Booming trend in gravel cycling delivering economic benefits to regional communities

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A booming trend in cycling is delivering significant economic benefits for regional communities in WA. Lycra-wearing riders in their hundreds are spending up big on accommodation in small towns across the state, as part of a shift from road to gravel cycling.

Transcript

00:00As the golden canola starts to flower, cyclists are hitting the red dirt of regional WA in

00:08record numbers.

00:09They're not alone, as the sport of gravel cycling is booming across the world.

00:14Definitely there's been a massive ride in gravel bike riding, but also that has increased

00:18cycling in general.

00:19We saw a massive influx of cycling when Cadel Evans won the Tour de France.

00:24Safety is a drawcard of the trail-based sport.

00:27On the road, you're always sort of a bit on the edge, thinking about the next car coming.

00:32When you're on the gravel, especially on private roads like it is here, you really do feel free.

00:36You're out there in the complete wilderness, in the wild, and you've got a much bigger connection

00:40to the environment that you're in.

00:42As the sport has become more popular, so have the competitions.

00:45There's a large number of events being held, and in fact they're almost replacing road events.

00:53National areas are capitalising on natural beauty to attract events and tourists.

00:58So whether it be wildflowers or wheat fields or rolling hills, it's a great environment and there's

01:06a lot of variation, so people are really attracted to that.

01:09In just its fourth year, 730 participants travelled to Naboorwa in the state's mid-west for the

01:15Backroad Scrabble event.

01:17We call these racecations, so people come from, we have participants from every state in Australia.

01:23WA will be on the global stage, with the south-west town of Nanup hosting the 2026 Scrabble World Championships.

01:31With about 3,000 registered competitors, it has the potential to bring 10,000 visitors to the town,

01:37which is usually home to fewer than 1,000.

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