This Week in Gravel: New Pro Standards and Bike Gear Updates

The cycling world is seeing shifts in professional competition rules while manufacturers continue to release specialized hardware for long distance riding. Whether you are upgrading your drivetrain or looking at how race fields are formed, there is plenty of tech and news to cover this week.

Unbound Pro Qualification Changes

Life Time Grand Prix organizers have introduced a new performance based system for the Pro category at Unbound. This process focuses on ensuring that riders have the necessary experience to race safely at the front of the pack. Read it at Cyclingnews Gravel.

Velo Orange Gravel Cranks

To address clearance issues created by wider modern tires, Velo Orange has launched a new crankset. These are designed to support those who want to maintain a square taper bottom bracket standard on a gravel build. Read it at Bikepacking.com.

Old Man Mountain Axle Pack V2

This adapter is designed to turn a standard bike fork into a platform for gear storage using 3-pack mounts. It serves as a specific solution for riders needing to add capacity to a fork that lacks factory mounting points. Read it at Gravel Cyclist.

Gravelista Race Results

The recent Gravelista event saw elite category wins for Ruby Taylor and Harry Leask in muddy conditions. These results provide a look at recent performance outcomes within the UCI Gravel World Series. Read it at Cyclingnews Gravel.

Fern All-Road and Pro Setups

We also saw a look at the custom Fern Empathy Ways 650B bike and a technical breakdown of Mattia De Marchi's race setup. The former highlights precision bike building while the latter covers practical modifications like wireless blips and secured bottle cages. Read about the Fern at Bikepacking.com and the race setup at Cycling Weekly Gravel.

There are no major races on our radar for the next three weeks. You can keep an eye on our race calendar for upcoming events as the schedule updates.