The course is designed for quality riding, challenging terrain, and for beautiful landscapes. A collective experience is shared by a cohort of riders on a wide spectrum of speed. With support and camaraderie, adventure and challenge all baked in, gravel stage racing is a thing. Here are five reasons you might want to sign up.

Carrots are Nice

When it comes to getting my ass out of the house, I know that I'll likely feel better once I get up and get out, but doing so can require a lot of "start-up" energy. Having an event on the horizon is a helpful reason to get through the inertia and go move our bodies in nature.

Unplug from Your Daily Routine

Even for Tadej Pogačar, stage racing is not normal life. It's a temporary parallel existence. At a stage race, life's complexities fall away—or at least they shift. When you’re out riding, you can be fully “checked-in” to the experience. It’s the highlight of your day, that is until you do the next thing. Which is most likely enjoying plenty of well earned food, resetting with a shower and going about your afternoon and evening however feels right.

Deeply but Briefly Experience a New Area

A gravel race is a great opportunity to unlock a new zone. You can hear about a place and see all kinds of photos and stats, but as the saying goes, "the map is not the territory." Bikepackers know the joys of moving through and sensing terrain on the saddle of a bike. They also know about carrying all their gear. Riding through unexplored terrain, fully supported, is a delightfully premium experience.

Connect with Like-Minded Riders

Not everyone likes to ride bikes. And even fewer people like to ride gravel. And still a smaller group signs up for a gravel stage race. These are your people. There are stories to swap and connections waiting to happen. These folks ride a similar lifeline as you, and you get to meet them and hang out for several days while forging potential new relationships that could extend far beyond the event. People who enjoy this kind of thing.

Have Fun and be Healthy While You Challenge Your Mind and Body in a Fun, Healthy Way

You don't do the thing unless you do the thing. There's friction and energy expenditure, that’s part of the deal. Pushing ourselves at the edge of our comfort zone not only grows our confidence and gives us a sense of earned satisfaction from accomplishment, it’s possible for our time to be fun as hell along the way.

Moving in groups, day after day, it’s in our DNA. Stage races can be full send race mode, relaxed, social, you can even fly (mostly) solo if that’s your vibe. Stage racing is sort of a new thing that’s growing in popularity, but its roots go… way back. If you’re excited but hesitant, remember, you don’t know until you go.

-Marshall Opel

Marshall co-hosts immersive four day wellness retreats in the U.S. learn more here.