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STETINA'S WAKE-UP CALL: DANGERS OF AERO BARS | ROADMAN PODCAST

with Roadman Podcast

27:01·13 July 2023

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Gravel racing is at an inflection point. Stetina argues the sport has to choose between staying inclusive and chasing full WorldTour-style professionalisation — and that 3D-printed cockpits and speed suits risk pushing it toward the latter.
The Unbound mud was a feature, not a bug. Stetina defends extreme conditions because they reward preparation and judgement over raw watts — the kind of skill differentiation that separates gravel from road racing.
Don't shift the front chainring in deep mud. The drivetrain seizes; the front mech tears off. Stetina's tactical fix: pick a gear before the mud, leave it, and bushwhack onto grass before the chain locks up entirely.
The aero bar safety debate is unresolved. Stetina wants the sport to keep questioning whether time-trial-style aero bars have a place in mass-start gravel without group-handling safeguards.
Calendar strategy matters more than ever. As gravel grows, pros need to pick races that match their strengths — the shotgun "race everything" approach burns riders out and rewards specialists.

TOPICS

MOUNTAIN BIKING

Pete Stetina returns to discuss the evolving tension between gravel racing's inclusive roots and its rapid professionalization. As someone who transitioned from World Tour racing to become a defining figure in gravel, Pete explores whether the sport is becoming too elitist at the front—and shares hard-won lessons about competing at the highest level while staying true to what makes gravel special.

Key Takeaways

Extreme mud sections require experience and research—master bike control by listening to your bike's sounds, avoid shifting under load, and know when to dismount and bushwhack rather than fight through it
Gravel sits at a crossroads: it can either become drop-bar racing off-road (risking the fate of road cycling) or preserve its personality-driven, lifestyle culture like mountain biking has done
Success in gravel doesn't have to be measured purely by race wins—consider brand representation, knowledge-sharing with the community, and personal fulfillment alongside competitive performance
There's no single "right way" to approach gravel racing; athletes like Keegan Swenson (results-focused) and Lachlan Morton (storytelling-focused) can both succeed by aligning with their strengths and audience values
Calendar strategy matters: mixing elite races (Unbound, Leadville) with smaller community events helps maintain the gravel spirit while still performing at the pointy end when it counts

Expert Quotes

"Success is almost it's can be his downfall right—and at the end of the day I realize instead of trying to play commissioner and like try to tell people how to do this and that which nobody likes the commissioner nobody likes the rule the Umpire like I just got to do it my way."

"If it just does become drop bar racing off-road that's not gonna stay relevant like it's just gonna go the way of you know Road cycling or xco mountain biking and numbers are going to start to drop."

"I want to do this fun event but then I want to hunker down for a week and like do some altitude training and fully prepare for Crusher—it's just that balance internally for me and when I can justify those sacrifices I guess."

CLAIMS FROM THIS EPISODE

Each tagged with the strength of evidence behind it.

EXPERT
Pete Stetina raced for Garmin-Sharp, BMC and Trek at WorldTour level before pivoting to off-road racing, giving him direct comparison context across both disciplines.
Source: Career record referenced on the Roadman Cycling Podcast
EXPERT
In deep mud, riders should avoid shifting the front chainring to protect the front derailleur from being torn off — Stetina recommends choosing a gear before entering the mud and leaving the shifter alone.
Source: Pete Stetina, on the Roadman Cycling Podcast
PRO PRACTICE
When a drivetrain begins to seize in mud, Stetina's preferred tactic is to bushwhack onto adjacent grass before the chain locks up entirely — a course-management decision that often beats trying to clean the bike mid-section.
Source: Pete Stetina, on the Roadman Cycling Podcast
OPINION
Stetina questions whether 3D-printed cockpits, speed suits and aero bars in mass-start gravel risk creating an exclusionary front of the race comparable to time trialing, undermining gravel's inclusive origins.
Source: Pete Stetina, on the Roadman Cycling Podcast

