“Markus Stitz, founder of bikepackingscotland.com and singlespeed round-the-world cyclist, has curated a collection of 26 routes across all of Britain – each a favourite route of gravel cyclists from many walks of life. His first book, Great British Gravel Rides – Cycling the Wild Trails of England, Scotland & Wales, published by award-winning publishing team Vertebrate Publishing and supported by Schwalbe Tyres and Kinesis Bikes, is the first comprehensive portrait of the modern British gravel scene. The routes are chosen by 12 female and 16 male riders; background information about the riders is provided, and some insight about why they have chosen their particular route. Each route has a detailed route description, a map of the trail, public transport details and attractions to explore, cafe and pub recommendations, and a list of local bike shops and bike hire providers. On top of this there are downloadable GPX files for all the routes making this an essential companion for every gravel rider in Britain.”
Stitz commented: ‘I was curious about the places gravel bikes take us to, but I was even more interested in the people whose infectious enthusiasm makes gravel riding as vibrant as it is. I am very grateful for the time and enthusiasm of the people who kindly shared their favourite gravel routes with me. Everyone I interviewed and photographed for this book, and captured in moving pictures for the documentary accompanying it, is representative of how colourful and diverse gravel riding in Britain is. While we still have a long way to go to make cycling more inclusive and diverse, I hope this book portrays the gravel riding community as one which has made a good start towards a journey in which neither race, gender or age present a barrier to participation.’
“Next to writing and photography, Stitz has also established himself as a filmmaker over the last few years. The book will be accompanied by a feature-length documentary to be released later in 2022. As in his recent short film for Shimano Gravel about the Racing Collective’s GBDURO, ‘Maiden Race’ with Mark Beaumont, sustainability is at the heart of the book and film project.”
Stitz continued: ‘I tried to produce this book in as sustainable a way as possible. Most of the trips to research this book were done by train or bus. Due to time constraints, I couldn’t research everything by public transport and bike, but I made sure that most of the routes in this book are accessible for people who choose not to own a car.’
Tim Ward, UK Marketing Manager for Schwalbe Tyres, also commented: ‘Having collaborated with Markus on previous video projects, when he came to us with the seed of an idea about creating a book of great British gravel rides we knew straight away that we had to be involved. Following various discussions a plan came together and Markus was off and running arranging a whole host of rides all over the country. With sustainability being a large part of our purpose as a brand, we were keen that the rides should be as accessible as possible by public transport. Markus took great pains to do just that, with many of the rides starting and finishing at a train station. With our gravel tyres being a big part of our identity as a brand, we are very proud to be associated with this fantastic book which we hope will inspire people to get the best out of their gravel bike and, above all, to explore Britain.’
“The routes featured are suitable for a wide range of cyclists, starting from 20 kilometres to 600 kilometres, to reflect the variety which gravel offers and to give readers the opportunity to progress with the help of the book. Readers can join round-the-world cycling men’s record holder Mark Beaumont in East Lothian, experience a different side of East Anglia with ultra-endurance racers and GBDURO20 winners Josh Ibbett and Gail Brown, embark on a coast-to-coast trip across Scotland with round-the-world cycling women’s record holder Jenny Graham, or see the best of the Scottish Borders with diversity in cycling champion Aneela McKenna.”
“But the book is not just about the big names in cycling or well-known British gravel destinations like Gravelfoyle or the Cambrian Mountains, It also features the unsung heroes of British cycling clubs, bike shop owners and people who simply love riding their bikes, as well as rides around some of the most populated areas in Britain like London, Milton Keynes and Newcastle upon Tyne.”
Great British Gravel Rides publishes on 7 July, 2022. Pre-orders are available from 17 May, 2022 from www.adventurebooks.com.
