The cycling-event scene in the UK has endured a torrid few years. As we all know, 2020 was almost a total write-off. It picked up in 2021, but not by much, and it was only in 2022 that things got back to some kind of normality. Even still, the pandemic and its aftershocks continue to reverberate, with some events either folding as a direct result, or struggling to fill up as riders continue to avoid mass events.
Raiders Gravel, a three-day gravel event in southern Scotland's Dumfries and Galloway region, has had a particularly tricky gestation. Its first edition was set for 2021, but ultimately had to be cancelled as the country continued to tackle Covid. The organisers had a freer run at it for 2022, which gave the impetus for the inaugural event to take place last August, and I was delighted to be invited.
If I was happy to be there, it was nothing compared to how the organisers felt. Along with photographer Andy, at the start of the event I met the event's chief architect, Warren Sanders, a local bike guide whose sole aim really has been to show off his place of work to a wider audience. Talking to us about finally having lift-off with this very personal project, he was soon holding back tears. I'd have given him a hug had it not been for the fear of needing to prop up his huge 6ft 3in frame! Warren looked to have arranged an impressively slick event, with Canyon on board as a title sponsor and backed by the local council, Dumfries and Galloway, along with tourism agencies such as South of Scotland.
This story is from the April 2023 edition of Cycling Plus UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2023 edition of Cycling Plus UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
GANARY A COALMINE
The James Brown tune 'It's a Man's Man's Man's World' comes on the radio, filling the coach, and does nothing for my pre-event nerves as I sit surrounded by serious-looking, wiry, tanned men in Lycra. It's 6.30am, pitch black outside and I'm feeling very out of my depth as a relative newcomer to the world of clipless pedals and hurting for fun. Last night's stress dream involved being very unprepared to get married and being handed my great-grandmother-in-law-to-be's hideous silver dress with lace trim to wear minutes before the ceremony was due to start. I'll let you psychoanalyse that one.
BORDER PATROL
British travel writer Tim Wild heads on a pilgrimage to Arizona's gravel Mecca, and isn't disappointed
COLD SNAPS
Chris Lanaway dons the deepest winter thermals for the Abloc Winter Challenge in southern Sweden
Master Age-group racing
Tips to keep you on the race course as you get older
Guava Spot Force AXS
£4,950 Big-value, Barcelona-born bike that hits the spot for gravel riding
Seasonal disorder
Pinpointing the start of the cycling season is no easy task, writes Ned
Ride all winter
10 scientifically proven ways to bolster your immunity
Joined-up thinking
Connecting more rail stations to the NCN is long overdue
Castelli Gabba
Castelli’s breathable, close-fitting yet waterproof and windproof jacket marked a watershed in cycle clothing
Air Apparent - Pollution hasn't gone away. It's still there in every lungful, even if we can't see it in the air or on the news. But there are reasons to breathe easier, thanks to pioneering projects using cycling 'citizen scientists'. Rob Ainsley took part in one...
The toxic effects of pollution have been known about for years. 'Just two things of which you must beware: Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air!' sang 1960s satirist Tom Lehrer.Over recent decades, though, pollution has dropped down our list of things to worry about, thanks to ominously capitalised concerns such as Climate Change, AI, Global Conflict, Species Collapse, etc. That doesn't, unfortunately, mean the problem has expired. Air quality often exceeds safe limits, with far-reaching and crippling effects on our health.