KEY QUOTES

“the number one mistake people make is Shifting because that is going to put an extra torque on your derailleur especially even front is even worse because like the the chainring is all gobbed up in the front so it's not going to land anywhere but in the back to shift is to really stress that system it's better to just grind it and try to get it clear and then shift when you're under an easier load moment”
Pete Stetina — Former World Tour cyclist, racing for Garmin Sharp, BMC, and Trek

“success is almost it's can be his downfall right and at the end of the day I realize instead of trying to play commissioner and like try to tell people how to do this and that which nobody likes the commissioner nobody likes the rule the Umpire like I just got to do it my way and why I came to this in the first place”
Pete Stetina — Former World Tour cyclist, racing for Garmin Sharp, BMC, and Trek

“if it just does become drop bar racing off-road that's not gonna stay relevant like it's just gonna go the way of you know Road cycling or xco mountain biking and numbers are going to start to drop so like I very much am a Defender uh of the that recipe for success in why this whole boom started”
Pete Stetina — Former World Tour cyclist, racing for Garmin Sharp, BMC, and Trek

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT2 SECTIONS

Pete Stetina's Gravel Evolution

Success is almost it's can be his downfall right and at the end of the day I realize instead of howdy I'm Pete stedner there is a bigger question on is gravel becoming too elitist at the front um you know and I think anyone can be surprised I think that was always the Natural Evolution of the thing I mean foreign is a former World Tour writer writing for Garmin sharp BMC and Trek bikes some of the biggest teams in the world stepping away from the world tour normally means the debt of a competitive athlete's career but not for peace since stepping away he's been part of this explosion and off-road cycling defining an entirely new genre of cycling Pete has been at the front of the biggest gravel races in the world from Belgian waffle road to Unbound so he's uniquely placed to marry that decade of world to our cycle and experience with this new love for the off-road Pursuit gravel I really enjoyed recording this conversation and I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed recording it Pete step there welcome back to the romance cycling podcast yeah man it's uh what do we do like an annual catch-up now something like that seems to be we could even be boy on your maybe I don't know I don't think I don't think I'm that interesting this is great it was fun I really enjoyed it this year yeah that thing's mostly mindset to be honest these days so what was there a bit of controversy it was funny because not there was of it because there was always trying gravel man there's always controversy and ground so there was this mod section and like chassis where kimosemore actually like the week before Unbound and we kind of flagged that there might be some monkey sections around but I think there was a controversy mainly seemed to be instigated or at least fueled from people that weren't in the break no one in the break was too bothered with the section right everyone who missed the break was like oh I should have been rerouted it was like a hiker bike it was too long it jeopardized the event but it seemed like most of the best Riders made it through this hiker bike and into the break so I'm like hmm how is it the good guys always get so lucky right and it's it's definitely like extreme mud like that is one of those things where you make your own luck I mean for sure there's folks that had a real potential to to play for for Glory that day who got taken out early with with mud but I mean that's also just kind of bike racing right like that's you know whether there's crashes in road races or whatever and Mechanicals and yeah you kind of look at that lead Group of Seven and it was except for uh Peter like it was all guys who have proficient Unbound experience and guys who do their homework and like I I see both sides of it and I haven't dove into the the Feud online on purpose because it doesn't serve anything but I yeah I I understand when you travel all that way and you spend all that money and your days ruined after a couple miles like in the first hour but at the same time like this is the biggest the hardest the baddest event of all of them and like to dumb it down to make it easier like that just kind of defeats the whole purpose too you know couldn't we level that same criticism