The Shimano Gravel Alliance was created way back in 2019. The riders were a diverse group who came from across Europe, but they all had one thing in common – a shared love of gravel riding and a desire to build a bigger gravel community. Skip forward to 2025 and the Gravel Alliance is back for another year and is better than ever. We thought we’d give you an overview of who the riders are and what makes them tick.

Claudia

I live in a small village in the province of Bergamo, Italy, where concrete and traffic have sadly taken over. That’s exactly why I love even more to go out and seek those hidden gravel roads - alternative routes that allow me to reach the city without having to give in to traffic and noise. Gravel riding, for me, means one thing above all: escaping the asphalt. Leaving behind the main roads to immerse myself along the riverbanks near home, where the calm of the water and the crunch of the tyres on gravel replace the chaos of the city. That’s where my true freedom begins: dirt roads, forgotten trails, hidden corners that reveal ever-changing landscapes.

Every ride is an exploration. I love venturing off and discovering back roads I’d never noticed before. It’s like weaving a personal map, made of secret paths connecting nature, the city and the hills. It’s not just about getting there, but about how I get there: the discovery, the surprise, and that feeling of independence that only a bike can give me.

For my adventures, I have two special companions: the 3T Exploro Ultra, equipped with a Shimano GRX 1x12 drivetrain - perfect for challenging elevation gains and tougher terrain; and the 3T Exploro Italia with the GRX Di2 2x12 - my ideal choice for longer rides and "rolling" routes where the rhythm flows smoothly through flatlands, climbs, descents and delicious stops.

Sport has always been part of my life, first with football and softball, which i played at a competitive level and now with cycling, which allows me to keep living that same passion for effort, challenge and freedom of movement. But with cycling, I’ve also brought along another great passion of mine: technology and photography. By now, every ride inevitably includes a few snapshots. Stopping to capture a view, a particular light, or a small detail of the landscape has become as natural as pedalling itself it’s my way of freezing time and bringing home a vivid memory of the emotions I felt in the saddle.

Dalila

Gravel riding gets me out of the hustle and bustle of London, away from the noise and the traffic, closer to nature and more in tune with myself. I love that I don't have to leave the city to find solitude because there are countless hidden pockets of dirt and greenery that most people will never know are there. But when that no longer feels like enough space, I like to embark on solo bikepacking trips in far-off places where I can ride far and long until all the daily distractions fade away.

There's a surprising amount of woodland trails, gravel byways and canal towpaths in the suburbs of London. Finding them and then linking them up in a way that flows and makes sense can take some trial and error, but I enjoy the challenge. You also need a reasonable appreciation of mud since that's what most of the trails turn into for about six months of the year. It's messy and a little unpredictable, but I love it.

My main steed is my Canyon Grizl. It's equipped with the latest 2x12 speed Shimano GRX groupset for smooth, consistent shifting over thousands of kilometres. My favourite thing about this bike is all the attachment points for bikepacking bags. It provides me with many options for distributing weight on multi-day rides and carrying everything I need to be self-sufficient.

I really enjoy baking. I recently made wild garlic focaccia using leaves I had foraged during a ride. The wild garlic season is over for now, but I'm looking forward to next spring when I can forage some more and try out a few other recipes.

Erwin

Erwin is a Dutch gravel rider whose infectious enthusiasm and down-to-earth approach embody the spirit of authentic gravel adventurism. A long-time cycling photographer and content creator, he lives by the motto “party pace wins the race” – in other words, he rides for fun, discovery and community rather than chasing podiums. Erwin uses storytelling and photography to inspire others to explore new backroads and make every ride an adventure. But what really motivates him to get up in the morning and get on that bike, is the same motivation a lot of us find in gravel: low key adventures, getting away from it all, headspace, nature… and above all a lot of fun! 

