FITNESS AUTHOR
Therese Vonesh
PHOTOGRAPHY
Sean Berry
THE FRONTIER OF GRAVEL RACING n Gravel racing is growing in
popularity, and Red Bull cyclist Colin Strickland was one of those who brought light to the sport in the U.S.
I
t takes unique and extraordinary individuals to push a sport so far in one direction that a new niche is uncovered — and that certainly was the case with gravel bike racing. You’ve heard of cycling and mountain biking, and perhaps even BMX racing, but what about gravel racing? Colin Strickland is one of those unique and extraordinary individuals who brought attention to the sport of gravel racing in the U.S. Born in Johnson City and now a current resident of Austin, Strickland grew up with his feet glued to a pair of bike pedals. “Bikes were a huge part of my life,” Strickland recalls. “I never really owned a car; I grew up in town. I could get where I needed to go with a bike.” After graduating from UT, Strickland worked for five years as an environmental consultant, while participating in local bike races on the weekends. That’s when Strickland began to not only win but win the right races. At this point, he did not yet see biking as a possible career path. For Strickland, racing was just a hobby. Strickland’s drastic shift into a professional racing career was a matter of the right races, right connections
MAY 2022
and unexpected wins. In 2016, Strickland became involved with an event called Red Hook Criterium, which is a series of cycle races consisting of riders on specialized fixed-gear bikes with no breaks. Strickland brought home first place from Brooklyn, Milan, London and Barcelona, the four cities where the Red Hook Criterium races were held yearly. In 2017, Strickland tried gravel racing. By 2019, he had focused all of his efforts on this new racing niche. He fought his way to first place in Unbound Gravel that
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