any race like oh I prepare for 12 months or prepare for a decade for a Tour de France on the first week is really little crushes yeah exactly you know and and so yeah it's it's kind of BS to just like start like throwing words around without actually talking to the organizer too you know at the end like I mean don't make a social media post like talk constructively behind the scenes um but it was just yeah that was just a conversation that took away I think from a lot of the event um but it's also like you're going to be looking back at that in years from now and like I was listening to a podcast yesterday on my ride on it and after like the 2015 mud year at Unbound in the same section with all the crazy photos like registration got a boost like that's the images that come out of it and people like oh my gosh that thing is insane so ah I just there's no good answer but you know at the end of the day how I made it through was like you have to have experience and if you don't you have to do research right like I mean I dealt with mud conditions like that in 2020 at the Mid-South when it was the crazy peanut butter mud and there was you know everybody was in situations like that and I was leading the race and I gobbed up my bike to the point of like I was single speeding the rest of the day and I lost when you say experience like what is it is it is an equipment setup is it like it's all of that stick yeah it's all of that you know it's it's really riding extreme mud like that it's not just pushing harder you know it's really listening to your bike and like understanding like the way the bike is sounding and like the way it's gobbing up is like you can you have to protect your equipment and you kind of learn that right you kind of learn what things sound like and how it's about to it's about to get really bad and you kind of hop off and start running or B-Line it to the grass as fast as possible and literally just start bushwhacking to like keep your tires moving you know you don't ever like when I'm in mud like that I don't shift that front chain ring if you're running a two by just don't like pedaling on any shifting if you're in a bad moment if you're getting bogged down the number one mistake people make is Shifting because that is going to put an extra torque on your derailleur especially even front is even worse because like the the chainring is all gobbed up in the front so it's not going to land anywhere but in the back to shift is to really stress that system it's better to just grind it and try to get it clear and then shift when you're under an easier load moment um we had the national time trial Champs by the time this goes out it'll be finished and I'm sure we'll be congratulating Ben Healy on a win I'm gonna look like Nostradamus now when this comes out um but I was looking at the start list today and the event isn't on for a couple of days as we're recording this and there's only 11 starters for the Elise Irish time trial championships and the main reason you know you can speculate on geography of where it of course is ETC but the main reason that everyone's agreeing on is it's exclusionary based on the cost to enter the amount of Technology you need time in the Wind Tunnel speed suits Etc it's just too exclusionary is gravel slowly creeping that way I chatted with Dylan Johnson on the podcast love them won't say a bad word about him he's a really interesting dude smart including but like me is he not he's Pro like he is he's not there to take part he's there to coin your freshman a few years ago to take over to win everything you came into gravel is it in danger of becoming exclusionary at the front of the race where you need 3D printed Arrow bars and speed suits and people are wearing Aero socks yeah no it's um you know the time trial predicament was always like that though like I mean even I remember in the U.S Pro championships it was always like 30 guys because like if you if you don't have a chance in the TT why are you gonna do it you're going to put your eggs in the road race basket where there's a factor of luck like the time trial you know being that race of Truth really is almost predicated between like you know there's five guys who really have a chance of winning so why are you going to spend all this time and money and effort for something that won't make a splash like versus you know you go for sure but say you take a local Club 10 like it still has all those same barriers they're still the same fast dudes who are going to win but you have a hundred dudes torn up for the local Club 10.

Is Gravel Racing Too Elitist?

