LOCH&LOAD

Sean McFarlane is in the Galloway Forest Park for Raiders Gravel, a three-day gravel stage event

- Sean McFarlane

The cycling-event scene in the UK has endured a torrid few years. As we all know, 2020 was almost a total write-off. It picked up in 2021, but not by much, and it was only in 2022 that things got back to some kind of normality. Even still, the pandemic and its aftershocks continue to reverberate, with some events either folding as a direct result, or struggling to fill up as riders continue to avoid mass events.

Raiders Gravel, a three-day gravel event in southern Scotland's Dumfries and Galloway region, has had a particularly tricky gestation. Its first edition was set for 2021, but ultimately had to be cancelled as the country continued to tackle Covid. The organisers had a freer run at it for 2022, which gave the impetus for the inaugural event to take place last August, and I was delighted to be invited.

If I was happy to be there, it was nothing compared to how the organisers felt. Along with photographer Andy, at the start of the event I met the event's chief architect, Warren Sanders, a local bike guide whose sole aim really has been to show off his place of work to a wider audience. Talking to us about finally having lift-off with this very personal project, he was soon holding back tears. I'd have given him a hug had it not been for the fear of needing to prop up his huge 6ft 3in frame! Warren looked to have arranged an impressively slick event, with Canyon on board as a title sponsor and backed by the local council, Dumfries and Galloway, along with tourism agencies such as South of Scotland.