Ivar Slik was born to ride bikes. After falling in love with the sport as a child, Ivar graduated to ten years in professional road cycling, in both continental and pro continental teams. Road, MTB, gravel, he's done it all. Continually switching it up, he's taken the podium's top step in multiple disciplines. Following the latest edition of Unbound, we get acquainted with the newest recruit to the MAAP Privateer Program. Ivar sat down with MAAP to talk secrets of his success, setups and tunes to get in the mood.
Ivar Slik is forging his own path in gravel racing. You may recall his maiden victory at Unbound Gravel 200 back in 2022 when he became the first non-American to win the race, but that's not where Ivar's gravel journey started. It might seem a classic path for road professionals to turn their hand to the gravel scene once their time in the peloton has ended. But Slik has never been defined by typical discipline boundaries. From mountain biking to beach racing, variety is the name of his game. He eventually became the European Champion of beach racing in 2021 and backed this up with a breakthrough year on the gravel scene in 2022.
Rapid round. Quick fire questions:
Favourite food?
“Tagliatella with salmon.”
Pre-Race Music?
“My head is a jungle (Ben Meredith edit).”
Group ride or solo?
“The longer rides I prefer in company and the shorter high intensity rides I do on my own.”
Post-ride eats?
“Pizza or a nice American Burrito.”
Other sports?
“When I was younger I played soccer and judo but I noticed that my passion and talents were more into cycling. Besides cycling I do core stability and yoga to free the mind.”
Travel?
“Tibet or Nepal. I also want to go on an altitude training camp in Colombia.”
Secret sauce?
“My mountain bike skills from the past [and perseverance] I crashed multiple times in my career and sometimes I thought I quit, but the love of the bike keeps you going.”
The Traka 200, one of the biggest gravel races in Europe, takes place in Girona, Spain. The region is Slik’s favourite place to train, giving him a rather handy advantage over his rivals. In 2022, this helped him win the event and get his incredible year on the gravel underway. For 2023, Slik had equally ambitious goals. He wanted to take home the glory at Unbound, but he suffered a setback in early spring.
"I crashed and had a tear in my lower back muscle, which radiated to my legs. Especially on climbs and with accelerating after corners, I suffered a lot. Now I am pain-free again and can do high-intensity training to build towards my peak fitness."
Unfortunately, the 2023 edition of Unbound didn't present him with the chance to take back-to-back wins. Swamps of mud and difficult conditions put many riders out of contention early on in the race – Slik ploughed on to the finish with only two working gears. A potential victory was snatched from him with a mechanical. Still, that's just how gravel racing is. It's not about winning all the time (as many elite riders won't) but embracing the race as it unfolds. Taking the conditions in hand and enjoying your time on the bike while grafting to the very end.
Ivar’s race setup:
- Wilier RAVE SLR - Limited Unbound Edition
- MICHE Carbo Graff Route wheels - Limited Unbound Edition
- Shimano 52-36 Dura Ace crankset
- GRX rear derailleur
- Fi’zi:k saddle
- Integrated Wilier 140 mm stem + handlebar
- Schwalbe G-One RS 40mm tires
- Sweet Protection Falconer
- Aero 2VI Mips helmet
- MAAP I.S. Skinsuit
The life of a gravel racer is full of ups and downs, and it can be even tougher maintaining race performance as a privateer. Events come thick-and-fast across a packed International schedule, with athletes often globe-hopping the leg-shattering circuit without any team support. Nobody helping with physio, pesky visa submissions, nutrition strategy - making sure you get from point A to B with minimal stress. It can, at times, feel similar to the amateur experience – pulling up to a race with your kit in the car and hoping you’ve not forgotten anything important (you know, like a bike!).
Privateers have to race, recover, bounce back and be ready to go again without many of the perks from a professional team environment. Despite the many challenges, Ivar Slik has found his groove in the privateer life, forging his own path to progression and podiums in gravel racing.
If you want to channel some race winning craft, The Adapted I.S. Pro Air Jersey is part of the MAAP Privateer Collection that directly funds independent athletes like Ivar throughout the year. You can also keep up to date on his journey @ivar.slik. Whatever unfolds for this season and the next, you can be sure some podiums will follow.
