Cycling’s next big thing

What’s Next?

As well as CX (see X) and racing (see C and V), new ways to adventure on bikes have hit town. And yes, they’re probably going to involve N+1 (N: the number of bikes you currently own plus 1).

Bikepacking: cyclists on solo or group multi-day cycling adventures carrying what they need. Think road trips on two wheels: cycling to Albury from the CBD for the weekend, or rolling along Gippsland’s hills for days. An industry is growing to meet the needs of bikepackers, creating better bikes for bikepacking (see U), as well as ingenious ways to carry equipment. Staying in hotels, aka #flashpacking, reduces the amount of equipment needed.

Gravel: forget childhood gravel rash and learn to love the stuff again. Gravel-specific bikes are in big demand and previous mostly road events are adding gravel options. Amy’s Gran Fondo in Lorne offers a 60-kilometre Gravel Grind, and Warburton’s (see W) annual Giro della Donna has a Gravel Giro.

Gravel bikesCredit:Bloomberg

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