Erwin’s home turf is Arnhem and the nearby Veluwe region of the Netherlands, a landscape of pine forests and heathlands. His local riding is “a mixture of hard pack gravel, grass in the middle double track forest roads, and singletrack… mostly flat, but he cherishes his little Veluwe hills - or as the Dutch call it "mountains”.  A couple of years ago Erwin created a route called the Green Divide - nowadays it's the most popular multi-day gravel bikepacking route of the lowlands. As he’s riding along his local Veluwe gravel he regularly bumps into other riders tackling his Green Divide route, or any of the many others he’s created for the community.

For his explorations, Erwin relies on his all-new 2025 Cannondale Topstone Carbon. This state-of-the-art gravel rig is outfitted with Shimano GRX 2x12-speed Di2 components and robust Schwalbe G-ONE R PRO tubeless tires and a Brooks England Cambium saddle. As he’s into party pace riding, he enjoys the 30mm of Kingpin rear flex. Someday soon he’s hoping to even upgrade his bike with a Lefty Oliver fork, turning his already sick gravel bike into a true RAD party machine. In short, the Topstone Carbon is Erwin’s go-anywhere adventure bike: reliable, tough, and comfortable over long distances, just as he needs it to be.

Off the bike, Erwin welcomed his daughter Nora in November 2022, and fatherhood has become a new adventure for him. Becoming a parent only strengthened his desire to balance family life with cycling, taking inspiration from friends who proved you can have both. But combining the cycling life with dadhood isn’t all there is to being a dad. Erwin also reinvented his love for going to the museum and some occasional hiking, but nothing beats a nice IPA by the fire with friends in his backyard. Simple, happy life at its best.

Henna

I’m Henna, originally from Northern Finland and currently based in Norway. I like to see bike as more than two wheels, and because of that I’ve done over week long splitboard trips and surfpacked through the wind beaten island group outside Scotland with mine. Stupid maybe, but also dang fun. 

One word to describe riding around my home town Sogndal, is short and steep but stunning. Lot of the gravel roads head pretty straight up to the steep mountains but often you’re rewarded with a fjord view so it makes you forgive a lot. Gravel scene has been small there but over the last years the number of gravel bikes has started to grow exponentially, which I’m stoked about, more friends to go adventure with.  

I’m riding SCOTT Addict Gravel RC with a Shimano GRX Di2 2x12 groupset. My favourite thing is how this bike can handle me strapping my splitboard and surfboard on it without complaints and still feel incredibly good to ride!

My other passions besides biking are freeriding and surfing, I guess the common factor between all of them is the feeling of flow and connection they give you.

Ibai

I am a cheerful and empathetic person, I like to create good memories for the people around me. That's why I am passionate about life experiences, wild adventures, and motivating and engaging the people around me.

I'm from Bilbao, in the Basque Country, a region with a strong cycling culture. You'll always see more than one of our flags at any cycling event worth its salt, anywhere in the world. Due to the terrain, steep climbs are common, although I consider myself a flat classics rider. Specialized cafés and the local cycling scene are recently beginning to flourish here, whereas until now there were only local clubs.

I use different gravel bikes depending on the purpose. I ride an Orbea Terra fitted with Shimano’s mechanical GRX 1x12 groupset for difficult trips and adventures, and an Orbea Terra Race fitted with Shimano’s GRX Di2 2x12 groupset for short trials and races.

In addition to cycling, and so I don't have to get off my two wheels, I'm passionate about travelling on an enduro motorcycle.

Liam

I've been riding a bike since the age most people learn but I guess the difference is that I just never stopped, the types of bikes just changed slightly. 

I live in East Sussex! Specifically the Ashdown Forest, an area many will know from the famous Winnie the Pooh! Sussex is a great county and has some amazing riding including the South Downs national park which has most of my local hills. Easy access to ports in Portsmouth and Newhaven means I can regularly and easily go over to various places in France and also the Isle of Wight. I've also created my own gravel event in Sussex to showcase the area which has now been running for 6 years! It is every July with about 170 riders taking on one big lap of the county. It's grown a great community over the years and being an organiser has been great fun. 

