Words James Ion - Photography Wil Mathews (@photowil)
GRVL racing is still a growing sport, but, ask anyone who knows a bit about cycling to name a GRVL Pro and one of the first names they think of is probably Pete Stetina. A successful World Tour rider who tackled the Tour, the Giro and the Vuelta he became increasingly disillusioned with road racing and wanted more than the often selfish lifestyle of a WT Pro so he took the, at the time, unprecedented jump to GRVL racing.
“I’m happy” Pete replies from his bedroom in Santa Rosa. It is 9 am where he is and already he has managed to fit in a doctor's appointment for his twins and be ready for our meeting “That’s how it is with kids, gotta be organised” he says smiling at the thought which takes us back to the original question about his season so far. In 2024 he has, apart from Unbound, never been out of the top ten, he won the Traka and is sitting 12th in the LifeTime Grand Prix. “It's the best season in recent years, since having the twins I am getting my feet back under me plus of course, luck has been on my side as well”
He is of course being modest when he talks of luck. His persona is one of a relaxed chilled guy who likes a beer and riding his bike (which he is), but it hides the other side of Pete Stetina, the steely-eyed competitor who rides to win. In 2021 he was the ‘Winningest GRVL Racer in the World’ and is billed as a favourite at every race. But how did he get here, how did he start collecting stories and glories?
“In 2019 I could do a few GRVL races as part of my race calendar, a proof of concept. But it was becoming increasingly obvious that I wouldn't be able to combine GRVL with my WT racing” It gave him a chance to see if a move would be feasible. That GRVL could be what he needed, and provide the “magic recipe” he craved.
“I could see it was a legit discipline so I contacted the brands that I knew well to pitch my idea to them. I see it as a pyramid with me the rider at the top with a strong foundation, luckily I have great long-term partners in Canyon, Clif Bar and Shimano who were on board from the start. It was always meant to be a pivot, not a retirement.” With his foundations in place, in 2020 he made the move and became a full-time Privateer GRVL Racer.
Like any new venture, it was not without its perils, a new sport with relatively little public interest this was not a career change to be taken lightly. Indeed Stetina’s move raised a few eyebrows and ruffled a few feathers but it also garnered positive press that someone of his stature saw GRVL as a genuine option for a racing career. “The first year I broke about even,” Pete tells me “It is like running a start-up, which is the reality of the space, but I had the self-belief to keep going” With ‘Peter Stetina Incorporated’ now up and running it wasn't just riding his bike that took up his time “Half my job is pedalling” smiles Pete “It is twice as much hard work as being a WT rider as now I have to organise all the admin, negotiating contracts, hotels everything that was taken care of on the WT”
Being your own boss has its perks, “I’m able to employ my friend (Wayne Smith) so we get to go on adventures together. It’s a 70-hour week but I get to be a normal guy who races and is an invested and present parent. I no longer have to live the selfish lifestyle of a WT pro.”
The goal was to get back to a holistic experience on the bike “I was doing it my way” Pete muses. It also had a positive impact on his family life giving him the chance to be with his newborn twins and wife Dyanna a successful Civil Engineer who acts as a Superhero Twin Momma when he is away racing. “Travel is the greatest stress as with Dyanna's work she cannot always come with me so I have a deal with her” smiles Pete “I only go away for a maximum of two weeks, it makes things a bit harder to organise but means that I have more time at home”.
The change meant that he had found his magic recipe “It was about effective change and being inspiring and relatable and about winning, but winning my way.”
And win he did, he brought his racing experience to the fore and was always in the mix and has arguably had the most success of his career since switching to GRVL. “This space is much more fun, but, there is no one template for success. I am still competitive now, but, I want to make an impression on myself too as winning can be hollow.” In the WT winning is all that matters no matter how it's done, there is so much pressure on results that it can almost seem robotic, there are moments of brilliance or daring but often it can lack an adventurous spirit.
“GRVL is going that way and we need to have the guard rails up to keep the balance” suggests Pete “I went to GRVL for the adventure. A road is a road more or less wherever you are, but GRVL the terrain changes and the dirt is different, adventure is the main sport”
Image courtesy of The Traka
“How you win is more important” says Pete which leads nicely to the current state of GRVL. In recent years he has often been sought out for quotes about the ‘Spirit of GRVL’. So what is it like dealing with the role of gatekeeper? Pete simply laughs at the idea “It’s funny, when I came over for my first season I used the #peteruinedgravel - a tongue-in-cheek joke as I was the one being seen as having the negative impact on GRVL. Now I am the one seen as the old guard looking to keep the spirit alive. I saw the potential for the magic recipe which is why I came, some of it is getting lost now but I can’t be a gatekeeper, I just want to do it my way and show how good the sport is with my excitement and commitment”
Without a doubt, the sport has quickly evolved from its humble rag-tag beginnings to a major league global movement. More interest equals more investment which in turn means results become more important. Being in the mix he must have noticed some changes “There are definitely more team tactics at play which come from the European mentality, and with the UCI involved it was an inevitability, I know what’s happening but for those coming from an MTB background it is harder to accept”.
This does not however mean that we will see him joining a team any time soon “I have no desire to go back to a team” he says before offering a solution to dealing with this new tactic “I see short-term alliances as a way to mitigate guys trying to one-two the pack, they will break down before the finish but for Privateers it is the only way to stay in the game”. In the recent Oregon Trail Gravel race (part of the Gravel Earth Series) Pete did just that with fellow Canyon rider Griffin Easter to counteract the tactics of the Groove Gravel Team from France.
As stated the UCI is also now involved with their World Series. “I can't stand the UCI” is Pete's blunt response when asked about them, “How they treat the riders, I have no faith in them as a governing body” So we won't be seeing him at the World Championships? “No” is the simple answer “There is so much more to the scene, adventure is a big part of it.” One such adventure this year was his race in Girona at the Traka.“The Traka has the right recipe, it is an epic adventure!” A homecoming of sorts for Pete as he was one of the OG Pros who settled in the sleepy city back in 2006 “It was a fairy tale win, seeing old friends, being back where it began, it was the most beautiful win of my career.”
Pete is currently sitting in joint 4th position but with only 48 points between him and the current leader could we see him push for the win? “The Gravel Earth Series is a new focus, I’m excited to fight for the win!”
Pete is also sitting pretty in the Life-Time Grand Prix in 12th spot so a two-pronged assault could be on the cards. “The Grand Prix is not my main focus. There are so many cool things in GRVL that I don't want to miss out”. It didn't help this year that the Crusher in the Tusher, a climber's race, was cancelled due to wildfires “Yeah this was a good chance for me to gain points and didn't benefit me at all, but if at the end I am going well then I will push it!”
How does he handle the pressure then, with major races and managing the Pete Business as well as balancing family life? “It is about the expectations and realisations. Results validate the product but it is how I go about winning that makes it doable, it is the magic recipe that I need and this keeps me going, doing it my way”.
The competitive streak is still there, but no matter what he will be doing it his way, sharing stories and glories in equal measure and searching for the next beautiful win.
To find out more about Pete Stetina visit his website www.peterstetina.com and follow him on Instagram
Comments