Honoré on gravel in Grand Tours: ‘It belongs if organisers find the right balance’
Speaking on the Domestique Hotseat, EF Education EasyPost’s Mikkel Honoré said gravel and cobbled stages do have a place in Grand Tours, provided organisers strike the right balance between spectacle and fairness for general classification contenders.
Responding to criticism from GC riders after the Giro d’Italia’s stage nine gravel test, Honoré acknowledged the central concern: randomness. “It is a difficult one,” he said. “The gravel adds a lot of unpredictability and drama to a Grand Tour. But it is also sad to see a big GC leader have a flat tyre and lose his whole Grand Tour after months, even a year, of preparation.”
Even so, he argues that three weeks of controlled racing is not what makes cycling compelling. “If organisers find the right balance, it belongs for sure in the Grand Tours as well,” he said. “I did the Roubaix stage in the Tour in 2022, and it was super cool. And the same this year, the gravel stage, I have done it a couple of times now because it has been quite a lot in the Giro the last few years. It is part of it.”
For Honoré, the key is designing challenges that reward skill without tipping into gimmickry. “You have to take a step back and think about what makes cycling cool and good for spectators. I am not talking about crashes, but unpredictability and drama are what make it interesting to watch,” he said in the Domestique Hotseat. “That is what makes us love cycling, it is not always the strongest who wins.”
He favours Strade Bianche-style sectors over extreme off-road passages. “The gravel for sure belongs, without doing anything super crazy, nothing more than what we did in the Giro this year, which was basically a Strade Bianche type stage.”
Honoré also pointed to practical ways to reduce bad luck without sanitising the spectacle. Wider, well-swept sectors, clear run-ins and exits, and extra neutral service all help. Teams can pre-position staff with wheels and relax car order rules on the sectors, while organisers can define time gaps at the end of the dirt rather than mid-sector. Equipment choices matter too. Lower pressures and robust tubeless setups reduce punctures but reward preparation and bike handling. “Positioning, handling and decision making under stress are core cycling skills,” he said.
The debate has sharpened as Grand Tour organisers increasingly weave alternative surfaces into route design. Proponents argue it enhances variety and rewards bike handling, positioning and team cohesion. Critics counter that narrow approach roads and stretched support convoys can turn misfortune into race-defining time losses. Honoré sits in the middle ground: keep it selective, keep it safe, and keep it fair, but keep it.
Watch the full episode with Mikel Honoré in the Domestique Hotseat 👇
