Ivar Slik leaves the North Holland team À Bloc CT to go gravel for Wilier Triestina. The cyclist from Bergen is one of the first cyclists to make this switch. “It’s an honor that they came to me.”
“Wilier came out with a new gravel bike at the end of last year,” Slik begins. “She wanted to promote it among the people. For that they were looking for an ambassador who can ride gravel competitions. That’s how they came to me through the door.”
Slik spoke with the Italian squad in November and December. “Actually, we figured it out pretty quickly. It all sounds very nice, my first road bike has already arrived. I’ll get a gravel bike next week. You can tell they are really committed to gravel.”
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Difference
De Noord-Hollander explains the difference with cycling. “Graveling mainly involves unpaved roads and often more through nature. That is why you often come to places where you normally do not go. It is really a new branch in cycling and you notice that more and more bicycle brands are focusing on gravel.”
The International Cycling Union (UCI) decided to come up with a new gravel series in 2022. “These races are held in August, September and October. One of them is in the Netherlands at Norg (Veenhuizen ed.). Another race is in Belgium and a race is also held in Italy. At these races you can qualify for the first Gravel World Championship in America at the end of October.”
Unbound Gravel
Slik’s first game is May 1 in Girona, Spain. “After that I will go to America for a month. There are three competitions, including the Unbound Gravel (the largest gravel competition in the world, ed.). I also participated in that last year. That race is not yet part of the UCI series. .”
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