Gravel cycling continues to carve out its own lane in the professional cycling landscape. While the jury is still out on just how far the discipline will rise, there is little doubt that a growing number of riders around the world are now making a comfortable living racing primarily on gravel.
In recent years, many of the professional gravel "privateers,” as they are known, have been riders who first built their reputations in mountain biking or the WorldTour. On the road side, names like Ted King, Peter Stetina, Ian Boswell and Petr Vakoc swapped slick road tyres for gravel.
A similar pattern has played out among riders arriving from mountain biking, with figures such as Keegan Swenson, Sofia Gomez Villafañe and long-time World Cup veterans like Geoff Kabush, Jeremiah Bishop and Rebecca Rusch bringing their off-road pedigree into the discipline.
That trend isn’t disappearing entirely: Romain Bardet’s arrival on the gravel circuit this year is proof that established road pros still see opportunity in the scene. But signs increasingly point toward a shift. A new generation of riders is beginning to emerge as dedicated gravel professionals, building careers in the discipline without first establishing themselves on the road or in mountain biking.
Here’s a quick guide to some of the new names to watch as the 2026 gravel season gets underway
Cam Jones and Matthew Wilson — The Kiwi Contingent
New Zealand and Australia are increasingly proving to be incubators for top cycling talent. Despite their smaller size, the two countries consistently produce elite riders across the cycling spectrum, and gravel has become an especially fruitful arena for talent from the Southern Hemisphere.
No example illustrates that trend more clearly than Cam Jones, who burst onto the global gravel scene in a way few young, "unproven" riders ever have.
Jones first made his mark in 2024 with strong performances at major summer gravel races like Unbound Gravel and SBT GRVL. Then, in 2025, he took a massive step forward, winning Unbound before unseating Keegan Swenson to claim the Life Time Grand Prix overall title. In the span of a single season, Jones went from a wildcard entry in the series to one of the top gravel specialists in the world.
While Jones is the obvious breakout name to watch, his new Scott teammate and fellow Kiwi Matthew Wilson could also be a major factor on the gravel scene this year. Last season, despite racing largely without significant support, Wilson delivered several eye-catching rides. He played a major role in the action at Sea Otter Gravel, finishing seventh after an aggressive performance, and appeared set to battle Matt Beers to the line at the Big Sugar Classic before a flat tyre ended his chances.
Inexplicably, Wilson was left off the Life Time Grand Prix roster. Still, expect the Kiwi duo to race aggressively together throughout the season, and to make their presence known.
Cecily Decker, Morgan Aguirre, and Karolina Migon — PAS Racing Gravel Team
It feels a tad obvious to say that Karolina Migon is someone to keep your eyes on after winning Unbound Gravel last year, but the soft-spoken Polish rider still feels like she is a bit underrated. Part of that might be due to the team she is on and the many strong riders all in the same kit.
Migon is one of three PAS Racing riders who will be racing the Life Time Grand Prix this season, and the trio looks set to all be on the shortlist of podium favourites. That said, Magon is the obvious one to watch with her win, and Unbound and the Traka are two of the biggest possible wins in the gravel world.
Morgan Aguirre is the other new addition to the Life Time Grand Prix for PAS Racing, as the American has been building a strong resume as she continues to grow into her gravel career. Aguirre is American, but she lives full-time in Girona as she has made competitions like the Gravel Earth Series and other European races a focal point, even though she has made American cameos throughout last year. This year, with the Life Time Grand Prix on the agenda, she will race in the U.S. more frequently and compete for wins throughout the calendar.
Cecily Decker is back in the Life Time Grand Prix after a massive performance throughout the series last year. She netted a second-place finish at Unbound behind her teammate Migon, but the list goes on with a third at Sea Otter, third at Leadville, and fourth at the Traka 200. It is a lot to match, but Decker could use it as a platform to become a prolific winner.
Cobe Freeburn, Cecile Lejune, and Daxton Mock — Trek Driftless
Trek Driftless overhauled its roster for 2026, adding three promising young riders to the lineup. Torbjørn Andre Røed and Paige Onweller return to provide experience, while the team looks to its new additions to inject fresh speed.
On the men’s side, Cobe Freeburn and Daxton Mock step up to Trek’s senior gravel squad after beginning their careers with the Bear Development gravel team. Both riders came from mountain biking and quickly found success on gravel. Freeburn delivered consistent results throughout the season, including third at SBT GRVL, while Mock picked up an early-season win at Valley of Tears. Paired with Andre Røed, who is a perennial podium contender at U.S. gravel races, the duo adds even more firepower to the team.
Cecile Lejeune joins the squad in a slightly different position. Already established among the top riders in the women’s field, she finished fifth overall in the Life Time Grand Prix standings last year. The marquee win has yet to come, but with only one full season as a gravel pro under her belt, Lejeune still has plenty of room to grow. Close followers of the sport may also remember her bold solo bridge attempt at Gravel Worlds, which ended in a race-ending flat just as it looked poised to deliver a breakout result.
Bradyn Lange — Canyon X DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing Team
The Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing Team is a broad coalition of international riders. For many, the big name who stands out, especially in North America, is the U.S. Gravel National Champion Bradyn Lange. Lange was the youngest man on the original Life Time Grand Prix roster, coming off an early career as a promising mountain biker.
Since then, Lange has been in the trenches of the privateer world, trying to find his own way through the ranks of gravel and marathon mountain biking before there was a truly established path. Finally, in 2025, the tenacity started to pay off as Lange consistently ranked near the top of the results sheet, culminating in a stars-and-stripes jersey in Minnesota.
The move to Canyon’s revamped gravel team was a bit surprising, as Lange had a solid spectrum of support, including Rapha and Pinnarello, but it is clear that Lange is relishing the opportunity to be a part of a system and focus on performance rather than the multitude of other logistics that all privateers have to worry about. Additionally, with Canyon X DT Swiss bringing Pete Stetina on board as part of its management team, Lange will have a strong technical and intellectual infrastructure to work from as he tackles the new year.
The jury is still out on whether the team gamble will work for Lange and the other Canyon X DT Swiss riders, but expect to see the stars-and-stripes jersey racing a ton of gravel on both sides of the Atlantic.
Kyan Olshove, Ruth Holcomb, and Griffin Hoppin — the young Americans on the rise
The Life Time Grand Prix has created a strong framework for gravel racing to develop as a professional sport. Until recently, however, the series hadn’t clearly established a pathway for young gravel specialists to rise through the ranks. In 2025, the U23 Life Time Grand Prix was introduced to fill that gap, and it quickly produced riders who look capable of stepping up to the elite level.
On the women’s side, Ruth Holcomb won the competition convincingly while also posting strong results in elite fields throughout the season. She not only proved she could contend higher up the results sheet, but she also benefits from sharing a team environment with established gravel stars like Keegan Swenson, Alexis Skarda and Tobin Ortenblad. All of this seems like the perfect breakout recipe.
The same could be said for Griffin Hoppin, who enters the 2026 season as the reigning U23 Life Time Grand Prix champion. Hoppin built his title on consistency in the U23 series while also posting several notable elite results, including fourth at the Unbound 100, 11th at Little Sugar, and top U23 honours at Sea Otter. With that foundation, he looks well-positioned to continue progressing, particularly in hillier gravel races.
The final rider stepping into the elite conversation is Kyan Olshove. Although he did not compete in the U23 series, the Michigan native closed out the Grand Prix season with a surge of strong performances. A second-place finish at Chequamegon was followed by top-10 results at both Big Sugar and Little Sugar, momentum that helped earn him a pro contract with Pinarello and a spot in the 2026 Life Time Grand Prix.
