Sarah Sturm on Her Unconventional Path to Gravel-Racing Stardom

Gravel racing has exploded in recent years and Sarah Sturm — who only started racing bikes in college, after burning out on competitive soccer — quickly vaulted to stardom in the sport. So we sat down with Sarah to hear the surprising and hilarious story of her path into gravel racing; chat about the struggle of not excelling at something you’ve dedicated a lot of time and energy toward; the evolution and professionalization of gravel racing; the overall state and health of the sport; and a whole lot more.RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ MembershipBLISTER+ Real World TestimonialsBlister LabsThis Week’s Gear GiveawayBlister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideTOPICS & TIMES:Introducing Sarah (1:25)Racing cyclocross & moving to gravel (2:49)Sarah’s first forays into mountain biking (6:46)Being the “doomsday prepper of bike racing” (19:20)The evolution of gravel racing (27:37)“Marginal gains people” (39:22)The health of the sport (45:51)Sarah’s 2024 plans & goals (51:22)OUR OTHER PODCASTSBlister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.