Tiffany Cromwell got her first taste of real gravel racing on Sunday at the SBT GRVL in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The Canyon-SRAM rider finished eighth in the 144-mile (232-km) race and said her goal is to build strength and endurance to become more competitive in off-road competition.

"I need endurance," he said. I needed endurance for the Giro d'Italia Donne, and I could only run for four hours at the Olympics. I need five, six, seven hours of riding to build strength and endurance for longer races."

Lauren De Crescenzo (Cinch Cycling) won the SBT GRVL solo in 6 hours and 45 minutes. U.S. road champion Lauren Stevens (TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank) finished second, 10 minutes behind, and Flavia Oliveira (Abs Pro Cycling) was another 4 minutes back in third place.Cromwell, who finished eighth in 7 hours and 32 minutes, said those on the podium Cromwell, who finished eighth in 7 hours and 32 minutes, said he was impressed that the podium finishers were able to cover 144 miles so quickly.

"There are guys who keep pushing to the end," Cromwell said.

"Lauren De Crescenzo also won the Unbound, and after running the SBT I am glad the Unbound was not my first gravel race. These girls are all super strong and must be strong as diesel."

Cromwell initially planned to breathe new life into his decade-long road racing career with a full calendar of gravel races this season. However, a strong Spring Classics campaign with Canyon-SRAM led to his surprise selection to represent Australia at the Tokyo Olympics.

Cromwell decided to start gravel racing with SBT GRVL. This year, he registered for the grueling 144-mile black course, which includes 9,400 feet of ascent and over 100 miles of gravel sectors.

"The black course was harder than I expected, especially with a group start of 700 people...I thought I would be steady at the beginning of the 230km race and try to hang on as long as possible, but I was surprised when I wasn't and went full gas right out of town! I was surprised because it went full gas right out of town," Cromwell said.

"I had never raced or trained that distance before, so the length was a big mental game. There was one long section like Black Course does, about 10 km of hard uphill sand and gravel.

Cromwell also noted that the technical sectors were a challenge and it took time to get into the rhythm of the different terrain.

"The more technical sectors were difficult, and my technical skills aren't too bad, but it was hard to get a feel for the bike on the soft gravel with the other guys. It was difficult to see what was coming at me in a group full of people with mixed skills. The sandy sections were tough because they required a lot of power. There was constant vibration on different terrain: gravel, single trail, tarmac, and sand," she said.

Tactically, Cromwell said it was difficult to know where she was on the course relative to her competitors because of the mass start, where many female riders were caught up in different groups spread out along the route. Additionally, stopping at rest stops and supply stations made it difficult to know who had passed and who had stayed longer.

"Honestly, I had no idea where the other girls were on the course. My strategy was to hang on to the lead group for as long as possible. At any given moment, I had no idea where I was and assumed I was in the top 10 or so," Cromwell said.

"I took advantage of the fast sections and groups where I could and just tried not to get caught up. But at the end of the day, you never know where you're going to be sitting."

"I was just trying to keep up with the pack," Cromwell said.

Originally targeting 10 gravel events this season, Cromwell has adjusted his plans to include the Belgian Waffle Ride in Asheville on August 21, the Gravel Epic in Morocco on October 7-9, Big Sugar on October 23, and the He plans to compete in the Belgian Waffle Ride in Kansas on October 31.

As for road racing, Cromwell said that after a successful season, he will be looking to challenge for the GP de Ploué on August 31, La Vuelta on September 2-5, and the World Championships on September 19-26 and Paris-Roubaix on October 2.

"After a strong start to the season on the road, I am motivated to get back to the top, get results, and be a strong teammate. I'm not going to push road racing away and I have my next goal," Cromwell said.

"I still like the idea of gravel, to have a little break from racing and do something different for fun. Running gravel has benefited me greatly in terms of strength and endurance."

Cromwell said.

"I may reconsider how many gravel races I do and when. We need to discuss with the team what the best gravel options are."