Well I think it's just professional right I mean people want to race just to race versus the Professionals in the the time trial it's like you're going there for a job and a result and getting 20th in the Pro Irish GT isn't going to pay the bills right when it's your job it's you're not yeah bike racing for fun at that point right but you know that that's just my that's that's the road and the time trial predicament side of things I mean time Trails have never had as big a startless I mean I you guys definitely Ireland UK have like more of a scene there in the US it's not like that I guess um but but we can go back to crap sorry um I am not a TT specialist but yeah so take that with a grain of salt um since we last spoke gravel has become extremely performance oriented um in the front and there is a lot of discussion on you know where has that balance been lost um you know and I went through a lot of that last year and um you know I I stirred the pot on one thing on social media which I should never have um are you talking about the letter for unbalance about the Euro bars oh no no oh this is something else all right to tell oh yeah oh it's Steamboat there was like the Aid Station kerfuffle you know and um it was just the way we race right um and it wasn't even about the organizers or anything it was just you know calling out some guys who you employed these I guess you could even call them New Age tactics now in hindsight but um you know it's just there there is a bigger question on is gravel becoming too elitist at the front I don't think anyone can be surprised I think that was always the Natural Evolution of the thing I mean you know when there's enough money in it um and it stops becoming as much of not that it isn't but I mean you look at mountain biking versus Road cycling at least in the U.S mountain biking has always been more of a lifestyle event you know so it draws more of a personality and a culture around it versus Road cycling was profession so you have a wider array of people a broader spectrum because people are there for the racing component of it not of the lifestyle and so now with gravel being so professional I mean you know you have guys who are coming just to try and get a result um but you think we're at a Crossroads now where we get to choose do we go down the road where we manufacture the robots that we see in the world tour now which are you know pretty devoid of Personality until near the end of their career and then we start seeing them a little bit more Liberation conversations and interviews or the mountain side which is less results driven and more personality and brand driven it feels like we're right on that precipice of needing to make a decision now yeah but I don't think anyone actually needs to make a decision and that's kind of what I'm getting at is like you know I went through that and kind of in in my mind tried to like stand up for gravel or whatever that was right because you know I feel like I I understand what makes gravel I see I still don't know I'm talking sometimes present sometimes past tense on what makes it special and unique uh compared to Road cycling and why it's successful and if it just does become drop bar racing off-road that's not gonna stay relevant like it's just gonna go the way of you know Road cycling or xco mountain biking and numbers are going to start to drop so like I very much am a Defender uh of the that recipe for success in why this whole boom started but success is almost it's can be his downfall right um and at the end of the day I realize instead of trying to play commissioner and like try to tell people how to do this and that which nobody likes the commissioner nobody likes the rule the Umpire like I just got to do it my way and why I came to this in the first place and you know try to to lead with my example and if other people only want the arrow gains and the result and they don't want to be a part of the other thing that's them like that's their choice and it's not like I can shame them for that too you know like so you know like Dylan again I I consider him a friend as well and he's very results driven marginal gains that's great like I mean how old is he 26 30 20s yeah yeah so it's like I mean where was I when I was 26 I was eating carrots in some Hotel on a mountain in Europe trying to make the tour team and like foregoing every bit of you know relatable human interaction too like I get the game and so can I fault him for that that he's in this Golden Era where his sport is booming and results mean he's making more money than he probably ever has as a professional bike no like I can't I can't shame anyone for that you know and it's a delicate balance to that I found myself in last year of like supporting this and understanding that but also you know like realizing that's not why I'm doing the gravel thing um and I have to do it my way um because if I get pulled back into that way of doing things then I should have just stayed on the road you know so because what I worry about is I chat with you know World Tour guys all the time I'm trying to think a reason like Daryl Impe recently uh talking to him about coming to the end of his career and he's saying basically now to be a World Tour writer who's competing in the classics and focusing on the tour like he is you need to either live at altitude or spend the vast vast majority of your time between racist and altitude so he's like it's entirely a young man's game because you can't do it up with a family unless your family is going to live at altitude which as well like Alex I was chat the last week he chose to live in Andorra with family but the life is just race gold altitude race go to altitude and I don't know I just maybe I'm romantic and kind of like you on this I just don't want that for gravel because we already have that it's like if you want that that's cool