Sterrato, ribinoù, caminos de olivos. Call them what you like, the gravel sectors we see littered into road races are simultaneously an eye-catching feature, a hazardous obstacle, and an opportunity to flex some multi-disciplinary bike handling skills during the road racing season.
While races that feature cobbled roads have formed a mainstay of the road racing calendar throughout the sport's history thanks to the significant influence of French and Belgian cycling culture, gravel (with the odd exception) is a more contemporary addition to the ever-broadening menu of surfaces on which to do battle on two wheels.