My current gravel bike is a Canyon Grizl setup quite like a road bike with proper drop, carbon one piece bars and a Shimano 2x12 GRX Di2 groupset. I like to head out on the road and know that I can cut off on to the trails whenever I fancy. I am looking to build up a GRX 1x setup on a hardtail frame I have already for some touring later in the year. 

When not cycling I also enjoy being outdoors walking and exploring by foot. Collecting Pokemon cards is a big hobby of mine and something I've done since I was a kid. Trying to catch them all! When not on a bike I enjoy maps and planning bike rides for the future 

Saoirse

I fell in love with gravel cycling in 2020 because of the freedom it offered. I love that my bike can take me to places right on my doorstep that I can’t access by car and would never have noticed before. Bikepacking is an extension of that, allowing me to explore for multiple days. As my confidence has grown over the years so have my adventures and I’ve now taken my gravel bike across Africa, South America, and parts of Europe. 

Most importantly, gravel cycling has given me a community. I recently moved from the UK to Ireland and I’m now focused on growing and supporting the gravel and bikepacking scene here through events, meet-ups and sharing routes.

Irish gravel is still finding its identity, which makes it exciting. There’s a growing network of canal paths, old railway lines, and wind farm tracks. One of the most unique aspects is the network of boreens - old, narrow farm roads that crisscross the countryside, often covered in loose gravel or mossy tarmac. These make for beautiful, quiet, and scenic rides, though they can be unpredictable. The gravel community here is small but passionate, and I’m enjoying being part of the movement to help it grow in a welcoming and meaningful way.

I love my gravel bike. The frame was handmade from bamboo by Kasoma of Boogaali Bikes in Uganda. It was shipped to Cape Town, where I built it up with Shimano parts, and then rode it for five months through Africa, back to Kasoma’s workshop - one of the most meaningful journeys I’ve done. Since then, I’ve ridden the same bike across Patagonia and Colombia. 

Outside of cycling, I’m drawn to any activity that combines the outdoors, problem-solving and adrenaline - hiking, skiing, climbing, and surfing are all big parts of my life. I’d love to find ways to interconnect these sports into bigger, multi-sport adventures.

Sofiane

I come from a road touring background. What I always loved about tarmac is how far it can take you in just a day. But the drawback is that you don’t really feel immersed in nature like you do with a mountain bike. What I found when I was introduced to gravel bikes was that perfect mix of both being able to cover huge distances in a day and the feel of the great outdoors. I love nothing more than a long solitary ride in empty, wild places. That feeling of being alone in the world. And this is exactly why gravel rides are my favourites.

I live in the South West of France, in a region historically known as the Quercy. It’s super scenic and sparsely populated, with some of the most beautiful villages you can find in France. Even though I've only lived here two years, I keep raving about it. Whether it’s the hills, the forest, the valleys, the cliffs, the scenic rivers trails, I love everything about it. The gravel possibilities here seem endless with numerous hiking trails and a vast network of old, never-paved roads dating back to more than a hundred years ago, when the region was home to twice as many people as now. The terrain is quite demanding here with virtually no flat bits. There are some nice smooth off-road options, but generally speaking, the gravel here is on the rougher side. 

I have always built my bikes by myself. Initially because I couldn’t afford the services of a bike shop and nowadays just because I enjoy it. My go-to gravel bike is a Bombtrack Beyond Ti with a Shimano 1x12 setup and a suspension fork. I love this build because I can ride pretty much anything with it, save for the gnarliest MTB trails. It’s super comfy and ready for anything. The massive 10-51 cassette allows me to climb pretty much anything. It’s not the fastest tool on tarmac but gravel rides around here involve very little asphalt anyway.

Whenever I’m not riding my bike, I’m renovating a house that I bought a couple years ago. It’s a rather time consuming affair to be honest, but I’m learning so much! And seeing the house change and become nicer little by little is pretty rewarding.