Witnessing the energy firsthand perfectly aligned with what our proprietary data is telling us, gravel is experiencing undeniable growth in 2026.

The proof is in the numbers:

• Event Participation: UNBOUND rider participation is up 9.1% across the board this year, with an incredible 18% surge in female participants specifically.
• Global Viewership: Life Time’s free-to-air 11-hour live stream captured 496,931 views, hitting a peak concurrent viewership of 32,831.
• Consumer Appetite: According to our latest Leaderboard insights, North American search interest for the gravel sector saw a 15.5% increase in Q1 2026 compared to Q1 2025. Looking at the macro trend, the market has grown 16.9% from 2022 to 2026.

While post-pandemic headwinds are still making it a challenging market for some cycling categories and markets, gravel is proving to be a resilient, high-growth area for the industry.

Want to see how your brand stacks up in the growing gravel sector? Data like this is exactly what our Leaderboard tool tracks, monitoring 169 brands across 12 categories.

Leaderboard offers affordable pricing plans, starting at just £6,000 per year. Ready to start tracking your most valuable asset?

Drop us a note at leaderboard@shiftactivemedia.com to learn more and schedule a demo.