organise the European Championships for the subsequent two seasons.
“It was once fairly various and really area of interest, and now immediately we see the massive manufacturers, and there’s a UCI-regulated circuit proper now,” Van den Spiegel stated.
“We are looking for our spot inside that panorama, and with Life Time and Unbound, it is one thing we’re wanting ahead to exploring to see whether or not we will roll out an internationally related spirit, appear and feel of what’s occurring in Emporia yearly.”
At the guts of gravel occasion planning, not less than the place Flanders Classics is worried, is following the steerage of the gravel group and its mass contributors. Van den Spiegel stated that does not solely embody course designs but additionally constructing rules, which have change into a sizzling subject lately relating to aerobars, drafting, mass begins, or separated classes.
“I really like issues that come out of the group, and participation is an excellent indicator of the place a sure self-discipline goes and what individuals out of the group need and do. Whatever comes out of the group must be considered. I believe the much less we regulate issues, the extra well-liked and broader attraction sooner or later,” Van den Spiegel stated.
“On a private comment, it might be an actual pity if occasions like Unbound or related occasions could be over-regulated sooner or later as a result of the attraction and attractiveness of these kind of occasions is the truth that the group has at all times been the deciding consider the place these occasions are going.”