Fantasy Gravel

The season is on, and we had the chance to be at The Hills, Mattia De Marchi’s brutal race in Italy. One of the toughest events of the year, we caught up with the riders to hear their thoughts.Featuring Carolin Schiff, Payson McElveen, Frederik Rassmann, Eddy Le Huitouze, Toby Perry, and Erica Magnaldi.Hear their thoughts on the race—and what they’re craving the moment they cross the finish line.

We sat down with Mattia De Marchi to talk about The Grip, the brand-new elite gravel team backed by Wilier Triestina — and the vision behind it.Born from the evolution of professional gravel racing, The Grip is more than just a team: it’s a project built around performance, storytelling, and a new way of approaching competition off-road.In this episode, Mattia opens up about:How The Grip came to life with Wilier TriestinaWhat makes this project different from traditional road or gravel teamsThe future of elite gravel racing and where it’s headingBalancing racing, identity, and passion in a fast-changing disciplineA deep dive into one of the most exciting new gravel projects in Europe — straight from the rider shaping it.

We had the chance to sit down with two incredible athletes — Jasper and Ivar — at the legendary Heathland Gravel in Belgium. 🇧🇪This is no ordinary gravel race… it’s the only one in Europe that grants you a golden ticket to Unbound, the most prestigious gravel event in the world. 🌍In this special episode, they open up about:– Their journey to Heathland and beyond– Wild stories from the trail– What it really feels like to race UnboundGrit, passion, and pure gravel spirit — this one’s unmissable 🔥🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts

After a long break focused on building the next phase of the Fantasy Gravel App, we’re back on the mic just in time for the biggest weekend of the year—Unbound!In this episode, Shawn and Xavi sit down to talk about the wild week ahead: new app features launching for Unbound, insights on the course, and the riders to watch in both the XL and Unbound 200.As the official game of the LifetimeGrandPrix, this is a huge moment for us—and we’re bringing daily coverage, livestream updates, and community picks straight to your screen.Download the app, make your picks, and follow all the action.Let’s play. Let’s race. Let’s Unbound. 🚴‍♂️🔥

The Philippines always feels like home, and what better way to kick off the season than by experiencing gravel racing at @attck.unrstrktd, the first race of the @gravelearthseriesWe weren’t just there to follow the action—we immersed ourselves in the local gravel scene, connecting with the passionate community that’s shaping the sport in this incredible Southeast Asian country. After the race, we sat down with some of the top athletes to hear their thoughts on the event, the growing gravel culture, and what makes the Philippines a must-ride destination.🎧 Tune in to get first-hand insights from the riders who took part!Next stop: La Santa Vall—see you there! 🚴‍♂️🔥

Kicking off the year with a bang, we’re joined by two key figures from one of the standout teams of 2024—Pas Racing Gravel Team!Lars Moss, Team Manager, and Tobias Kongstad, Sports Coordinator, sit down with us to share their journey: How they built and managed the team. Highlights from the 2024 season, including their victory at Traka 360. Exciting plans for 2025, including the launch of a junior development team in the USA. Pas Racing has been one of the most active and dynamic teams on the gravel scene, and this conversation is a must-listen for fans of the sport.With the new gravel season just around the corner, stay tuned to our socials and app for news dropping soon!

🎙️ Last Podcast of the Year: Inside the Classified Gravel Team We’re wrapping up the year with an exclusive chat about one of the most exciting new teams in gravel racing—Classified Gravel Team. Team manager Nick Sannen joins us to recap their debut season and share insights into the challenges and opportunities of managing a gravel team. We also dive into their goals and ambitions for 2025 as they tackle multiple leagues and objectives. 🚴‍♂️ In January, the team will be in Girona for a training camp, and we’re thrilled to host a special night with them at Casa Athletic. Stay tuned for all the details! Enjoy the conversation and let us know your thoughts!

