Photojournalist Phil Gale headed to Lahti, Finland for the recent FNLD GRVL event. By bringing an American-style ethos to a mixed Scandi and European audience, it sounds like the organisers of FNLD GRVL will have done a lot to shake up the status quo among existing gravel events.

The crowds start to swell around the finish line. Under the imposing stature of three ski jumps, each progressively higher than the next, the announcer moves smoothly between Finnish and English, keeping the expectant crowd up to date with the action that is unfolding on the flagship 177kms distance event at the inaugural and much hyped FNLD GRVL.

The course is fast, hard, hot and hilly. We learn that the favourites are all up there still. We’re waiting under the beating sun to see who is going to make the decisive move to become the first-ever winner of FNLD GRVL. From what we can discern, it could be any one of a select bunch which consists of some of the world’s top elite racers, some of whom have come straight from Unbound to compete in this first-of-its-kind event.

While it is definitely a gravel race, at the same time it’s completely unlike anything we’ve raced so far this year - or even in past years when gravel wasn’t even really about the racing. There is no sign of the egos linked to the UCI Gravel World Series, where it feels more like it is a matter of qualify-or-crash-doing-so, with racing that can verge on reckless and makes you wonder if there are actual professional contracts at stake (spoiler alert to age groupers: there aren’t). 

Even outside of the elite bubble of racers, the field here is truly international, although we feel that having only 30% of Finns in the field is something that could be worked on. The riders at the sharp end of the race are chasing a big dollar prize purse, but the racing and general ambiance feels markedly different. There’s a sense of equity between the riders as well as understanding for those not looking to compete and pointed respect for people that are less well represented within the European version of gravel. 

But where has this respect magically come from? And why isn’t it the norm in Europe? Some could argue that this is what comes with the territory of bringing an established American gravel event organiser over to European gravel, where the twinning of big prize pots and a more accepting mindset can change the feel of the race. More invites are sent out, advocacy groups are welcomed and the message of gravel being for everyone is not only shouted from the rooftops (or at least, all over social media) but also lived out through the many no-drop warm-up rides and shorter distance routes (40kms and 77kms) that are anything but overlooked. It doesn’t seem like a complicated formula.  

Next to the finish, a relaxed yet slightly anxious Valtteri Bottas (who’d earlier that morning finished third in the 77kms Lakes course) waits to greet the winners. He’s a Lahti local and clearly popular with the authorities - even the mayor had turned out to the VIP pre-race dinner to expound on the virtues of gravel riding, in which every metre of the swooping dirt roads was being equally fought over as much as it was swooned over.

The first 45 minutes of the race flew by on pine-needle strewn cross-country ski tracks, before careening the riders onto superlatively well-marked and bullet-fast dirt tracks, gravel roads and farm lanes, with just limited sections of tarmac that provided some respite. It had thrown every ingredient of gravel into the mix, apart from hike-a-bike. Offering just north of 2000 metres of climbing over the 177km course, it wasn’t one for the pure climbers, but the constant ups and downs took their toll on the riders’ legs. At 12 km from the finish, the roughly 5-minute Strava Segment Challenge ramped up to a gradient of 20%+ and was where the difference was made.

With a lot of clay in the area and a consistent batch of good weather prior to the event, the racing was fast with the elite men’s winner, Tom Skujins, fresh out of the Giro d’Italia, averaging 37.1kph for the race, putting his 50t front chainring to good use. 

We had heard some pre-race comments about the cost of the entry, $200 for the 177km event, but it’s worth highlighting how that included three full days of side events, too. You also got free tech support at all the feed stations and a completely level playing field with no riders being permitted any outside support at any point on the course. Numerous warm-up rides plus shake-out/recovery rides, parties, post-race food and much more were also on the menu, so perhaps those who shied away from the spend may lean into agreement that there was a lot included in the entry. 

Further back in the field, the event catered to those just looking to embrace the adventure of riding in this amazing location and from conversations we had with riders of all ilk, it sounds like the hybrid Finland-USA team is really onto something. 

Chatting to Bottas as he waited for Cromwell to lead the women home decisively, he laughs wryly, commenting that that he may have opened Pandora's Box after having given the world a taste of the amazing gravel on offer here in Finland, which could mean an influx of riders to the region [Ed – something we suspect the local authorities would actually be pretty happy about].

We would argue that this event represents a new era of gravel events in Europe, where other events will have to step up to meet the standard that this event brought. It was big and bold, yet still held onto the cultural identity of the location where it was held, with the midnight sun, saunas and a post-race outdoor party held on Lahti’s iconic lakeside giving everyone a taster of two sides of the Atlantic. 

If FNLD GRVL is the future of competitive gravel in Europe, then sign us up. We hope that the UCI takes note and adapts what the organisers have implemented here.