The SBT GRVL in Colorado is the second annual Wild West gathering of gravel racing's finest.

Trying to tame the more than 150 male pro riders competing on the 140-mile black route will be defending champion Ted King, a former World Tour rider who helped put gravel on the world map.

There was a one-year blank from the inaugural 2019 event, held in the ski resort town of Steamboat Springs. However, the number of participants increased by 33% to 2,000, with four ride options available.

King just finished a strong fourth place overall at the Unbound Gravel 200 in June, and he and his wife, Laura, are the race directors at Roots Vermont.

He says the SBT GRVL Black course suits his riding style, and he looks forward to making this year's race the bookend of a family doubleheader.

"There is excitement on the plate for race one, I'm thrilled to win in 2019 and I'm looking forward to defending that title this year," King told Cycling News before the race.

"The SBT has a lot of characteristics that are perfect for me. It's a long race, a little tactical, a little technical, a little road racing, and a lot of gravel mixed in. So far, there's very little in the gravel spectrum that I haven't seen before, so that's an advantage."

The Leadville Trail 100 MTB, a mountain bike endurance race in Colorado, will be held the day before the SBT GRVL, so the two off-road races will join forces as riders compete for the title of Leadboat.

In addition to a total of 250 miles, 104 miles of dirt roads and 144 miles of gravel roads, the race will test riders' strength and stamina as they travel between Leadville and Steamboat Springs in 24 hours.

Many of King's top competitors on Sunday, including Alex Howes, Lachlan Morton, Lawrence Ten Dam, and Peter Stetina, will participate in the second leg of the journey. King will not be competing in the Lead Boat Challenge this year, choosing instead to share the competition with Laura in the "family lead boat."

"I am really excited to be back in Steamboat this week. My wife Laura and I are doing our first attempt at the "Family Lead Boat Challenge." She's racing in Leadville on Saturday and I'm defending my win in Steamboat on Sunday.

"I've run Leadville twice. It's a really fun event and I love going up to the town of Leadville and soaking up that community.

"Laura will be racing here in Leadville in 2021, so it's definitely easier to be a part of the Leadboat family than to complicate things. That may sound like an easy and fun weekend, but we are excited to do it all with our 17-month-old daughter, Hazel, in tow (figuratively). So it adds a fun complexity to the story. We're looking forward to the adventure."

King confirmed that the legs may be fresher without Leadville for Sunday's contest, but with so much travel from Vermont to Colorado, the basic stresses of being a race organizer may affect Sunday's performance.

"Packing up and moving your family to Colorado for two weeks is easier said than done. Plus, after the Leadville/Steamboat weekend, we drive to Montana for the Last Best Ride race.

"We're a little over a week away from 'Roots Vermont,' an event that will be like a wedding for a thousand people. In short, we are busy and couldn't be happier with the schedule we have.

"Stress is stress, and this weekend isn't as easy as driving an hour to a local gravel race. All of these little nuggets are part of the modern off-road escapade."