Former Tour de France top-10 finisher Lawrence ten Dam will make his 2020 race debut at the Low Gap Grasshopper on Saturday.

The retired road rider joins Peter Stetina, Jeff Kabush, and Jonathan Baker in a strong men's field, with former mountain bike cross-country world champion Kate Courtney leading the women's field.

Ten Dam is no stranger to racing on gravel, making his Grasshopper debut in 2016. He has one win in the popular American series, but after a busy offseason, the Dutch rider is simply looking to enjoy the experience before setting his sights on racing later in the year.

"I did Grasshopper for the first time in 2016 and have done it a couple of times since. I've never done Low Gap, but I've done it three times in the series this year, Low Gap and two races in May. I've won one before and have a lot of good memories," Tendam told Cycling News from his current base in California.

"I've never been there, so it's going to be an adventure kind of race, but I'm going to rent a car and head there right away. I'm not looking to win, but I'm looking for a good adventure."

Since giving up his road bike at the end of 2019, Tendam has started a new life: media and business. He is set to launch his own clothing line and has embarked on video and podcast projects. He has also started a modest but exciting gravel team to bring the sport's appeal to the masses.

During the winter months, his off-bike work has increased, but the 39-year-old still finds time for some last-minute training.

"During the winter I had to secure a lot of partnerships, but I've now come to the coast and started training, doing four days of training rides of 200 km each day.

"But the winter was good. I started my own team and that took a lot of energy, but my wife is helping me with the website. I'm also going to start my own clothing line, and I'm still writing and recording podcasts. I know I'm going to get my ass kicked this weekend. It will be a nice wake-up call for May, when I'll be on the Dirty Canza road trip. 'The team is me and a few more guys. I'm trying to go fast and they're more everyday cyclists, so they're trying to finish the race. That's why it's called "live slow, ride fast." It's to support people who have to juggle work and family and to bring that idea into Kanza

"This is a road trip and we are going to have fun and tell our story. I want to live this kind of adventure and then tell that story to our readers and listeners. It's not just about the gravel road. If we have fun along the way, we can still have adventures. For me, adventure is about running with friends, having fun, and enjoying a beer together."

The gravel scene exploded in North America last year, with fellow former pro road riders Peter Stetina and Ian Boswell taking up gravel from part-time to full-time.