but it's already there I mean that's that's what you have to do to compete in a lifetime Grand Prix you know guys you know what the kicker with that is when a certain the chemo on it the the prize money for the lifetime Grand Prix oh it's a headline and it's a marketing stunt in his words the prize money is not what anyone's making their money from so the win isn't as important it's still the prestige and it's making your career it's leading to better contracts endorsements or whatever right and it's it's the biggest thing happening in the US right now you know it's Unbound and let Bill the Grand Prix and a handful of other gravel events that are independent such as your sbts and your bwr California um but you know the the Grand Prix is the preeminent racing scene here you know and so guys and girls who are fully focused on racing like that's that's the end-all and be-all and the Crux of their season you know Keegan is focused on trying to win that thing again and he's getting paid well to do it and I mean you look at how he prepares he has the same mentality as a world tour writer and a lot of the guys in the top 10 do is just race weight training sessions sauna sessions for heat adaptation altitude living at altitude all summer heat training for Unbound it's I mean that's Elite Sport when you start to get to that level and careers are dedicated to that that's it's already there you know but at least with the gravel space there is still the possibility to do it your way um you know what here's my help prediction for How It's Gonna Change slightly I think Lachlan is going to be out of contracts or choose not to reopen's contract with ef sound and lachlan's gonna make more than twice the annual income of Keegan and he's not going to win a race and people are going to say whoa there's a different way of doing it lackland's storytelling but there's no one one way or wrong that's what I'm saying is there's with the way that storytelling and social media and sponsors and all this is like everyone's on this spectrum right you can be more of a Storyteller or more of a pure racer there's not one tried and true way like there kind of is in the world tour you just have to do that right so yeah you can't say that lachlan's right and Keegan's wrong or vice versa it's like whoever you align with like there's people who are fans of Lockheed who don't care about Keegan and there's fans of you know Keegan who don't give a about me and they think I'm an over the hill World Tour writer and vice versa you know it's it's so I think in gravel right now there's still room for personalities and you you can align with certain writers that you relate to better I think Keegan Kobe an AI power cyclist like he's a cycling version of Chachi PT he's just unbeatable yeah he's tough to be right now um so it's and you know and I get it too like I feel like maybe on my best day I could go toe-to-toe with him if I did everything right and the altitude camps but I've had to take that conscious step back and you know like that's not why I came here right which almost makes my job doubly difficult is like I need to hold true to why I came to this space and why I want to do this gravel racing which I still love the racing but it's this deeper relatable inclusive experience that is not necessarily the best thing for just pure race performance and so I'm trying to ask myself to compete against Keegan while doing something that's better for my personality but maybe not better for a race result um and the fact that it's also how you judge success dear Georgia Boy the you know your bank account figure do you judge a boy you know adherence to like you're saying those personal values or do you judge your boy race wins because there's a few different lenses to George successfully yeah 100 and there is not a right way and a wrong way I think I can't judge it by by race wins anymore I I no I don't um but I used to and I get folks that do and the thing is it's still competitive racing like race wins are always going to count like period you know like but you know me personally I judge success by representing my Brands to the best of my ability and at that moment at this moment in time that still includes performing well but that's not everything right it's performing well but also being present and public with people and helping them with their with tips and tricks that they can use to have success on their day because being being a mass participation sport it's people are following me so they have a better chance at their own gravel success right whether it's Tire knowledge or course knowledge or like you just asked like how do you get through that mud and stuff like it's all these types of things that you can impart and in right now that's where I provide value but I think a race still being able to perform at the pointy end of things gives that validation yeah you know it's like yeah do you think you'll ease off like what's your criteria at the moment for choosing your calendar and do you think you'll move it too oh unless like I'm thinking would you go to a badlands toward avoid well I don't know I'm I mean I I sent him a note just telling him that I love him and I'm watching you know he just need some support um no it's that is a good question you know and this year my calendar actually looks quite different if you look at my website and the races there are is because last year I realized that there was that extreme professionalization of the front of gravel racing right and it was just race and not about the other parts of the gravel experience and for me I can't just do that so when I looked at when I once said about making my schedule for 2023 there's a bigger balance to it all you have your Elite unbounds your leadvilles your steamboats but then I have a whole bunch of unknown events smaller events actually this weekend I'm going to an