Two American riders making their Big Sugar Gravel debuts are Lauren De Crescenzo (Cinch Rise) and 2021 U23 Time Trial Champion Michael Garrison (Hagens Berman Axiom). Both were competing in the inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships and had to find a way to get to Bentonville, Arkansas, in the middle of the United States, surrounded by the Ozark Mountains.

Gravel was a big deal for de Crescenzo in 2021 at Unbound Gravel, where he won his second consecutive "world title" at the Gravel World Championships in Nebraska. However, Garrison will make his debut in the U.S. gravel racing pro field on Saturday.

After a pre-ride on a portion of the course, the two were eager to get down to business and quickly noticed the differences in the off-road course.

"I wasn't thinking about the UCI Worlds in Italy. I was a late entry to the Big Sugar," de Crescenzo told Cycling News on the eve of his first ride in the Ozarks.

The UCI Gravel World Championships, where she finished 20th, was supposed to be the final race of the fall season, but she decided she was in good shape.

"It was different from racing in the U.S., where there are big, wide roads. In Italy, there were lots of narrow roads, singletrack, and hundreds of corners. The terrain was very flat and really mixed. The Italian rider, who lives in Georgia, added that she hopes to return to the World Championships.

"The gravel here [in Arkansas] is hard and sharp. I like the relentlessness of the course. I also like the rollers."

BMC USA, which supplies bikes to Garrison's Continental team, brought him back to the US to produce a video introducing Kaius, their newest gravel bike. He rode this new model in Italy, finishing 76th out of 99 riders in the 194 km event. It was an epic 20-hour plane ride (redirected due to a passenger's sudden illness), an overnight stay in Atlanta for a wedding, and another flight back to Bentonville. He arrived last Sunday, but his bike got stuck in customs, so BMC built him a new machine.

"Every day since last Sunday we have been filming drone shots, car arm shots, and lots of riding. It's been an incredible week," Garrison said of the season extension.

Garrison described the Gravel World Championships in Italy as an "alternative mixed-surface" race, and said that the change in plans to come to Arkansas "I consider this my first real gravel race."

Garrison also said that he was "looking forward to the next race.

"There was a lot of singletrack and loose white roads (in Italy). The 21-year-old said he discovered this during a week of preparation around Bentonville. 'The first time I drove here I cut my tire. I stopped and picked up a rock and it looked like a razor. It was literally like someone had sharpened this rock."

"This is pure, exhausting gravel racing. The first 40 miles of the course are pretty tough in terms of tires, tire pressure, and tire repair capabilities. The last two thirds of the course are not so scary."

"At the World Championships, we didn't bring spares or anything. I mean, we had a massive setup, but I didn't bring my saddlebags."

"I had a lot of spare parts, but I didn't have my saddlebags with me.

As de Crescenzo said, Garrison said the World Championships were flat and fast. He said that a lot of singletrack did not allow overtaking, which created an "interesting dynamic."

"There was singletrack, there were bottlenecks, some racers had mechanics. And there were sections of the track where 150 people would run single file on 4-inch strips. You never see that in gravel racing in the U.S.," he said, adding that even though gravel races have tight courses, they usually have elevation changes to bring the riders together.

De Crescenzo said he was impressed with the pro riders who traveled to Arkansas for the race.

"Who's not here? It's the last hurrah at the end of the season. I hope the legs are in good shape. ......"

For Garrison, he said he might get used to more gravel, but will focus on the road in 2023 as he continues his fourth season at Hagens Berman Axion.

"The road program will be a priority, but there is flexibility to pursue other opportunities. Such as races in Europe like Gravel and Tracka. Because those variations keep me happy, keep me fresh, and keep me excited."