Your Cart is Empty
Preview an article in the FREE OBED publication, Spoke & Terrain. An assemblage of stories, recollections from the trail & the race, all about the gravel community. Full Article Now Available
There’s a reason the Borzoi—a dog bred to hunt wolves—is considered one of the least obedient in the world. Yes, it’s calm, highly affectionate, holds a regal, dignified air, and is wonderful with children. Yet it’s known for a short attention span. The sight of a squirrel or cat sends the Borzoi into a mindless 40-mile-per-hour pursuit—much to the chagrin of its owners.
With that preface, we introduce you to Austin Sullivan.
If you’re tightly wound to the gravel race community—especially the long-distance set, which almost exists as its own subsector—you may have heard of Sullivan. For him, the longer the race, the better. He’s a frequent starter at the Unbound XL. This past February, he won the HuRaCaN LiTe—a 334-mile gravel bike race in central Florida that’s generally considered a mountain bike race—aboard his OBED GVR gravel bike, in a record time (the first ever under 24 hours) of 23 hours, 46 minutes. When the course goes overnight and requires midnight stops at convenience stores for Mountain Dew, Pop Tarts and other easy-access, low-cost, high-yield caloric sustenance, he’s a performer.
The whole race thing contradicts his persona. While personable, funny and friendly, he loves his alone time. No chatter. No intervals. Just road or trail ahead. It’s why he’ll decided on any given weekend to ride from Atlanta back home to Chattanooga, Tenn, taking backroads, hunting good tent spots along the way.
“Y’know, I’ve done tons of trips and rides with friends, and I enjoy it—I love camaraderie, chatting, all that,” he says. “But I really love being on my own schedule.”
Like it or not, a lot of rides end up becoming race simulations, with guys trying to kill each other,” he says with a laugh. “And that’s good—when it makes sense, like when you’re training for a ride. I’m up for that. But there’s time when I just wanna sit for five minutes and just enjoy the space I’m in, to experience my surroundings. If I want to hammer, or climb, or just stop and fill water in a creek. I love giving myself the chance to do so.”
“Not all who wander are lost.” — J.R.R. Tolkien
Of course, if the thing racing you is equine, well… all bets are off.
“I had a horse running along next to me once,” he recalls. “I was pedaling, with the horse matching my pace from across the fence, and I was like ‘these moments, they don’t happen.’ And nature is always there, ready to be seen. Whether you’re ready or not.
“I don’t know if that’s a romantic thought, but these kinds of interactions, they’re special..."
Also in Stories
How I Won a Gravel State Championship on the OBED RVR
Mark Meadows won the 2025 50-59M Colorado Gravel State Championship aboard the OBED RVR endurance road bike. Mark tells us about how he discovered gravel racing, what it took to achieve one of his biggest goals, and why he picked the RVR from his stable of OBED bikes.
Choosing the Best 1x Gearing for Your Fitness & Terrain
With a 1x drivetrain, it's easy to modify and fine-tune your gravel bike's gear range just by swapping to a different chainring. But how do you figure out what size chainring you need? Gear up with this easy guide.
Austin Sullivan's Return to Transcordilleras 2025
Transcordilleras is an 8-day gravel stage race that traverses the three mountain ranges of Colombia. OBED ambassador Austin Sullivan tells the story of racing and finishing Transcordilleras for the second time on his OBED GVR gravel bike.