event with 250 people in the middle of the Nevada desert that no one's ever heard of before because I was able to tell myself that if I can go to these other events where it is just about the community and the mass participation and the The Good Vibes as honky as that sounds than when I show up to Unbound I've kind of filled my cup with that and it can just be like all right let's flip the switch it's race time it's business time like Unbound I just you have to go back to the World Tour racer mentality because that's what it is now and that's what I was saying at the beginning of this podcast is it's all your mentality like I really enjoyed Unbound this year because I showed up and I was like this is the biggest gravel race on the planet everyone else is here to try to win this is the game and this is a game I know how to play and I wasn't stressed about trying to fit in all the other Expo uh fun things drinking things because I went to the Unbound training camp with a hundred clients two months before and got experience Emporia in that way and it's actually really interesting it's that kind of speaks us up in the top of me at the moment because I'm going to events and then I'm partaking in all the extracurriculars around the event but then disappointed that I don't perform yeah 10 years ago at the event so it's yeah you're pretty you want to have your cake and eat it yeah you're putting more on your shoulders and it's not necessarily the best recipe for race success but can you really be surprised when that happens you know and so that's that's trying that's how I'm trying to balance it like I want to do this fun event but then I want to hunker down for a week and like do some altitude training and fully prepare for Crusher and the tester in a few weeks you know and then show up there and it's like I gotta go head to head against Keegan and finsty and Howard grotzen Lockheed again you know so I need to it's just that balance internally for me and when I can justify those sacrifices I guess is Altitude trying to get a lot cheaper now you just drive your van to altitude and just go sleep exactly man I know I just go into the middle of the forest find some hot springs out in Nevada um that's what I was doing this morning before the call it's just uh how's van life uh it doesn't exist as much with kids anymore because I don't just get like to disappear for a week and take the slow way I have to like hop on a plane more because I have to get back to family so um I'm struggling for it I'm really looking forward to like a little one this weekend what's the threshold for bringing the kids in the van because it's something myself or my girlfriend who don't have kids but we have dogs in there so talk about demanding this is so sea otter which is the uh round one of the lifetime Grand Prix you know Seattle Bike Expo it's like maybe the world's biggest bike show now I think it's definitely North America's it's insane but um I brought the family uh the thing is we can't fit the cribs in the van yet like my kids still just can't sleep on in the bed right so they need a full-on crib and protect them from falling and plopping and you know they need the walls um so he couldn't fit the cribs in the van and so you're gonna be like great it's gonna be baby's first camping trip so we bought one of those stupid like three meter by three meter tents that you can like fully stand up in like from like the sporting goods store you know and Pitch the tan and like put an air mattress in there for my wife and I um and we were camping we were sleeping in that the first night was okay and then the night of the race um you know I had to wake up early for race meal I also would have liked a good night of sleep without babies um so I was in the van and my wife was still in the tent with the littles it just made the most sense um and it just got so freaking cold that night that like the kids were crying because they were over cold and you know I I remember at 2 A.M being woken up by their cries and like my wife doesn't want to bug me the poor woman is so sweet and she's just like trying to cuddle these babies in this freezing tent I sleep like get on in here you know and so this is the night of the race 2 30 a.m opening up the van turning on all the lights uh somehow rigging my son's crib so it does perch in the van somehow and then for my daughter because we have twins we have this like super breathable mattress where even if she's like face planted they still breathe through it so they're not gonna suffocate um putting that on the bed in the van and then because she wasn't scooting up or down yet she would only roll side to side and then my wife and I literally had the space of our shoulders on the mattress on each side so our daughter would if she were Gonna Roll she would roll into one of us and would be like okay hey there's a kid bumping up we got to reposition her so yeah that was my race night was literally sleeping on what is it like I'm trying to do you know foot and a half a half meter space on the bed with like a drop off on the side and crying babies um when you were single and think oh my God I don't even like that's why I'm so lucky I didn't even know it yeah and and the race went really really bad the next morning not performing no surprise so I was kind of like all right you know like there's some races where the kids in the family I want them there and it's fun and there's other races where you know like they shouldn't be at Unbound I don't have time for them you're just you know you're dealing with all the other Expo activations pre-rides like Unbound doesn't make sense for the family to come but some of these lower key races it really does you know so I guess that's the balance too peace I've enjoyed it thank you for protecting the spirit of the gravel oh God yeah good chatting with you man shout out to him buddy

