Meet Torbjorn “Toby” Andre Røed, the man who won Mid South

Leave it to the man with the biggest mouthful of a name to make the first major statement of the 2024 gravel racing season.

Torbjorn “Toby” Andre Røed won The Mid South Gravel with a killer sprint after four-and-a-half hours of racing. He rode a savvy race in dry, fast conditions that made gaining a solo gap almost impossible. He’s never thought of himself as a sprinter, but gravel racing has shown him sides of himself he never expected. 

Røed grew up in Norway, racing everything from cross country mountain biking, to road, to cyclocross, to track. He started racing gravel in 2023 and found that it blended all of his cycling strengths into one splendid discipline — offroad bike handling with road endurance. That it also features a unique layer of exploration and communal bonding makes it all the more suited to Røed’s sensibilities.

“I’ve always enjoyed doing longer events,” Røed says. “And with the mountain bike background, the road stamina and just the desire to go far and stay out there for a long time and explore, that’s what I feel like I get through gravel. I get to explore because it’s just the one big loop to nowhere normally.”

Before Mid South, