Gravel cycling is undergoing its biggest transformation yet. Professional teams are arriving, bringing World Tour-level structure to what was once cycling's most grassroots discipline. When European Gravel Champion Mads Würtz Schmidt joined forces with Keegan Swenson and Matt Beers at Specialized's new super team, it confirmed what industry insiders have been whispering: gravel has gone fully professional. This isn't just about bigger budgets — it's about guaranteed salaries, tactical racing, and the kind of systematic approach that's dominated road cycling for decades. On Inside Gravel's First Super Team on the Roadman Cycling Podcast, Mads walked me through what that shift really means.
Key Takeaways
• Professional teams are here: Specialized assembled cycling's first gravel "super team" with Mads Würtz Schmidt, Keegan Swenson, and Matt Beers • Contracts bring stability: Pro gravel riders now get guaranteed salaries instead of relying on sponsorship deals and prize money • Equipment evolution continues: Wider tyres (45mm optimal), suspension forks, and dropper posts are reshaping gravel bike setup • European vs. US racing differs massively: European courses favour technical skills and climbing power; US races reward teamwork and drafting tactics • UCI points integration coming: By 2027, gravel results will count toward World Tour team rankings, further professionalising the sport • Team dynamics remain unclear: Three potential race winners on one team creates tactical complexity not seen in traditional gravel racing • The "spirit of gravel" debate continues: Critics argue professionalisation kills grassroots culture, but participation and bike sales keep growing
The Rise of Professional Gravel Teams and What It Really Means
When Mads sat down with me in Girona, the magnitude of what's happening in gravel became crystal clear. This isn't just another team announcement — it's the arrival of cycling's next major professional discipline.
"We had our first conversation at Unbound," Mads explained about his Specialized deal. "It was pretty much decided there that I was going to sign. By July, it was a done deal." The timeline reveals how quickly things moved once the major brands decided gravel was worth serious investment.
But here's what makes this different from previous attempts at professionalising off-road cycling: the market demand is already there. Unlike mountain biking's failed experiment with road-style teams in the early 2000s, gravel has organic participation driving it. "If you can only buy one bike, then you buy a gravel bike," Mads pointed out. "It's perfect in Denmark because you have bad weather conditions most of the time, and you get a whole new network of roads to explore."
The Specialized roster reads like a fantasy draft: Mads brings European technical skills and World Tour experience, Keegan Swenson arrives as the undisputed king of American gravel racing, and Matt Beers adds South African grit and bike handling skills. It's cycling's equivalent of the NBA's original Dream Team.
Yet this creates unprecedented challenges. Traditional gravel racing has been largely individualistic — riders might share sponsors but race their own races. "At PASC, one of our rules was we don't ride as domestiques for each other," Mads revealed. "We don't race against each other, but we also don't do leadouts. Everyone had their own interests."
That dynamic is about to change dramatically. When I asked Mads about team hierarchy with Swenson, his response was telling: "If Keegan says to me next year, 'Sit on the front'... we'll see about that." The competitive tension is already simmering.
Why European and American Gravel Racing Require Completely Different Approaches
The conversation revealed something fascinating about gravel's global evolution: European and American racing might as well be different sports entirely.
"In Europe, the terrain fights back at you," Mads explained. "Sometimes you wish you were on a full suspension mountain bike. Here in Girona, it's almost like mountain biking." He's building what he calls a "Frankenstein bike" for European racing: slacker geometry, SRAM's new suspension fork, wide tyres, and a dropper post. The weight penalty doesn't matter when you're picking through technical descents at 8 km/h.
Contrast that with American gravel racing, where Unbound represents the gold standard. "It's not the most exciting race to watch, and it's not super exciting to race," Mads admitted. "You go straight for 10 miles, then turn right, and your Garmin says the next turn is in another 10 miles." The American model rewards sustained power, tactical positioning, and — crucially — teamwork.
This difference explains why team tactics will matter far more in the US calendar, particularly the Lifetime Grand Prix series. "Leadville, Keegan didn't go under six hours this year arguably because the pace wasn't high enough early," I pointed out during our chat. "If he has someone deeper into that race with him, he undoubtedly goes under six." The American races, with their long straight sections and drafting opportunities, are tailor-made for road racing tactics.
European races tell a different story. "There's not that much draft when you go 8k/h up a climb," Mads noted. "It's more honest racing — there are tactical perspectives, but not that much because drafting is very little." The technical terrain naturally selects for individual strength and skill rather than team coordination.
This geographic divide has equipment implications too. Mads runs 45mm tyres as his standard setup — narrow by current gravel standards but optimal for European conditions where precise handling matters more than comfort over washboard gravel. American racers trend toward wider rubber for puncture resistance during those endless straight sections.
The Equipment Arms Race: Suspension, Dropper Posts, and the Search for Free Speed
Our discussion about gravel equipment revealed an interesting paradox: as the sport professionalises, bike setup is becoming both more sophisticated and more confused.
"When suspension forks become necessary, then it shouldn't be in a gravel race," Mads argued. "We already have mountain biking." Yet he's simultaneously building that Frankenstein bike with SRAM's new suspension fork, acknowledging the competitive reality of European racing.
The equipment evolution follows predictable patterns from other cycling disciplines. Tyres have steadily grown wider — from 32mm in gravel's early days to 40mm+ becoming standard. But Mads bucked the trend: "I find 45s to be the best tyre." His reasoning combines aerodynamics with practicality. "There's an aero penalty to going wider. Some studies show rolling resistance is better with wider tyres, some show it's worse. But if you're in the wheels at 40k/h and hit a pothole, you don't want a flat."
The suspension fork debate highlights gravel's identity crisis. SRAM's new fork allows riders to run narrower tyres while maintaining comfort and control on rough descents. It's heavier than a rigid fork, but the aerodynamic gains from narrower tyres might offset the weight penalty on courses with limited climbing.
"It's getting like a bag of golf clubs," I observed. "Do I play the six iron or seven iron?" Mads laughed but agreed: "My friends are like, 'You already have a mountain bike.'" The proliferation of bike setups — from traditional rigid gravel bikes to suspension-equipped versions to full mountain bikes — creates endless optimisation decisions.
What's missing is data. Unlike road cycling, where wind tunnel testing provides clear answers, gravel equipment optimisation relies largely on feel and anecdote. "In the World Tour, I would like to have data behind my choices," Mads explained. "How much faster are wider tyres? This stuff is difficult to test because you can't do it in a wind tunnel on a belt. You need to do it outside, but then there are so many variables."
What This Means for Your Training
The professionalisation of gravel doesn't just affect elite racers — it reveals training principles that apply to every gravel cyclist, regardless of your goals.
First, forget the "epic monster rides" that dominate social media. Mads's Unbound preparation block totalled just 35 hours over two weeks while others were posting 40+ hour weeks. "I never did 40 hours in a week. That's just way too much," he told me. His success came from consistency rather than volume extremes. This mirrors what we see across endurance sports: sustainable training loads produce better long-term adaptations than sporadic high-volume blocks.
Second, equipment optimisation matters less than you think. While pros debate 45mm versus 40mm tyres, Mads's approach is refreshingly direct: "I don't put my handlebars in weird positions. I don't use a bladder under my jersey for aerodynamic gains. I go with classic gravel tyres." The fundamentals — proper bike fit, reliable equipment, consistent maintenance — trump marginal gains for most riders.
Third, fuel properly during rides. This came up repeatedly in our conversation, though not always directly. The ability to maintain power output over 4-6 hour efforts requires systematic fuelling strategies. Based on current sports science, that means 80-120 grams of carbohydrate per hour for efforts over two hours, regardless of whether you're racing Unbound or your local gravel event.
Fourth, develop bike handling skills progressively. The technical demands of European-style gravel racing — and increasingly, American events too — require comfort descending, cornering on loose surfaces, and picking clean lines through obstacles. But as Mads learned when following mountain bike legend Greg Callaghan, "always be able to see where you're going. Otherwise, you will crash or you will flat." If you're new to the discipline, our gravel cycling beginner's guide covers the skills that matter most.
Finally, understand that gravel's appeal lies in its versatility, not its simplicity. "You can go mountain biking with friends on tame trails, stick road wheels on for training, change to gravel tyres for adventure," Mads explained. This adaptability means your training should reflect gravel's varied demands: some road endurance work, some technical skills practice, some high-intensity efforts.
If you're putting in the hours but your gravel results have flatlined, the limiter usually isn't your tyre width — it's somewhere in your training, recovery or progression. That's exactly what the Plateau Diagnostic is built to find. It looks at the whole system and shows you where the real constraint sits. Three minutes. Free.