Beyond the Dust: The Stories You Never See

From the outside, a gravel season looks like a highlight reel: dramatic landscapes, muddy bikes, finish-line smiles shared on social media. But the real story lives elsewhere. It lives in moments without cameras, in decisions made under pressure, and in experiences that never fit into a post.

For Simon Pellaud, racing gravel with Tudor Pro Cycling on BMC bikes meant constantly stepping beyond what people usually see. Some days, that meant riding so deep into remote terrain that the race felt like it could vanish into the landscape itself. At Gravel Burn, it quite literally did. “We suddenly met giraffes on the course,” Simon recalls. “It was just amazing.” No footage, no audience, just riders and wildlife sharing the same trail. 

That unpredictability follows you everywhere in gravel racing. At Chequamegon MTB race, the sprint was about to decide the day when everything unraveled. A rider outside the race unexpectedly cut through the group at full speed. “It was scary,” Simon says. “Almost fatal for some riders.” Moments like that don’t show up in recap videos, but they redefine entire races in seconds. 

Gravel also takes you to places road racing never could. During Transcordilleras in Colombia, Simon climbed the Alto del Sifón, reaching over 4,000 meters in altitude, riding close to the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. “The energy I felt up there was something different,” he says. “Really amazing.” Up there, effort feels raw, the environment feels alive, and the race becomes something much bigger than competition.

Before every start, when stress quietly builds, Simon retreats into routine. Clothing checked. Nutrition checked again. “I try to keep everything under control, even though I know it’s impossible,” he admits. But one ritual stands above the rest. Pinning the race number. “For me, it’s the most beautiful moment in cycling,” Simon explains. “Pure meditation, focus, visualization.” He takes his time, making sure the number sits perfectly straight... a small, silent pause before the chaos begins.

The season itself becomes a constant movement across continents. “When you add it all up, it’s kind of crazy,” Simon says. 250,000 kilometers flown, 60 flights, nearly 28,000 kilometers ridden, more than 1,000 hours on the bike, 70 days of racing. Behind those numbers are human connections that stick just as deeply. In Leadville, Simon stayed with Bo, a local firefighter. “I loved his passion for his work and the responsibility he carries for the community,” Simon says. “I can’t wait to spend more time with him next year in Colorado.”

Not every day can be processed in real time. Stage 6 of Gravel Burn unfolded in total chaos: a violent storm, a neutralized start, a horrific crash, and finally a canceled stage. “That day cost me a lot of energy,” Simon reflects. “My dreams of a GC win were just flying away in the wind.” Some moments are simply too complex, too emotional to ever be captured by a camera.

Sometimes, though, the unseen moments become decisive. At the LifeTime GP final, Big Sugar, extreme weather forced the organizers to cut the course from 100 miles to 50. Simon reacted instantly. “As soon as I got the news, I jumped into a car and re-did the whole recon,” he says. “I’m pretty sure I was the only rider who did that and I know it changed my race the next day.” 

This is the side of gravel racing that rarely gets told. The dust, the doubt, the rituals, the chaos, and the quiet decisions made far from the spotlight. Simon Pellaud’s season with Tudor Pro Cycling on BMC bikes wasn’t just raced: it was lived, beyond the frame of every camera.