5 Things Every Gravel Rider Can Learn from the Pros

1. Bike Setup

Picking a tyre that suits the demands of the course is essential. It's what gives you speed, grip, and durability when it matters. Tom's tyre of choice for Nationals this year is the Panaracer ZX or X1.

The takeaway: don't guess your tyre choice. Match it to the terrain you're actually riding, not the terrain you wish you were riding.

2. Fuelling

Having a set fuelling plan, one you've actually tested in training and previous events, is critical. This year's course isn't super long, but fuelling still matters, not just on the day but in the days before. You need to arrive with glycogen stores fully loaded.

On race day, Tom is aiming for 120 to 130g of carbs per hour, with a sodium concentration of 780mg per litre of water. He'll be using a mix of Super Carbs bottles and Super Caffeine Gels, with most of his carbs coming from bottles or his back pockets.

The takeaway: test your race day fuelling well before race day. The start line is not the place to find out your gut doesn't like something new.

3. Warm Up

A lot of riders skip this and end up panicking about getting to the start line instead. On a course like Nationals, it's important to wake the body up properly so you're ready to go from the gun.

Tom's go to warm up: an 8 minute ramp through the zones, followed by 3 x 10 second sprints. Once that's done, he stays warm on the start line until he rolls off.

The takeaway: five minutes of structure beats zero minutes of panic. Build a simple warm up into every big ride, not just races.

4. Training

Tom's favourite session right now is 30/15s built into an endurance ride: 30 seconds at 140% of FTP, followed by 15 seconds of recovery in zone 1. Ten reps, three sets. It stings, but it builds VO2 max and threshold at the same time.

He also likes sessions where he burns a lot of KJs early with threshold blocks, then hits some VO2 efforts later in the ride. That repeatability, being able to produce a hard effort on tired legs, is exactly what gravel racing demands.

The takeaway: if your training is all steady and even, you're missing the skill gravel racing actually tests. Add sessions that ask something of you late in the ride, not just early.

5. Recovery

None of the above matters if you can't back it up for the next event. Recovery isn't optional. It's what stops your hard work going to waste, and keeps you fit rather than sidelined by getting sick.

After racing, Tom goes straight onto Soya Recovery along with 100% Sour Cherry Concentrate to help the muscles recover for the days ahead.

The takeaway: the ride after the ride matters just as much. Build recovery into your plan, not just your training.

Whether you're lining up at Nationals or just tackling your local gravel loop this summer, the fundamentals stay the same: dial in your setup, fuel properly, warm up with intent, train with purpose, and recover as you mean it.