No rest for the weary Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-SRAM), winner of the Unbound Gravel 100, as she heads from Kansas to Finland for the next off-road competition. This time she will be wearing her helmet as a racer and her cap as an event promoter, as FNLD GRVL, the official label of Finnish Gravel, will be held on Saturday.

The Australian has split her time between road and gravel events this year: after the UAE Tour and the spring classics season, she is 3-3 in gravel, including two UCI Gravel World Series wins at Seven in Western Australia and Glaroch in Scotland She has been In the Unbound 100, she put her head down on a muddy course and won by more than 26 minutes.

"Of course, it's always nice to win. I didn't know where I stood compared to the other women, so I just rode hard," Cromwell told Cycling News after winning the Flint Hills

.

"Next up is gravel in Finland. Next up is gravel in Finland. It's a pretty heavy gravel block right now, but it's nice."

The event will take place on Saturday in Lahti, one hour from the Finnish capital Helsinki. There are three distances with aid stations and course markers, the longest being the 177 km Midnight Sun Route, and the €20,000 prize money will be split equally between the top five men and top five women.

Fresh off a big win in the Unbound Gravel 200, Caroline Schiff, men's second-place finisher Petr Vakoc, Peter Stetina (7th), and Jasper Okkeloen (10th) are among the A-List who will support Cromwell in this event, which is being held in Finland for the first time. riders are among the names on the list. Other gravel specialists headed from the Unbound 200 include Rob Britton (Factor Bikes), 16th, Angela Naess (Castelli Cycling), 12th, and Ruth Winder (Trek Bikes), who retired from this year's race.

"For me, gravel is about finding new frontiers and exploring new parts of the world. I try to participate in an international gravel adventure every year, and when the idea of the FNLD came up, I simply said yes. I've never raced on the road and have always wanted to experience this country," Stetina told Cycling News. The choice was even easier with my friends Tiffany and Valtteri from the Canyon with me. I can't wait to see what they will create."

Other elite riders on the Midnight Sun route include former men's World Tour veterans Nicolas Roche and Alex Catalford, and current pros Heidi Franz (DNA Pro Cycling) and Chloe Hosking (Hosking Bikes).

"I'm really looking forward to visiting Finland for the first time and racing in the FNLD GRVL, having participated in the SBT GRVL and knowing the quality of the events organized by Amy Charity. Add to that the excellence of Valtteri (Bottas) and Tiffany, and this should be a formula for success."

"I've always been impressed with Tiff's ability to balance road racing and gravel. I think this gravel block will definitely help him prepare for the rest of his road schedule at DNA Pro Cycling."

Cromwell is part of a trio of event founders, including partner Valtteri Bottas, an F1 driver and Canyon bike ambassador, and Amy Charity, founder of SBT GRVL in Colorado. Both Cromwell and Bottas have competed in the Steamboat Springs event, with Cromwell winning the women's division last year on the 100-mile blue course and Bottas placing second in her age group on the shorter red course.

"The American scene has been exploding for a while, and now gravel is growing in Europe. But [European racing] is focused on racing alone and not the overall experience. Gravel racing is serious, but fun at the same time," Cromwell said of recreating the "experience" he and Bottas enjoyed at Steamboat Springs.

After contemplating retirement, Cromwell signed a two-year extension with Canyon-SRAM for 2021. She competed in the SBT GRVL in 2019, allowing the team to mix off-road competition with road racing, as her teammate at the time, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, did in mountain biking and cyclocross.

"I've always been someone who likes the added excitement. My team director, Ronnie [Lauke], came up with the idea, 'Gravel is a stretch. He saw the potential and interest of Canyon (team bike sponsor) and the growth of the Gravel calendar. Gravel is something we can do together."

The Finnish event expects 1,500 professional and amateur riders for a four-day festival focused on a relaxed atmosphere and a variety of activities. There may even be a sauna at the finish line in the port city.

"There are endless forests and lakes. It's not mountainous, it's fast and flowing, with some technical trails and small hard-pack farm roads. It was tricky timing with the unbound and the Women's Tour," Cromwell said of the inaugural event. We want to increase the number of women participants and make gravel "serious," but keep the spirit of gravel. We plan to make this event a multi-year event."