How you can keep steep gravel sections under control and what we can learn from current pro races about the right riding technique on loose ground.
Steep climbs on loose gravel are among the greatest technical challenges in cycling. If the tyre spins or the front wheel loses contact with the ground, your rhythm is gone. A look at current pro races shows that even the absolute world elite must act extremely attentively on loose ground to maintain control.
According to reports by Cyclingnews, the cycling world was recently dominated by demanding off-road sections. At the Vuelta a España, Tadej Pogačar mastered an extremely steep gravel climb on stage 6, made a decisive move there and secured the stage win despite a near-crash on the subsequent descent. Almost at the same time, the young pros at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy, showed how important the right race pacing is on demanding courses. Connor Wright in the junior men's and Anja Grossmann in the junior women's each took the rainbow jersey in the cross-country race by making a decisive break as early as the second lap.
To successfully tackle steep gravel sections in training or on your next tour, it all comes down to the right weight distribution and clean power transfer. The following points will help you avoid losing grip:
Should things get sketchy on the descent after the climb, it is important to keep calm. A stable stance helps you to safely cushion obstacles and slippery sections.
Your takeaway: Keep your upper body low on steep gravel climbs and pedal as smoothly as possible to maintain maximum grip on loose ground.
This article was generated automatically with AI from the sources listed above and has not been editorially reviewed.