THE GRAVEL GURU
Nick Craig has a lifelong interest in gravel riding. “I was cycling on gravel trails around the Peak District when I was nine years old, which was before a lot of the modern mountain biking scene existed,” explains Nick. “Back then we didn’t have the right bikes so we had to make do. But thanks to the development of disc brakes and more robust road frames with clearance for bigger wheels, gravel bikes have allowed more people to go out and ride on tarmac, gravel and trails.”
Nick won the national cyclocross championships in 1996, 1998 and 2005, the national cross-country mountain bike title in 1997, 2000 and 2003, and the national mountain bike marathon title in 2005 and 2006. His son Charlie was an under-16 national cyclocross series champion but passed away in his sleep in January 2017, aged just 15. It was later discovered that he had previously suffered ‘silent’ heart attacks with no symptoms. The family have beautiful portraits of Charlie in their kitchen in Hayfield and keep his memory alive with the Ride For Charlie fund ( www.rideforcharlie.com), which helps promising young cyclists to reach their potential.
Passionate about gravel riding, Nick hopes other road cyclists will give it a go. “You get a real sense of adventure and you don’t have to go far from home to realise how many trails are out there,” he says. “I think gravel cycling is here to stay and people get hooked quickly.”