FROM SNOWPARKS TO GRAVEL FLOAT | GRAVEL EARTH SERIES

Gérard Freixes is the brains behind Klassmark, the company that organises the Gravel Earth Series – of which Café du Cycliste is one of the title sponsors. He sat down with us to give us some insight into the events, and where they might go next.

Are you a cyclist through and through? No, I wouldn’t consider myself a pure cyclist. Though I raced mountain bikes from a very young age, my career took a turn towards snowboard and constructing snowparks. That was where I began as an entrepreneur.

How did you start riding gravel? I took my first steps in gravel via mountain biking. In 2014 I tried a gravel bike and fell in love with the discipline, and I haven’t stopped riding gravel since. I’ve always combined it with trail running, I appreciate the contact with the natural world.

How would you define gravel? For me, ‘gravel’ evokes that special sensation of floating you get when you’re on gravel roads. It’s about adventuring on gravel tracks and feeling that combination of technique, float and contact with the earth that speed gives you.

How did you get the idea for Klassmark and the Gravel Earth Series? The idea for Klassmark goes back over 15 years, a time when I was deeply involved in organising action sports events. The idea for the Gravel Earth Series came later – an attempt to capture the original essence of gravel and launch a world circuit that would recognise all athletes.

The Gravel Earth Series has grown rapidly, why is that? How do you see it changing in the future? It has grown due to the growth in gravel enthusiasts around the world, and because our series of events foreground the fundamental values of the sport – and the discovery of diverse places.

Tell us about the shape of the 2024 GES… For the 2024 season, we’ve come up with a more inclusive format, with more events on each continent, so as to reduce the number of long-haul flights – above all for the professional athletes. We’re also seeing longer formats (650km on the Migration Race). At the moment, our events tend to reward pure performance, but our vision of the future is to include more ultra events, long-distance challenges that require planning and organisation.

What were you hoping from the season opener, the Santa Vall, and what about the season as a whole? We were pleased to hit our target of 300 entries at Santa Vall. We’re sure it’s going to grow, which is how it has to be for us after the first year of a new project. Next season is looking bigger and better – we’re planning to change the format to include three pure gravel stages, to attract even more participants.

Anything more to add? It’s so important to me not only to work in something I’m passionate about, but also to try to contribute positively to society in general. I think that the Gravel Earth Series is well received by the community, and this is the most rewarding thing for me. I truly value being able to go to bed each night knowing we’re making a contribution to the sport and to the community, it brings a lot of satisfaction to our work.

Read more about our 2024 gravel teams, and the first event in the 2024 series, the Santa Vall, where Café du Cycliste was a headline sponsor.