Episode 16: Amy Charity on SBT GRVL and women's leadership in the gravel community

Slow Guy On The Fast Ride

Like so many other gravel riders, Amy Charity started her cycling life on the road. The story seems almost templated: Charity discovered bikes, got so good she went pro, then retired and found fun off the pavement.

Then Charity took it a step further. She used her professional business skills to start her own race. That happened after she experienced the joy of long gravel rides. More specifically, Amy Charity raced Unbound Gravel. That formative experience led her back home to Steamboat Springs, Colorado with a question on her mind.

Why not here?

Steamboat Springs already had vacation destination status. It stood to reason that a gravel race in one of the world's most beautiful places should be successful. That turned out to be very, very true.

So Amy Charity co-founded SBT GRVL and brought a world-class race to the long and winding gravel roads in and around Steamboat Springs. The event experienced meteoric success and quickly became one of the top gravel races in the country.

Charity attributes the success to a number of factors, including Steamboat's breathtaking beauty. But more than that, Amy Charity says the success of any event — especially one that draws as many women competitors as gravel races do — lies in the experience and the community around it.

Indeed, the gravel community and its growth seems to be women-led. Charity joins host Dan Cavallari on the Slow Guy on the Fast Ride podcast to lend insight into the gravel world's unique growth with women at the helm. She also talks about what it takes to put on a successful event, and how SBT GRVL has impacted Charity's local community.

Theme music: "This Year" by Angela Sheik.

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Theme music: "This Year" by Angela Sheik