Petr Vakoc: His Gravel Season Recap and Ambitions for Next Year In this episode, we sat down at Casa Athletic Studio with Petr Vakoc, one of the season's standout gravel racers known for his consistency and strong performances across the year. Petr opens up about his season’s highlights, what keeps him motivated, and his big dreams and goals for next year. We also dive into his thoughts on where gravel racing is headed as it keeps growing. It’s an inspiring and down-to-earth conversation you won’t want to miss!

Mattia de Marchi: Reflecting on Gravel Racing’s Evolution and What’s Ahead I've known Mattia de Marchi since the early days, long before gravel racing took off. We finally sat down at Casa Athletic to chat about the season after the Ranxo finale. We explored the rise of gravel racing, Mattia’s unique perspective as a key voice in Europe, and some exciting developments on the horizon for 2025. I did my best in Italian—hope you enjoy the conversation!

The Gravel Earth Series is wrapped! After the grand finale at Ranxo, we sat down in our studio with Gerard Freixces, the mastermind behind GES and Traka, to reflect on the past year. We discussed the highlights of the series, exciting new developments, and his insights into the current global gravel racing scene. For those not fluent in Spanish, we've also uploaded the video podcast to the Athletic Affair YouTube channel with subtitles, so you can follow along and enjoy this fascinating conversation. Hope you enjoy it! _ You can play at Fantasy Gravel by downloading the⁠ ⁠app here⁠⁠: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6477162419

During the UCI Gravel race in Girona, we cheered on Alison Jackson as she put on an incredible performance, finishing second behind Tiffany Cromwell and earning her spot at the Gravel Worlds. Alison joined us at Casa Athletic for an insightful conversation about the Girona race, the growing gravel scene, and her upcoming challenge at the Gravel Worlds. Tune in to our chat, and don't forget to explore more about the riders on the Fantasy App⁠ . We'll be in Belgium next, thanks to Visit Flanders, so stay connected with us on social media for updates!

After the UCI Gravel race in Girona, the final qualifier for the Worlds, we sat down at Casa Athletic with Alex Martinez to discuss his Badlands victory and the year of preparation leading up to the race. This episode is in Spanish, but if you're not fluent, you can find the full podcast with English subtitles on Athletic Affair’s YouTube channel. Enjoy the relaxed conversation with Alex! If you want to discover more, listen to the full episode, and don’t forget to play it on our app. Open the⁠ Fantasy App⁠ to learn more about the riders.  __ Con motivo de la carrera de UCI Gravel en Girona, la última para clasificarse para el Mundial, nos sentamos en Casa Athletic con Alex Martínez para hablar sobre su victoria en Badlands y el año de preparación para conseguir la victoria.  Este episodio está en español, pero si no hablas el idioma, puedes encontrar el podcast completo con subtítulos en inglés en el canal de YouTube de Athletic Affair. ¡Disfruta de esta charla relajada con Alex! _ You can play at Fantasy Gravel by downloading the⁠ ⁠app here⁠⁠.

Maya and Xavi sat at Casa Athletic Studio with Cynthia Carson and Danni Shrosbree,  joining us at our studio in Girona to talk about the gravel season so far and the upcoming Badlands ultra cycling event that Cynthia has won the past edition and it is the first time for Danni.  Cynthia is not racing this year but gives really valuable advice to Danni about how to enjoy and survive one of the hardest events in the world of cycling.  If you want to discover more, listen to the full episode and don’t forget to play in our app, open the⁠ Fantasy App⁠ and learn more about the riders.  _ You can play at Fantasy Gravel by downloading the⁠ ⁠app here⁠⁠.

Maya and Xavi sat at Casa Athletic Studio with Morgan Aguirre, our first guest joining us at our studio to talk about the gravel season so far, and the American races she did in the last weeks; Unbound and Oregon Trail  Morgan Aguirre is racing for the Enough Collective this year, the rider based in Girona also talked about how gravel racing is changing.  If you want to discover more, listen to the full episode and don’t forget to play in our app, open the⁠ Fantasy App⁠ and learn more about the riders.  _ You can play at Fantasy Gravel by downloading the⁠ ⁠app here⁠⁠.

