History of Gravel Cycling

Excerpt from Nick Legan’s Gravel Cycling 

Gravel cycling is the original form of cycling. Modern gravel riders are simply rediscovering the sport’s roots. When bicycles first became popular in the mid-19th century, almost all roads worldwide were dirt. Although asphalt roads existed as early as 615 B.C.E in Babylon, they didn’t become common outside of city centers until the 20th century. In the United States, much of the impetus to pave roads came from the League of American Wheelmen (now known as the League of American Bicyclists). Formed in 1880, the group advocated for improving road conditions and its efforts led to the creation of the National Highway System.

Fortunately for modern gravel riders, the league was not 100 percent successful. Even today, the U.S. boasts over 1.4 million miles of unpaved public roads. With well over a quarter of our public roads made of dirt and gravel, opportunities for adventurous cyclists abound. 

As with many organic developments, the modern incarnation of gravel riding was simply a matter of cyclists in rural areas taking advantage of the miles and miles of remote farm and mountain roads they had on hand. A pragmatic sense of using what you have at your disposal is the very heart of gravel riding. Seeking out unpaved routes allows riders to avoid increasingly busy paved roads, where many only find anxiety. Depending on your locations, riding gravel also bypasses the need to build a trail network, which mountain biking often requires. 

With a strong emphasis on fun, gravel is now the beating heart of cycling’s present and the shining light in its future. Gravel cycling mostly bypasses interactions with motorists and sidesteps the access issues associated with mountain biking. Riding gravel doesn’t require special equipment or a high skill level. With so many opportunities to ride gravel and so few impediments to giving it a try, it’s clear why there’s been such an explosion in the growth of gravel over the last ten years.