Drake Alumni Hannah Shell, of Ankeny, is a professional gravel privateer, powered by Vantage Racing and fueled by The Feed. She's racing the biggest gravel races in the U.S. such as BWR Kansas and Gravel Worlds, as well as the Lifetime Grand Prix. In the six race series, she sits in 17th place prior to the final race, the Bigsugar gravel race in Bentonville, MO, on Oct. 22. She sparked my interest when she posted a strong opinion regarding the structure of the elite women's race at the recent UCI Gravel World Championships (NOT the Pirate Cycling League's Gravel Worlds in Nebraska!). I contacted her to have a conversation about the ever evolving gravel landscape. She was open and willing to share her opinions, which I did as well! We also get to know this long-time professional road racer who got hooked on gravel with a great result in her first gravel race in Oklahoma a handful of years ago.
It was fun getting to know her and I really enjoyed our conversation about the state of gravel. Be sure and follow her adventures on her bike and as she travels the country in her RV with her husband Jake and two cats - find her on Instagram at
@hannhgshell. If you have opinions about the growth of gravel at the UCI level - look for that contact form here and let your voices be heard!
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