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Chasing Peter Stetina into The New Year

Pete’s Back and Racing with Floyd’s.
What Does He Have In Store for ‘22?

We’re excited to once again be the official #relaxandrecover sponsor for Peter Stetina, one of gravel’s finest riders and an all around great person. We had a chance to sit down with Pete and recap his year as well as hear what he’s got in store for the offseason, 2022, creating his own gravel event that prioritizes the women’s field, and more…

Welcome back aboard Pete! We’re excited to see you back out there again in 2022. How do you feel overall about ’21? You had some huge wins. Can you tell us a little about the high and low points of your season?

I think I can confidently say 2021 was the best year of my career across the board in terms of racing but also enjoyment on the bike. It’s hard to put a certain win on a pedestal because the beauty of gravel is that each event is so unique and has its own charm. Defending BWR CA was definitely the highest profile win media-wise. It was also big emotionally, as it was a very complicated day with some pent up pressure and bad luck. A low point was suffering some major burnout mid summer because in an effort to catch up from missing out on all of 2020 I over-promised myself all season.

What are you up to during the off season. Tell us about some of the activities you’re involved in off the bike.

Offseason has been predominantly spent behind the computer planning for 2022 and beyond. Privateering is very much a full time 8-5 job, usually without weekends. But was also able to dive into the ever expanding list of house projects such as rebuilding the rock wall in the garden and splitting trees for firewood at the cabin. My body has been through the wringer with all the unusual activities this fall; the CBD Balm really came in handy these last 2 months!

What are you looking forward to in 2022? What events are on your schedule so we can make sure to catch up with you on the dirt. 

I said I needed to scale back for 2022, and I haven’t, there are just so many cool events! The new LifeTime Grand Prix and the BWR quadruple crown series will be a focus as well as the iconic independent races such as Mid South, SBT GRVL, and RPI. Then, I am filling in the gaps with local stuff as grassroots races are the backbone of gravel. I have some international things coming as well, such as 8 days in Colombia.

That sounds great! We’ll be at SBT GRVL and hopefully we’ll catch you at the Belgian Waffle Ride as well. We hear you’ve created your own event: Peter Stetina’s Paydirt. What can people expect? Is it a race or just an old fashioned good time? We’d love to hear about the course and why everyone should put Carson City on their map in May.

I live and train half the year in Tahoe and as I went into gravel I started exploring this area where trail maps didn’t really exist outside of Carson City, NV, so I decided to create an event to explore that range and give back to the sport. It is a race but it’s unique for 3 angles.

1 – We prioritize the Women’s event with a bountiful prize purse and preferred media coverage; I believe more exposure and coverage will help continue to lessen the gender gap in our sport. Don’t get me wrong, the guys will still race for prizes, glory, and attention. I see it as flipping the script of tradition; the women are the main show and the men are the opening act so to speak.

2 – We celebrate the #wellroundedathlete through untraditional time bonuses such as a tire lasso and mechanical bull ride. If you cross the line together, it’ll be whoever stays on the bull longest that reads higher in that results sheet. There are also prizes for those games independent of your bike time.

3 – We have 2 massive timed segments with an “oasis” aid station in the middle. Meaning you can stay for 5′ to leave with a faster group or chill an hour and freshen up for the next hit out. Basically: I want this to feel like the best day out on a bike I can imagine: Race, socialize, play games, and party afterwards.

That sounds like a great time! We can’t wait to join you up there and we’ll make sure everyone has plenty of changes to #relaxandrecover after the race…and mechanical bull rides. Best of luck Pete and we’ll catch up with you again soon!

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