Andrew 'Andy' Lydic refers to himself as the 'U23 Gravel World Champion', and while that title is unofficial it is authentic. He raced both editions of the UCI Gravel World Championships with the elite men’s squad for Team USA and was indeed the best rider under the age of 23 who was not in the 19-34 age category.
Stepping up at the Worlds to race among the elite category turned out to be the highlight of a tumultuous 2022 season for Lydic, who moved to Spain that year to pursue a professional road career and realised that gravel could create an unconventional new path to a career in cycling.
