Castelli launches its "non-team" of Gravel composed of renowned independent cyclists

The Italian manufacturer Castelli has just launched a new concept of cycling team for gravel. It is called SOG (Spirit of Gravel) and it is a project that aims to preserve the "authentic spirit of gravel" and is made up of renowned cyclists who, far from belonging to the same team, will continue to function as independent cyclists.

Castelli SOG: a gravel team very different from what we know

The presentation was last weekend in Girona, the current epicenter of European gravel, coinciding with the celebration of Santa Vall, and there Castelli launched a new concept of team in which its members will not compete as a team.

Based on the concept of "cabal" (a group with a common purpose) Castelli defines its new project in this phrase: We are not a team, but we share a spirit.

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The team is made up of 13 cyclists, with recognized cyclists such as Joe Laverick, Danni Shrosbree, Matt Holmes, and Benjamin Perry. And to make it clear that corporatism will not be a hallmark of this "team" each one will have a different jersey to highlight their individuality and the spirit of "privateers" or independent cyclists.

With this project, Castelli is betting on a flexible and less corporate model, where cyclists can have different sponsors and decide on which bikes and equipment to use. Like Haas who rides Colnago bikes or Holmes who will compete with Factor.

The Castelli Spirit of Gravel Cabal is composed of:

• Nathan Haas
• Benjamin Perry
• Griffin Easter
• Dannie Shrosbree
• Rob Britton
• Joe Laverick
• Matt Holmes
• Svenja Betz
• Raffi Forse
• Kirstine Rysberg
• Pau Domènech
• Diederik Deelen
• David Trimble

The Castelli SOG will be present in the best gravel races of the season, such as the Shara Gravel Race, The Traka, Unbound, or SBT Gravel, but each cyclist will have total freedom to decide their 2025 calendar.

This new Castelli SOG fits well with the current reality in gravel competition where cyclists compete individually and "privateers" are usually in the podium positions. But with the rise of the discipline, we will see if this spirit is maintained or if teams begin to work together to compete.