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![]() Waiting for Dirty Kanza (now Unbound Gravel) bike race to start at sunrise | |
Highest governing body | UCI |
---|---|
First played | Since beginning of cycling; modern era began around 2006. |
Presence | |
Olympic | No |
Gravel cycling, gravel biking or gravel grinding[1] is a sport or a leisure activity, in which participants ride bicycles, mostly on gravel roads. Sometimes, specially designed gravel bikes are used; in other cases, any bicycle capable of covering the terrain can be used.
Gravel cycling bridges the gap between road and mountain biking,[2] combining the efficiency of road cycling with the capability to ride on rough and loose terrain of mountain biking. It allows riders more freedom to choose routes than road cycling, without many of the physical and equipment-related barriers of mountain biking.[2] Gravel cycling is nearly as old as cycling itself, with most significant developments in the racing side having occurred in the 20th century. Gravel racing as a discipline has its own global series and world championship.