Santa Vall, the two-day gravel stage race organised by the same Klassmark team behind The Traka, gets underway this weekend as the first European event within the Gravel Earth Series. With it, the host town of Girona is even more abuzz with pro cyclists than usual.
Former men's WorldTour riders Greg Van Avermaet, Thomas De Gendt and Luis Leon Sanchez are just some of the big names in town, alongside equally-well-known locals such as Nathan Haas, and the 2024 women's Unbound champion, Rosa Klöser.
Being one of the first big races of the season, Santa Vall has become a launchpad for riders and teams to unveil their equipment and sponsors for the year, as well as for brands to reciprocate.
Castelli is one such brand, and as the sun began to set on the stone bridge at the heart of the town, Dizzee Rascal echoed through nearby Avenue de Sant Francesc as the brand's launch party got underway.
Inside, once Bonkers had subsided, local pro Nathan Haas addressed the room, welcoming the crowd. He affectionately introduced Castelli Brand Manager, Steve Smith, as 'the jefe', before Smith briefly introduced the cohort of Castelli's sponsored gravel athletes for 2025, in what he described not as a team or a collective, but as a 'Spirit of Gravel Cabal'.
The roster, which includes Britons Joe Laverick, Danni Shrosbree and Matt Holmes, totals 13 riders, and in a unique approach, each rider's jersey is an entirely unique design. The full list can be found below.
- Nathan Haas
- Benjamin Perry
- Griffin Easter
- Dannie Shrosbree
- Rob Britton
- Joe Laverick
- Matt Holmes
- Svenja Betz
- Raffi Forse
- Kirstine Rysberg
- Pau Doménech
- Diederik Deelen
- David Trimble
A cabal, Smith later explains, is officially defined as "the contrived schemes of a group of persons secretly united in a plot," usually in the context of plotting to overthrow a government or promote an ideology.
In this case, Smith explains the ideology is how the group defines gravel, and its often-misunderstood 'spirit.'
The so-called spirit of gravel, which generally revolved around fair play and camaraderie over all-out competitiveness, has long been being worn away.
The promise of big prize purses and an ever-increasing level of competition have raised the stakes, gravel racing has progressed and professionalised, and riders will understandably take any edge they can to win, including using aero bars, drafting male riders, and attacking through feed zones.
Smith's interpretation is a healthy level of competition and rivalry, but one that ends at the finish line and allows competitors to "enjoy a beer together."
"It is supporting the privateer model," he said in a statement shared with Cyclingnews after the event.
"I love the freedom that gravel racing is, and we plan to harness that freedom, and give these riders a strong platform to perform, on and off the bike. They might not race as a team, but they will share a post-race beer like one.”
That suggestion that they might not race as a team is certainly interesting, but it cements the self-employed 'privateer' nature of the sport's athletes. As is becoming common in gravel racing, the Castelli athletes are not teammates per se, but are connected by a common sponsor. Each rider is free to seek other brand partnerships.
Haas, for example, rides Colnago bikes and will continue to do so in 2025. Holmes will race aboard Factor bikes as part of a separate team called Factor Racing.
It's a stark contrast from the WorldTour ranks, which sees teams hold the majority of sponsor contracts, and riders must adhere to the team's agreed deals.
Teams are forming in gravel though. One of the biggest, by rider number on the Santa Vall start list at least, is Pas Racing, whose matching kits and common helmet sponsor go a long way to creating a vision of unity, but the eclectic collection of team bikes from brands such as Fara and Argonaut is still a far cry from that of a WorldTour paddock.
But it's certainly growing. Recently retired WorldTour pro, Thomas De Gendt, spoke recently on the Adventure Stache podcast about adding professionalism to his new team, Classified x Rose, which sees all riders aboard the same bike and in the same kit.
The approach to gravel racing sponsorship is diverging, and it will be interesting to see whether having strength in numbers is as advantageous on gravel as it is on the road.