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Are aero bars dangerous on gravel bikes?+

Aero bars reduce a rider's ability to steer and brake quickly, which becomes genuinely hazardous on unpredictable gravel surfaces. Pete Stetina argues that their growing use in gravel racing raises serious safety concerns, and he questions whether the speed gains justify the risk to both the individual rider and those around them.

How do you stop your gravel bike drivetrain seizing in deep mud?+

Avoid shifting the front chainring while riding through deep mud, as this is the most common way to damage or seize the derailleur. Pete Stetina recommends bushwhacking onto grass at the side of the course before the drivetrain becomes completely clogged, giving you a chance to clear the mud before continuing.

Is gravel cycling becoming too professional and losing its original spirit?+

Pete Stetina believes gravel racing is at a clear crossroads between its inclusive grassroots origins and increasing professionalisation. He points to 3D-printed cockpits and speed suits as examples of equipment trends that risk pricing out amateur riders and turning gravel into something closer to time trialling.

Why did Pete Stetina switch from WorldTour road racing to gravel?+

Stetina raced at the highest level for teams including Garmin-Sharp, BMC, and Trek before pivoting to off-road racing. He has spoken about the appeal of gravel's less rigid structure and its original community-driven culture as a major draw away from the heavily commercialised WorldTour environment.

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Key Takeaways

Extreme mud sections require experience and research—master bike control by listening to your bike's sounds, avoid shifting under load, and know when to dismount and bushwhack rather than fight through it

Gravel sits at a crossroads: it can either become drop-bar racing off-road (risking the fate of road cycling) or preserve its personality-driven, lifestyle culture like mountain biking has done

Success in gravel doesn't have to be measured purely by race wins—consider brand representation, knowledge-sharing with the community, and personal fulfillment alongside competitive performance

There's no single "right way" to approach gravel racing; athletes like Keegan Swenson (results-focused) and Lachlan Morton (storytelling-focused) can both succeed by aligning with their strengths and audience values

Calendar strategy matters: mixing elite races (Unbound, Leadville) with smaller community events helps maintain the gravel spirit while still performing at the pointy end when it counts

Expert Quotes

"Success is almost it's can be his downfall right—and at the end of the day I realize instead of trying to play commissioner and like try to tell people how to do this and that which nobody likes the commissioner nobody likes the rule the Umpire like I just got to do it my way."

"If it just does become drop bar racing off-road that's not gonna stay relevant like it's just gonna go the way of you know Road cycling or xco mountain biking and numbers are going to start to drop."

"I want to do this fun event but then I want to hunker down for a week and like do some altitude training and fully prepare for Crusher—it's just that balance internally for me and when I can justify those sacrifices I guess."

KEY QUOTES

“the number one mistake people make is Shifting because that is going to put an extra torque on your derailleur especially even front is even worse because like the the chainring is all gobbed up in the front so it's not going to land anywhere but in the back to shift is to really stress that system it's better to just grind it and try to get it clear and then shift when you're under an easier load moment”
Pete Stetina — Former World Tour cyclist, racing for Garmin Sharp, BMC, and Trek

“success is almost it's can be his downfall right and at the end of the day I realize instead of trying to play commissioner and like try to tell people how to do this and that which nobody likes the commissioner nobody likes the rule the Umpire like I just got to do it my way and why I came to this in the first place”
Pete Stetina — Former World Tour cyclist, racing for Garmin Sharp, BMC, and Trek

“if it just does become drop bar racing off-road that's not gonna stay relevant like it's just gonna go the way of you know Road cycling or xco mountain biking and numbers are going to start to drop so like I very much am a Defender uh of the that recipe for success in why this whole boom started”
Pete Stetina — Former World Tour cyclist, racing for Garmin Sharp, BMC, and Trek

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Are aero bars dangerous on gravel bikes?+

