With Pace

Sarah Sturm on UCI Gravel Worlds

Payson McElveen Season 1 Episode 193

Sarah Sturm returns to the show to talk about the inaugural UCI Gravel Worlds which took place in Italy last weekend. The event sparked controversy when it was announced, with fears that the UCI would tarnish the spirit of gravel. This, along with the fact that it wasn’t being held in the US where the discipline took root, and the fact that the women’s course was significantly shorter than the men’s, prompted many top racers to skip the race altogether. Sarah explains why she chose to go despite having similar reservations. From buying her own USA kit to riding in an all-female peloton, she gives a rundown of the good, the bad, and the ugly of this first attempt at a gravel world championship. In the end, she came away with more optimism for the future of the UCI’s involvement than she expected. 

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