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Rob Britton didn’t really dangle up his wheels when he retired from the professional peloton. In reality, he hardly ever stops turning the cranks in any respect. After 12 years with professional street groups, final with Rally Biking (now Human Powered Well being), he simply accomplished his first yr as a ‘one-man present’ within the increase world of the gravel gold rush.
How was the full-time foray into off street? Britton discovered a vein of success that helps him with his “Wirth It Venture”, as he calls it. As a prime 10 finisher within the elite males’s division of the inaugural Life Time Grand Prix, he scored a portion of the $250,000 prize purse after his 14th place end at Huge Sugar Gravel. For him, it’s about sharing the wealth, as he has dedicated to donate half of his prize cash to WIRTH Hats Counselling Fund, which offers free, digital psychological well being sources to individuals worldwide.
“Initially, once I stopped street racing, it was with the intention to do gravel and a few journey stuff. I finished street racing as a result of I wished to do much more in biking, and never simply travelling round Europe, not that that was a nasty factor. I had achieved quite a bit and I used to be very happy,” Britton advised Cyclingnews in Bentonville.
“I wished to do extra than simply generate income for me, myself and I. I spent a number of years doing that, like most individuals do of their careers. So It’s been enjoyable to present again, half of my earnings to WIRTH Counseling Basis. It has been nice to work with them. It is good to have one other goal different than simply making an attempt to smash cash for myself.”
WIRTH Hats was based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the place Britton resides, to honour Jakob Wirth, who died by suicide in 2014. For the reason that firm’s inception, the sale of hats and stickers has been the primary supply of funding to supply psychological well being counselling and outreach applications to people and households in want. Britton chosen the BC-based basis as a suggestion from a buddy, and since “it simply clicked. Psychological well being is admittedly vital.”
“Prize cash is at all times a pleasant bonus, it’s by no means a assure. The prize purse for positive is huge [at Life Time Grand Prix]. I’m stoked to be within the prize cash.“
Britton completed seventh within the ultimate Grand Prix standings, a tie with Adam Roberge with 109 factors as soon as the most effective 5 out of six occasion finishes have been scored. The tie-breaker went to Roberge, as he completed third on the ultimate occasion, Huge Sugar Gravel, 11 locations increased than Britton. However Britton nonetheless acquired a test for $8,000, which meant the yr’s donation to WIRTH goes up by $4,000.
“I began doing a little stuff with them throughout the pandemic, in 2020. We raised simply over $12,000,” he stated, referring to a 24-hour experience throughout the 510km size of Vancouver Island to start the fundraising.
Since lots of the ultra-distance pursuits wouldn’t have prize cash, Britton added a crowdsourcing initiative for his 1000-mile FKT, quickest identified time, effort at BC Epic. He was seven hours sooner than the earlier report, a brand new greatest time of two days, 9 hours and 24 minutes. Up to now, his effort has raised $6,242.
Then got here the Life Time Grand Prix introduced by Mazda. He needed to end within the prime 10 of the professional males’s invitation-only subject of 30 to obtain a paycheck. His greatest end of his 5 occasions was fourth in his first outing at Unbound Gravel 200.
“This yr has simply been a complete experiment greater than something. And, yeah, once I acquired into the Life Time collection, I used to be tremendous excited, and comparatively humbled, simply because I did not anticipate really stepping into the collection in any respect. So every little thing’s been a primary time in lots of of those races. And it has been actually unbelievable,” the retired street professional stated.
“They’re all completely totally different. Beginning out with Sea Otter mountain bike in April, then Unbound 200. At Crusher [in the Tushar] I used to be dying a thousand deaths. And now right here in Bentonville, Arkansas in October. This entire yr’s been simply wild.”
The one occasion that didn’t make his schedule was Chequamegon 40-mile MTB in Wisconsin, which conflicted with the BC Bike Race. Would he race the Life Time collection once more? Brief reply, sure.
“You’ll be able to see it is getting validation. I do not know what the collection will appear like, if it is going to mirror this yr, or if Life Time will purchase extra races or not. However yeah, it has been enjoyable,” he stated.
“And like, there’s that a part of me that does actually love being on the sharp finish of competitors. I like racing the most effective guys. Seeing guys like Keegan [Swenson] and Alexey [Vermeulen], you’re seeing the most effective. I nonetheless have one thing to work in the direction of, which is vastly motivating. I might nonetheless wish to have that stability of all the journey and non racing stuff, so discovering that stability is admittedly form of key.”
Swenson took the general professional males’s title and Vermeulen secured second place on the Life Time Grand Prix, which wrapped up in Bentonville final weekend. Now that Britton’s first yr as a privateer is completed, he’s wanting ahead to 1 ultimate occasion in December and add just a few extra {dollars} to the Wirth It Venture.
“I name it The Final Experience. It’s all the nice components of gravel in an area ‘anti-race’,” the Canadian defined. “There is no such thing as a begin, no end, present up, get espresso, get the route and end with connoisseur meals and beer. We’ve executed it for seven or eight years and opened it to the general public in 2017, nearly 50 individuals. It’s yet another occasion to lift some cash.”
