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Pete Stetina - The Magic Recipe

Writer: James IonJames Ion

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.”


Image courtesy of Family Stetina
Image courtesy of Family Stetina

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

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