Ted King
Athlete,Promoter,Storyteller
Widely credited as the first UCI World Tour road cycling competitor to cross over to the gravel cycling discipline, Ted King raised the bar for the professionalism required to win major gravel events. His transition to and success in gravel cycling paved the way for countless other professional cyclists to find their own success in the gravel world.
Prior to his transition to gravel, King was a UCI professional road cyclist for 10 years. In that time, he rode for teams including Cannondale Pro Cycling, Liquigas-Cannondale, Bissell Pro Cycling, Priority Health and the United States U23 National Team, among others. Early in his career seeking personal success and then as a domestique working for others, King notched up countless road victories, both in the U.S. and in Europe.
King’s gravel racing palmares include winning Unbound Gravel twice (2016, 2018), and victories at SBT Gravel, Grinduro, Rebecca’s Private Idaho, Vermont Overland, and UnPAved, among others. He also sent the Fastest Known Time (FKT) in his 2020 victory at the Arkansas High Country Race and helped create and draw attention to the burgeoning VTXL route across his home state of Vermont.
Though the 2016 edition of the DK200/Unbound was King’s first major gravel event, as a native New Englander, he was no stranger to dirt and gravel roads. His incredible motor, built over more than ten years in the professional road peloton, served him well as he overcame multiple flat tires to secure the victory.
From 2018 through 2024, King racked up no fewer than ten victories and more than fifteen podium appearances at major gravel events across the United States. In these years, King would often travel to events with his wife, Laura, and their two young children. It was common to see the King family at expos and on race days, always full of smiles, positivity and encouragement.
Though most known as a fierce competitor, King has also focused on giving back to the gravel cycling community. In 2020, while the world was locked down with COVID-19, King created a “DIY Gravel” page on his website. There, cyclists could log their own rides based on what was included on their pre-COVID event calendar. The page was a huge success, attracting entries from more than 40,000 riders from around the world.
King created and promoted the Rooted Vermont gravel event, which hosted three successful editions from 2019 to 2022. The events demonstrated his authentic generosity and deep love of the gravel cycling world.
Through this focus on genuine interactions with riders and racers of all abilities, King is a constant source of positivity, perspective and encouragement. He freely shares the lessons he’s learned on his YouTube channel and on his two different podcasts, and his humility, sincerity and professionalism serve as a strong example for aspiring cyclists to emulate.
