Pete Stetina steps away from pro gravel racing
American switched from road to gravel in 2020.
Pete Stetina is retiring from professional gravel racing after playing a formative role in the discipline.
It’s no surprise that Stetina pursued a career in cycling; he’s the son of former professional cyclist Dale Stetina and nephew of Wayne Stetina, another former pro.
Before a five year stint on the gravel circuit, Stetina made a name for himself as a WorldTour road racer for teams like Garmin Sharp, BMC, and Trek Segafredo. He rode as a mountain domestique, using his lightweight frame to last deep into long climbs in grand tours.
Though much of his road career was spent in Europe, Stetina’s best results came in the States, including 2nd in a stage of the Tour of California and 5th in GC at the Colorado Classic. In 2015, he suffered a major crash at the Tour of the Basque Country, highlighting the risk and sacrifice inherent in the sport of cycling. After the 2019 season, he retired from Trek, announcing he would be one of the first from the WorldTour to join the growing gravel race scene.
At that time, gravel was more of a relaxed discipline, with the so-called Spirit of Gravel leading to chiller race starts, even if the top pros still set fast times. Stetina enjoyed the mass participation aspect of the sport and fan interaction. Even so, he still set top results with marquee wins at the Spanish Traka and Utah’s Crusher in the Tushar. He also was a regular at popular events like Unbound Gravel and Belgian Waffle Ride. He finished 5th and 6th overall in the Life Time Grand Prix but did not contest the competitive series in 2025.
As gravel became more professionalized—thanks in part to the Life Time Grand Prix—the racer felt the tension between hyper competitive racing and the aforementioned Spirit of Gravel.
“I came to gravel to have a more fulfilling and fun experience,” he told Cycling Weekly, who first reported his retirement announcement. “And I almost feel like I’m back in the WorldTour that I left. That’s not a negative thing, but it’s so high-performance now. It extended my career even more than I ever thought possible.”
The coming 2026 season will be a victory lap for Stetina, who will visit several of his favorite races such as Levi’s GranFondo in his Northern California hometown, Belgian Waffle Ride, The Mid South, Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder, and SBT GRVL.
Stetina said he will still be involved with Canyon bikes and several of his sponsors as he serves as a mentor for future generations of gravel racers.
Also joining the retirement ranks this December is Kerry Werner, who finished fifth at Sunday’s USA Cyclocross National Championships behind winner Eric Brunner. Werner was a mainstay on the US cyclocross circuit and even made a short interlude into the gravel world.
“Yesterday I bowed out of a 15+ year cycling career,” he wrote on Instagram. “Today I am welling with emotion. My heart is full and I find myself dwelling back on amazing memories with amazing people and no regrets. I am thankful for every second of it. Thank you cyclocross family for welcoming me with open arms, supporting me, and giving back to me all the love that I poured into this sport”
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