5 Surprising Cyclists We Met at the Migration Gravel Race in Kenya

MAASAI MARA, Kenya (Velo) – It is a well-worn trope now that gravel is the place where WorldTour pros come to retire and couldn’t-hack-it World Cup mountain bikers find their stride. At this point, however, that is much too reductive.

Gravel continues to be a space that invites — and intrigues — all types of cyclists and even athletes from different sports. It’s not uncommon to find a non-gravel cyclist participating in a gravel race like the Traka or SBT GRVL. However, it takes a different type of non-gravel cyclist to travel around the world to an event like the Migration Gravel Race in Kenya.

The MGR is special on multiple levels: the four-day stage race unfolds in the Maasai Mara, a remote area of preserved wilderness in southwestern Kenya. The race organizers have worked with Maasai tribesmen to stitch roads into routes; Maasai are also the race’s course marshals, moto drivers, and cooks. Participants camp each night, taking showers with water heated over campfires. Neither the riding nor the off-the-bike life is for the faint of heart.

This year’s edition of the MGR saw nearly 200 intrepid riders from 35 countries sign up for the adventure in the Mara, and there were plenty of non-gravel cyclists among them. We talked to five of them to see why they decided to give this adventurous gravel race a go.

Maja Wloszczowska – Two-time Olympic XCO silver medalist

Two-time Olympic silver medalist Maja Wloszczowska has been enjoying life since she retired three years ago. The Polish mountain biker has been keeping fit training with her good friend (and Tokyo gold medalist) Jolanda Neff. Off the bike, she spends time volunteering with the Phoenix Foundation, a non-profit that encourages kids to participate in sports.

She’s also been riding gravel, but as “more of a hobby rider,” she said.

Nevertheless, when her friends from the Phoenix Foundation pitched the idea of a group trip to Kenya for the MGR, Wloszczowska didn’t need too much convincing to go.

“At first I was like, ‘oh, my back doesn’t need that, I don’t need that suffering after so many years of the career.’ Then I decided, if I don’t go now with them I’ll probably never go.”

Wloszczowska joined about 10 other participants who were part of the Phoenix Foundation, and the Olympian often put herself out front when there was a headwind. She was always smiling and having fun, despite the challenging course conditions.

“You don’t have too many opportunities to spend such an amazing time in an amazing place with amazing people so I feel privileged to do that,” she said.

Chris McCormack – Four-time triathlon world champion

Another rider who came to the MGR with the Phoenix Foundation was four-time triathlon world champion Chris McCormack. McCormack said he first learned of the event from another Aussie and Phoenix ambassador, Freddy Ovett.

He admitted that his first impression of the event did not match the reality.

“I thought we were gonna be watching giraffes and see some lions and cruise around on bikes,” he said. “Then a week before the race I went onto YouTube and was like, ‘shit, should we bring mountain bikes?’ This is legit. We were very unprepared.”

McCormack, who has twice won the Ironman world champs in Kona, said that after stage 1 of the MGR, he was in tears.

“I couldn’t believe it. I think I wrote, ‘note to self: prepare for something like this.’”

Nevertheless, McCormack ultimately felt grateful for the experience. It also reminded him of the importance of the Phoenix Foundation’s mission of getting more kids into sports.

“I often think to myself, ‘we’re blessed to have the opportunity to do this, so we do these things while we can because one day we won’t be able to.’ It’s the mindset and ethos of foundation. Sport is good. Sport should become a part of your life. Being out there and participating and doing things with your peers is worth doing.”

Miranda Miller – 2017 downhill world champion, three-time Canadian national downhill champion

Miranda Miller traveled all over the world during her career as a pro downhill mountain biker. But despite the stamps in her passport, she didn’t truly get to see many of the places she competed.

In the past three years, she’s completely changed that. With the support of SRAM, Miller has helped create and produce the Here, There, Everywhere film series. Now in its third season, the series examines some of the lesser-explored aspects of cycling like creativity and art, competition away from performance, and adventure.

Before she traveled to Kenya, Miller was in Namibia with a film crew, learning all about how bikes are built at Onguza Cycles, a custom brand founded by ex-pro Dan Craven.

The Migration Gravel Race wasn’t for “work,” however. Miller traveled to Kenya on her own volition (and with the help of Rapha, one of her sponsors). Although she doesn’t ride much gravel at home in Canada, Miller did a fair bit of it last year for the series, including the Yomp Rally, FNLD GRVL, and SBT GRVL. The Migration Gravel Race sounded like the coolest event of all.

“It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and I couldn’t pass it up,” she said.

Rob Gitelis – Founder and CEO of Factor Bikes

The riders on East Africa’s Team Amani and the Black Mamba Development team ride Factor Bikes, but that’s not the whole reason that Rob Gitelis, the founder of the brand, came to Kenya for the Migration Gravel Race.

“I looked at it and said, ‘I’m 56 years old and how many more years will I be able to achieve this kind of goal?’ Gitelis said. “I should not delay anything any longer so I decided to come.”

Despite the fact that Factor supports a number of gravel racers, the MGR was Gitelis’ first gravel race and, admittedly, one of his first times riding gravel at all.

However, he was pleased to meet the riders from East Africa who have been riding his bikes for the past three seasons.

“I’ve always appreciated what Amani is all about so it’s really cool to meet the riders for the first time,” he said. “They’re really humble and appreciative which is kinda a different feeling than meeting so many professional bike riders.”

David Millar – Four-time Tour de France stage winner

Two years ago, Gitelis invited former road pro and cycling commentator David Millar to do the Cape Epic stage race. Millar had to decline, so when Gitelis invited him to do the MGR this year, he knew he couldn’t back out of it.

Having done the Traka, Millar had slightly more gravel racing experience than Gitelis, but not much. He researched the MGR a bit through articles and videos and thought he had a pretty good idea of what the four-day race entailed “but nothing prepared me for what it is,” he said. “Nothing.”

Millar, who retired from the WorldTour in 2014 after winning stages at all three grand tours, lives in Girona where he describes the gravel as “very civilized.”

This was not the case at the Migration Gravel Race, where riders faced numerous soul-sucking mudpits on stage 1 and a long, technical stage 2 before a tamer, shorter stage 3 and a more Girona-like stage 4.

Millar, who was writing daily blog posts about his experience, said that he was blown away by how challenging the experience was.

“The first day, I came out of it shell-shocked — this is nothing like I expected and it’s been like that ever since,” he said “It’s been the most incredible experience. I haven’t gone this deep since I was a pro. It was truly magical.”