The future of cycling?

A little bit of news broke this week that may seem unimportant, but if you read between the lines, it's SUBSTANTIAL. The news is this:

Rapha (the hippest bike apparel brand on the planet) is leaving Team Sky (the most successful professional road cycling team on the planet), to sponsor EF Education First (arguably, the least successful professional road cycling team on the planet).

First, some context. Team Sky is the most scientifically charged team of pro robots in the history of cycling. Their mantra is "Marginal Gains." They are accused of riding only on power meter data rather than feel, or heart, or passion. And they win a lot. But it's boring.

EF Education First is also a pro cycling team, but they are bunch of hipster misfits with oddball personalities (i.e. Taylor Phinney, Alex Howes, Michael Woods, Rigoberto Uran, etc.). They are amazing cyclists. But they aren't robots. They lean toward zen buddhism & gravel riding rather than power meters & altitude training camps. And the initial reports state that EF Education First will deviate from road racing in 2019 by jumping into gravel races, mountain bike marathon races, and other off-the-beaten path endeavors.

So what does this mean?

It means that Rapha (the hippest bike apparel brand out there) believes that the future of cycling is exploratory, hip, gravelly, creative, & expressive.  The future of cycling is not just road, science, labs, and power meters. This represents a really interesting paradigm shift in where we think cycling is headed. And Gravelution.com loves it.

(If you aren't yet privy to the artistic way that Rapha sees the world of cycling, take a peak at the video below):