Maya and Xavi sat at Casa Athletic Studio to talk about the ⁠Migration gravel race⁠ with both winners of the 2024 edition. Hans Becking, from Buff Megamo Team, chats about his love for Africa, his crazy plans with Lucas and why he is so good at stage racing, and especially in the last stage. Sarah Sturm also joined the show to talk about her experience in Kenya, her love of camping and all the research, planning and travelling she did before the race. Join us to discover their experience on the stage race, the wild things in Kenya, the feeling of wearing a leader jersey by Rapha and much more. If you want to discover more, listen to the full episode and don’t forget to play in our app, open the⁠ Fantasy App⁠ and learn more about the riders.  _ You can play at Fantasy Gravel by downloading the⁠ ⁠app here⁠⁠. _ Guests for this episode Hans Becking - Winner of Migration Gravel Race 2024, riding for Buff Megamo Team  Sarah Sturm - winner of Migration Gravel Race 2004 and leader of the Gravel Earth series.

What’s a normal day for Rosa Klöser, winner of Unbound 2024  Maya and Xavi sat at Casa Athletic Studio to talk with Rosa Klöser, winner of Unbound 2024 where she spoke about what a normal day in her life looks like and all the challenges of being a privateer, also she told us what she did just after winning Unbound so if you want to discover more listen to the full episode and don’t forget to play in our app, open the Migration Gravel race at the⁠ Fantasy App⁠ and choose your hot picks for it! We also talked about our highlights from the weekend gravel races from FNLD GRVL to the UCI Wish One, Safari Gravel race and Blue Mountains Gravel Fondo, we had a special update about Ulrich⁠ Tour Divide adventure here the link⁠ to follow him.  Thanks for listening! And follow our socials⁠ for the race updates we will bring you.  _ You can play to the Fantasy Gravel by downloading the⁠ ⁠app here⁠⁠. _ Guest for this episode Rosa Klöser - Unbound gravel 2024 winner

Migration is around the corner! - Pre Race special Maya and Xavi sat at Casa Athletic Studio to talk about the Migration gravel race and the fresh news we have about it!  Shawn, the Marketing & communication manager for Team Amani, explained the race's big news for this 2024 edition; Livestream for the stages and leader jerseys by Rapha! Maria Ice also joined the show to talk about her experience from last year, and yes, now we are more excited about the race.  If you want to discover more, listen to the full episode and don’t forget to play in our app, open the Migration Gravel race at the Fantasy App and choose your hot picks for it! Before we close also the chapter we keep the community posted for the Tour Divide and our friend Ulrich riding it, so here the link to follow him! Thanks for listening! And from Tuesday 18th follow our socials for the race updates we will bring you.  _ You can play to the Fantasy Gravel by downloading the ⁠app here⁠. _ Guests for this episode Shawn Rath - Marketing & Communication for Team AmaniMaria Gudmundsdottir - Rider at Cafè du Cycliste gravel team

Unbound was just AMAZING!! We had an incredible weekend following the athletes enjoying each race, it was the year that all changed and with the women's field with an independent start it was just awesome. Maya and Xavi had a conversation about the race and they had some special guests; Chad Haga, second at Unbound, Anna Victoria, the race tech supported by SRAM to talk about the behind-scenes and two of the strongest women on the race, Sara Sturm and Gee Schreurs, both played great together and will explain more on the show. Thanks for listening, we hope you like it and don't forget to play in our next races! _ You can play to our Fantasy Gravel by downloading the app here. _ Guest for this episode Chad Haga - Pas Normal Racing Athlete Anna Victoria - Race Tech for SRAM Racing team Sara Sturm - Specialized - Rapha - Sram Gee Schreurs - SDWorx & Specialized