Iowa Gravel Series

When we first announced the Iowa Gravel Series, the first question we got was “what makes this a series?” Which is the right question to ask. And, truth be told, we didn’t have a perfect answer. We knew we wanted to do more than one race in a year and that we wanted to make each race a great day in the saddle. But, would it be a points system that would make it great? Did we need to have a lot of categories and divisions to make it great? Something else?

As we talked to people about gravel racing and listened to the comments from folks, they seemed to have a few themes:

1. Keep it simple
2. … that’s pretty much it.

People just wanted it to be simple for folks to get involved without too many rules or complex timing systems. So, to make this first year of racing into a series as quick and simple as possible, here’s what we’re doing.

• For each race there’s a podium for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place riders in the men’s and women’s 100km races division. No categories. No Masters. No Juniors. Just the first 3 across the finish line.
• Podium winners will get an Iowa Gravel Series jersey and a free entry into another race of their choosing.

Simple. We looked at timing systems and points and a lot of other options and we think we might get there someday, but for this first year of the series we’re going to keep it simple for everyone involved.

This also allows us to focus on creating a great race and ride. Not everyone wants to race… and that’s okay. Our commitment is to make a great day in the saddle whether your goal is the podium, a personal record, or just to finish.

What do you think? Too simple? Not simple enough? We’re gonna move forward with this for 2021, but we definitely want to hear what you want to see in 2022 and beyond, so let us know!