For decades, professional cycling was dominated by European WorldTour teams. But over the past decade, American gravel hijackers have disrupted that paradigm.
“The World Tour is like playing in the NFL or NBA,” says Peter Stetina, who rode for three different teams on the tour, the highest level of professional cycling, from 2010 to 2019. “You get drafted and signed. You have a salary and your job is just to kick, nothing else. Racing is killing, resigning is killing.”
In 2019, Stetina’s contract with Trek-Segafredo allowed him to take time off from the World Tour to try out three American gravel races. He took advantage of the opportunity and won the BWR and coming second at Unbound (then called Dirty Kanza), the most prestigious gravel race in the world. However, participating in these races strained his relationship with team brass, who wanted him to concentrate on racing in Europe.
“My managers weren’t happy about it, but the recognition I received was incredible,” says Stetina, who was at a crossroads. At the end of the season he opted to leave the World Tour and switch to gravel full-time, having been attracted to the agency for his career path and the financial opportunities it offered.
Gravel bike racing is anything off the asphalt, including a wide range of distances and surfaces, from 200 miles of dirt roads to several dozen miles of singletrack. Gravel bikes resemble their racing counterparts, with wider tires and relaxed geometries, making them easier to ride on technical terrain.
Over the past decade, gravel racing has exploded in the US, while road cycling has gone in the opposite direction. Since its peak during the Armstrong era in the early 2000s, American cycling has been in a slow and steady decline, eroded by drug scandals and the increasing danger of distracted car and truck drivers. With participation declining, major events such as the Tour of California and the Tour of Utah have been closed. Abroad, there are only fifteen Americans in the eighteen WorldTour teams, the lowest number since 2008.
As we’ve been driving in the doldrums on the road, gravel has filled the void, galvanized by individuals like Stetina. These riders, known as privateers, are essentially one-man teams with the autonomy to choose their sponsors and schedule. The privateer model is in stark contrast to the rigidity of the World Tour, in which team managers decide everything for riders, including team roles, races and salaries.
In 2020, gravel is already on the rise in the years following the pandemic, as it offers an escape from everyday life and a safe way to get outdoors. Gravel bike sales doubled in 2020 and again in 2021. Three years later, gravel continues to grow at a rapid pace. Data from Strava shows that gravel rides will increase by 55% by 2023, the fastest increase in activity on the app.
Over the same period, the sharp end of the sport has consolidated around the US Lifelong Grand Prixa seven-race series that is considered the most important off-road circuit in the world. The Grand Prix attracts a mix of riders and offers a cash prize of $300,000 split between the top 10 men and women. The elite field is a mix of ex-WorldTour, cyclocross and professional mountain bikers, as well as newcomers from the junior ranks.
Although road and gravel bikes may look similar, their cultures are radically different. Road is synonymous with lycra, thin tires and deep tradition. The sport’s flagship events – the five Monuments and the three Grand Tours – are steeped in European history. Gravel, on the other hand, is new, unorthodox and exploratory, making it perfect for the US, a country where a quarter of the roads are unpaved and rarely trafficked.
“Road cycling is a tradition-bound sport,” said Payson McElveen, a two-time national mountain bike champion who sits third in the Grand Prix standings. “Everything goes through the World Tour teams, who have been doing the same things for decades, like how they market their athletes. Gravel racing bans team tactics, which opens the door for more creativity and storytelling.”
“Being a privateer gives me the latitude to express myself and take on projects that I’m passionate about,” says McElveen, who has built a large community around his podcast. The adventure stacheas well as a series of adventure films with his major sponsors, including Red Bull. “Athletes are meant to inspire, and that doesn’t just apply on race day. Your passion and enthusiasm are a big part of your career.”
However, privateering presents a unique set of challenges. Riders must be organized, logistically savvy and good relationship builders. Without a team manager, they must plan all their travel, manage social media, negotiate contracts, hire mechanics and fulfill sponsorship obligations, all while adhering to a strict training schedule.
“It’s a constant game of prioritizing,” says Stetina, “and the biggest challenge is managing your time.” Combining responsibilities isn’t for everyone, yet a growing number of riders are eschewing teams because of the freedom that cape sailing brings – and the opportunity to make more money.
“I’d be lying if I said compensation wasn’t a big part of it,” McElveen says. “There is no ceiling on what you can earn, unlike the World Tour.” McElveen estimates that about half of the 60 riders in the Grand Prix are privateers, with varying degrees of success among them.
