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EMPORIA, Kansas (VN) – These days, Eddie Anderson often re-enacts memories of the 2019 Belgian Waffle Ride – especially a critical moment that saved his career as a budding professional cyclist.

As the front group accelerated through the first section of the singletrack that year, Anderson suffered a flat tire and believed his day was over. At that point, his Hagens Berman-Axeon teammate Liam Holowesko stopped and gave Anderson his wheel.

Anderson continued and finished second the day after a close battle with Pete Stetina.

More than a year later, while Anderson was looking for a pro contract, his result in the Belgian Waffle Ride caught the attention of Alpecin-Fenix, Mathieu van der Poel’s team.

“They actually contacted me because they saw me run at BWR – if Liam hadn’t given me his wheel, there’s no way I would have been second that day.” , Anderson said. VeloNews. “It shows that the teams take these races seriously. These races are on their radar screens.

Now Anderson is the only American on the Dutch team, and his place in the team is almost entirely focused on gravel. While he has competed with the team in a handful of professional road races this spring, Anderson’s primary focus is on major gravel events in the United States. Its racing program includes the four Belgian Waffle Ride events, plus Crusher in the Tushar, Rebecca’s Private Idaho, the Oregon Trail stage race, SBT GRVL and the Leadville Trail 100 MTB.

All of these events, Anderson said, are of interest to his European road team.

“They wanted to get into the gravel discipline, and I couldn’t be more excited to be the guy who introduced them to gravel,” Anderson said of Alpecin-Fenix. “They take pride in racing in multiple disciplines, with road biking and mountain biking, so showing them other disciplines is really cool.”

Anderson is in Emporia this week to make his Unbound Gravel debut, where he is among the favorites for the Black Horses to battle for victory. His fitness from professional road racing should help him to be in the leading group for the first 100 kilometers of the race. However, it remains to be seen how he fares in the last five hours or so of racing. Anderson has never ridden, let alone raced, his 200 mile bike, and he’s eager to see how his body stands up to the wind and bumpy roads.

“It’s a 200 mile race so you never know what’s going to happen,” said Anderson. “I would say that someone who’s been in this event has a big advantage because they know how to refuel and how to run properly. We’ll see what happens.”

The signing with Alpecin-Fenix ​​in December marked a milestone in Anderson’s career. The Virginia native arrived in 2020 with the hopes of achieving a stunning result in his final year with the Axel Merckx development team and following in the footsteps of other Hagens Berman-Axeon graduates in the WorldTour of professional cycling. But the COVID-19 pandemic has torpedoed Anderson’s running campaign.

He was in Nice, France, training with fellow Virginian Joe Dombrowski when the pandemic hit, and he rushed home just as the virus was spreading across Europe, canceling out the great races.

Without a renowned result, Anderson headed into the 2020-21 offseason without a job. When VeloNews spoke to him in November he was considering returning to college or starting his own privateer racing program. Then, in December, Alpecin-Fenix’s call came in and Anderson found a lifeline to keep running. And he knows the lifeline has come because of his results in the gravel.

“I was definitely feeling a whirlwind of emotions, and at that point, I was like, ‘Am I running through a rabbit hole that will lead nowhere?’” Anderson said. “Then I sent an e-mail [Alpecin-Fenix] to tell them what I thought of the gravel, and we started talking. Less than a week later, I had a contract.

Anderson said his career path is a testament to his decision to get off the road, as well as his actions and activity in mass races. As more and more amateur runners entered downtown Emporia on Thursday afternoon, Anderson strolled through the race exhibit, shaking hands and speaking to amateur runners who recognized the logo Alpecin-Fenix ​​on his hat and shirt.

So what’s his advice for up-and-coming runners hoping to succeed in gravel?

“Stay very friendly during events,” he said. “Connect with brands when you look for the individual, then make your sponsors and represent them well at events like this. Talking to other runners and enthusiasts at an event like this is a good way to develop cycling. “