How do you stop your gravel bike drivetrain seizing in deep mud?+

Is gravel cycling becoming too professional and losing its original spirit?+

Why did Pete Stetina switch from WorldTour road racing to gravel?+

STETINA'S WAKE-UP CALL: DANGERS OF AERO BARS | ROADMAN PODCAST

Key Takeaways

Expert Quotes

CLAIMS FROM THIS EPISODE

KEY QUOTES

Pete Stetina's Gravel Evolution

Is Gravel Racing Too Elitist?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE

READ THE GUIDE

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STETINA'S WAKE-UP CALL: DANGERS OF AERO BARS | ROADMAN PODCAST

Key Takeaways

Expert Quotes

CLAIMS FROM THIS EPISODE

KEY QUOTES

Pete Stetina's Gravel Evolution

Is Gravel Racing Too Elitist?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE

READ THE GUIDE

RELATED EPISODES

IS GRAVEL RACING GETTING A BIT TOO SERIOUS?! | RDMN CLIPS

BEYOND PRO CYCLING - GRAVEL AWAITS (W/ALEX HOWES) | ROADMAN PODCAST

WIND TUNNEL SECRETS FOR AERO GAINS ON YOUR BIKE | ROADMAN PODCAST

RELATED CONTENT

IS GRAVEL RACING GETTING A BIT TOO SERIOUS?! | RDMN CLIPS

10 THINGS I WISH I KNEW AS A BEGINNER GRAVEL CYCLIST | ALEXEY VERMEULEN

GRAVEL CYCLING FOR BEGINNERS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW IN 2026

LIKED THIS EPISODE?

STETINA'S WAKE-UP CALL: DANGERS OF AERO BARS | ROADMAN PODCAST

Key Takeaways

Expert Quotes

CLAIMS FROM THIS EPISODE

KEY QUOTES

1.Pete Stetina's Gravel Evolution

2.Is Gravel Racing Too Elitist?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE

READ THE GUIDE

RELATED EPISODES

IS GRAVEL RACING GETTING A BIT TOO SERIOUS?! | RDMN CLIPS

BEYOND PRO CYCLING - GRAVEL AWAITS (W/ALEX HOWES) | ROADMAN PODCAST

WIND TUNNEL SECRETS FOR AERO GAINS ON YOUR BIKE | ROADMAN PODCAST

RELATED CONTENT

IS GRAVEL RACING GETTING A BIT TOO SERIOUS?! | RDMN CLIPS

10 THINGS I WISH I KNEW AS A BEGINNER GRAVEL CYCLIST | ALEXEY VERMEULEN

GRAVEL CYCLING FOR BEGINNERS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW IN 2026

LIKED THIS EPISODE?

STETINA'S WAKE-UP CALL: DANGERS OF AERO BARS | ROADMAN PODCAST

Key Takeaways

Expert Quotes

CLAIMS FROM THIS EPISODE

KEY QUOTES

1.Pete Stetina's Gravel Evolution

2.Is Gravel Racing Too Elitist?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE

READ THE GUIDE

RELATED EPISODES

IS GRAVEL RACING GETTING A BIT TOO SERIOUS?! | RDMN CLIPS

BEYOND PRO CYCLING - GRAVEL AWAITS (W/ALEX HOWES) | ROADMAN PODCAST

WIND TUNNEL SECRETS FOR AERO GAINS ON YOUR BIKE | ROADMAN PODCAST

RELATED CONTENT

IS GRAVEL RACING GETTING A BIT TOO SERIOUS?! | RDMN CLIPS

10 THINGS I WISH I KNEW AS A BEGINNER GRAVEL CYCLIST | ALEXEY VERMEULEN

GRAVEL CYCLING FOR BEGINNERS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW IN 2026

LIKED THIS EPISODE?

Pete Stetina's Gravel Evolution

Is Gravel Racing Too Elitist?

Pete Stetina's Gravel Evolution

Is Gravel Racing Too Elitist?