Good money, no team tactics and cute dogs: the rise of pro cycling freelancers

The difference, from the article, seems to be that the European teams are sponsored at the organization level, and pay the riders a salary, but the gravel riders are solo athletes, so they don't get a salary but can get sponsorships directly. Makes sense if you're up for the pressure of being an influencer.

Does anyone follow gravel racing? If I wanted to watch a couple of past races (ideally on YouTube) to see if it's for me, is there anything you'd recommend?

For context, I'd thought I wouldn't like pro cycling as a spectator sport, since my exposure to it was just from Tour de France and track cycling both of which I find somewhat ridiculous for different reasons. But I was totally riveted by the road races at the Olympics this year.

(Aside: What's up with the "cute dogs" in the title? The article body text has nothing to say about dogs.)

US riders and promoters have created a parallel racing circuit with no drug testing. Many of the biggest and most lucrative events in American cycling aren't sanctioned by any sporting body and aren't subject to any form of external oversight. I don't want to cast aspersions on any individual rider, but the incentives at play are very obvious.

The "cute dogs" in the title is obviously clickbait but at least one cute dog does show up in the article:

> Vermeulen produces a popular YouTube series starring his dog, Sir Willie the Wiener, riding on his back.

Not the video you asked for, but that is one cute dog! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqhhadyMntk

Lifetime Grand Prix are the biggest right now. They have a series of 7 races that they are doing great media on. Start with Unbound, it’s the most prestigious

LifeTime Grand Prix has at least _some_ testing.

I like it. I always wanted these sports where the competitors can kill them freely with dope.

I always figured TdF was a good metaphor for software innovation, because everyone who tries solo breakaways gets reeled in: successful breakaways involve partners who pull together to stay ahead of the pack.

Frankly, "a collaboration between you and the brand to tell a real story", translated back to the software world, sounds to me like a way to always be living on what you have coming, instead of having the ability to live off of what you have built.

And yet, the last rider interviewed characterizes it as a "more secure" line of work.

> I’m now making a lot more than I was on a factory team and feel more secure than ever. My salary is diversified across many brands, but if you’re on a team and they have a bad year, that has huge consequences.

Presumably this isn't true for everyone, and most low level domestiques are better off getting $60,000 a year from their team (more or less guaranteed - even if the contract is only for a year and there's some risk of bankruptcy) than rolling the dice on an Instagram/YouTube/TikTok career.

I too. The other thing is a motorsport with rules of something like at least 3 wheels.

Let us see best and worst humanity can do. Despite the consequences.

Why three? The world's fastest monowheel would be something.

About the dogs, from what I've seen the social media presence for these US gravel pros are a much bigger part of their income compared to pros in the European road racing circuit. Being a privateer is advantageous if you are a "top social" rider. This is probably comparable to what has happened in College sports where the top college athlete influencers are pulling in huge amount of eyeballs and income from their social media.