GCN goes gravel racing: Si Richardson takes on cycling's toughest gravel series in the world

When Si Richardson headed to the Sea Otter Classic, the biggest bike show in America, he didn't just discover loads of cool new cycling tech, he also found that the GCN producers had entered him into a gravel race.

And not just any gravel race. This is the first round of the LifeTime Grand Prix series, widely regarded as the toughest gravel racing series in the world. Invitation only, it features the very best men and women from not just the US, but the world of gravel racing. Riders like Keegan Swenson and Lachlan Morton compete over seven gruelling rounds for a $300,000 prize purse. So you could you say this is something of a baptism of fire for our Si.

Read more: Gravel bikes, riding, racing and events: Everything you need to know about the sport in 2024

Starting at the Laguna Seca race course, just outside Monterey in California the course tackle 32 miles of gravelly, off-road brutality. That's just one lap – the race is two circuits and there's plenty of gruelling climbs to sap the energy a little further. Last year's winning time was just over four hours at a speed of 25km/h, which is pretty good going for off-road racing, something that Si is quick to recognise and fear a little.

Good job he has one of the best bikes possible for the job - the Pinarello Dogma XC. Designed in conjunction with multi-talented, multi-disciplined rider Tom Pidcock it should be just what Si needs to give him a fighting chance of success as the race approaches.

Si's bike for the race - Pinarello Dogma XC

© GCN

The bike Si will be riding in his gravel race at Sea Otter - the Pinarello Dogma XC

With its chunky carbon tubes and flowing lines the frame itself is not so dissimilar from the road version, albeit a lot beefier. It features 100mm of suspension on the front fork and 90mm on the rear with the option to run longer shocks for 120mm of travel on the front and 100mm on the rear. As with most mountain bike suspension forks it features a lockout switch at the front, so you can deactivate the suspension to firm up the ride and make it feel like a rigid bike when necessary.

The bike also features split seatsays on the rear triangle which has allowed Pinarello to shorten the chainstays, bringing the rear wheel closer to the seat tube, making it feel altogether more nimble. The bike has a reinforced bottom bracket area to optimise stiffness and a one-piece bar and stem unit, which helps with weight saving.

It's a serious bit of kit, which is good news because Si takes his racing very seriously indeed.

Read more: Tom Pidcock’s and Pauline Ferrrand-Prévot’s Pinarello Dogma XC mountain bikes released to the public

Armed with some key bits of advice from some of the best gravel riders out there Si heads to the start line. How does he get on? You'll have to watch the video at the top of the page to find out.

For more presenter challenges head over to our dedicated section on the GCN website.