Alexey Vermeulen, who rode for LottoNL-Jumbo (now Visma-Lease a Bike) early in his career, now earns six figures as a privateer, considerably more than during the World Tour. At the age of 15, Vermeulen moved to Europe to pursue the dream of riding in the professional peloton. On his way to becoming America’s next great overall rider, he was fired in 2019 for what he believed was team politics. Instead of looking for a new World Tour team, Vermeulen turned to gravel.
In his first season, Vermeulen barely broke even, despite living rent-free with his parents. “It’s a challenge to get in. It is a big gamble on yourself,” says Vermeulen, who has fought for sponsorship from major brands for two seasons. The risk ultimately paid off, as Vermeulen finished second in the overall standings in both 2022 and 2023 and has had the same group of main sponsors for the past four years.
“I miss the history and romance of the World Tour, but my personality suits privateering better. I am obsessive when it comes to lists, I am extrovert and I am good at telling a story,” says Vermeulen, who considers himself more of an entrepreneur than a cyclist. Winning races is only part of the formula. “The biggest challenge is balancing films and projects with consistent training.”
Vermeulen produces a popular YouTube series starring his dog, Sir Willie the Wienerriding on his back. Clips of Vermeulen and Willie have gone viral on social media, giving him – and his main sponsors – greater visibility in the industry. “As a rider you are not just a billboard or a race result. It is a collaboration between you and the brand to tell a real story.”
Two-time cyclocross national champion Sarah Sturm found success early when she switched to gravel racing. After her cyclo-cross team went bankrupt in 2018, she won her first race, the BWR. This win plus two other podiums in her first season saw Sturm quickly rise to gravel stardom.
“When I saw the number of sponsorship offers that came in after the BWR win, I realized it was a completely different story,” says Sturm. “The sport has grown enormously since then, but it is still the wild west of cycling. There is a lot of freedom and a lot of money, but you also have to arrange it all yourself.”
Sturm finished third overall in 2022 and fourth in 2023, but says most of her personal brand was built outside the bike. Thanks to her background in marketing, she quickly picked up the business side of privateering and built an impressive clientele, becoming one of the highest-earning athletes in the sport.
“Unless you win every race by a margin, you need more than just results,” says Sturm. “Brands don’t care if you come second, fifth or tenth. What matters is your personality. You have to be good at selling yourself.”
Sturm has appeared in films, articles, panels and at major events, making her one of the most recognized faces in the sport. This, she says, is what distinguishes a successful privateer, estimating that around fifteen riders have made substantial money by going solo during the Grand Prix.
“I don’t have an agent because that doesn’t work for me,” says Sturm, who believes the constant emails and personal contacts with brands pay off in the long run. “I learned a lot from others like Pete, Payson and Alexey. We all talk a lot behind the scenes, especially about the business side of it.”
Despite appearing individualistic, almost every hijacker has a large support network behind them. “The privateer model is new to cycling, but it has been around for a long time in sports like golf and surfing,” says Hannah Otto, a Tokyo Olympics and Mountain Biking World Cup winner who spent nine years on various teams before joining became a privateer in cycling. 2022. “The real secret is having the right team behind you.”
“People would be shocked if they saw my taxes and knew how many people I hire just to race,” says Otto, who pays a coach, sports psychologist, physio, nutritionist, agent, accountant and mechanic to support her career. “This allows me to focus on my strengths. For example, my agent handles the negotiations and invoicing so I can focus on big ideas and create value for my sponsors.”
After winning Leadville 100, one of the most prestigious off-road races in the US, Otto saw her earnings grow quickly. “Winning a big race changes the math,” says Otto. “I now earn much more than in a factory team and feel safer than ever. My salary is spread over many brands, but if you are in a team and they have a bad year, it has enormous consequences.”
On a macro level, privateers are a perfect fit for America’s product market. The European way of doing business does not work in a country built around an entrepreneurial, creative and individual ethos. Until recently, American cycling lost the plot. Privateers have reignited the country’s love for cycling.
“The world is watching American cycling more closely than they have in decades,” says McElveen. “Even in Europe riders talk about the Grand Prix. Everyone knows the phenomenon of gravel and is curious whether privateers will have an impact on other parts of the sport, such as the World Tour.”
