The 'original spirit of gravel' heads to Europe with Flanders Classics' Unbound qualifier in Belgium

Unbound Gravel organisers Life Time and the heavyweight Spring Classics organisation Flanders Classics formed a unique partnership, bringing the 'original spirit' of the newest cycling discipline into the fold of a group charged with putting on some of the most historic races in road cycling.

It's not as unusual a pairing as it seems on the surface, however. Both groups focus on passion, community, and competitive racing in creating cycling events for the pros and the masses. Both offer a "monumental sporting goal and exceptional experience". 

Flanders Classics is the heavyweight of the professional spring campaign of one-day races, organising races like the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Tour of Flanders, and Gent-Wevelgem in Belgium. But they have also dabbled in gravel and will, for the first time, offer its Heathland Gravel event, set for August 11 in Maasmechelen, Belgium, as a qualifier for the 2025 Unbound Gravel in Emporia, Kansas.

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In an interview with Cyclingnews ahead of the 2024 Unbound Gravel, CEO of Flanders Classics Tomas van den Spiegel emphasised the reasons behind the collaboration between the two event giants and why the Spring Classics and gravel have a lot more in common than you might think. 

"The first thing is the passion for cycling that we have here in Flanders but also within our company [Flanders Classics]. Everything we do starts with passion first, and then we try to create a business model around it," van den Spiegel said. 

"Gravel, especially what I like to call 'the original gravel', which came from the United States, the community-based gravel has that kind of passion that we like very much and that we would like to respect. We were trying to find that type of match within the gravel scene, and I think we found it with Unbound."

Van den Spiegel is also an avid gravel racer and recently tackled the Traka, which has affectionately been dubbed the Unbound Gravel of Europe. As a gravel community member, he is acutely aware of how important it is to preserve the participation and competition aspects of these events while also offering riders a physical challenge and an opportunity to experience a new location and "a bucket list gravel adventure'.

"I'm a passionate gravel rider myself. I talk to everyone. You can feel there is a lot of evolution going on between competitive racing, community, the attractiveness of being able to start with your heroes," he said.

"It's kind of unclear, at this point, where gravel will go in the future. I think a lot of people are trying to figure it out, and so are we. For us, what is very important is that we respect what I call 'the original spirit of gravel'. With the Spring Classics, we are kind of protectors of heritage as well, and that goes for the gravel scene as well."

Flanders Classics currently offers events in Durbury, Bilzen, Oudenaarde, Heuvelland and Maasmechelen-Terhills. Van den Spiegel explained that the goals of their events are to build on two approaches to gravel route designs: longer circuits with which to build a festival around and ultra distances that cater to the masses.

"In the gravel racing scene, there are short races, ultra races, loops, and A to B events. Some riders are very good at the 200-mile races like Unbound while others are good at what could be considered a sprint race with six laps," Van den Spiegel said.

"In my ideal world, and what I see from a participation perspective, and what I think is the future of gravel is the longer distances where you do a big loop. Gravel is also about discovering new areas, going places where you have never been, and checking off a bucket list of races that are more than just a race but also an experience - events like Unbound or Traka. You go for the longer distances where 1,000 people want to participate because of the physical challenge and because they are going places and its offering the spirit of gravel.

"On the other hand, if you want to create a sustainable business model around it, I'd rather see races with 10 or 12 loops or longer laps to create a fan village, see the riders go by, a longer cyclocross type of race but on gravel. So that you can create some type of experience that way. I think that there is a lot in the middle, that grey zone, where people do 40km loops two or three times, or you create a festival experience with 10 or 12 laps. The circuits aren't something we plan to do now, but it is something we would like to do in the future.

"From a mobility perspective, because we are not Kansas, we don't have the space like regions in the US. From a logistical point of view, a circuit makes it easier to manage. We have to look at how we can maximise participation on a circuit, and this is something we are looking into."

Gravel racing has become more regulated in recent years, especially with the introduction of the UCI Gravel World Series and UCI Gravel World Championships, but Van den Spiegel said he has no desire to join the sport governing body's international calendar, although Flanders Classics has the rights to organise the European Championships for the next two seasons.

"It used to be quite alternative and very niche, and now suddenly we see the big brands, and there is a UCI-regulated circuit right now," Van den Spiegel said.

"We are trying to find our spot within that landscape, and with Life Time and Unbound, it's something we are looking forward to exploring to see whether we will be able to roll out an internationally similar spirit, look and feel of what is happening in Emporia every year."

At the heart of gravel event planning, at least where Flanders Classics is concerned, is following the guidance of the gravel community and its mass participants. Van den Spiegel said that doesn't only include course designs but also building regulations, which have become a hot topic in recent years when it comes to aerobars, drafting, mass starts, or separated categories.

"I love things that come out of the community, and participation is a very good indicator of where a certain discipline is going and what people out of the community want and do. Whatever comes out of the community should be taken into consideration. I think the less we regulate things, the more popular and broader attraction in the future," Van den Spiegel said.

"On a personal remark, it would be a real pity if events like Unbound or similar events would be over-regulated in the future because the charm and attractiveness of these types of events is the fact that the community has always been the deciding factor in where these events are going."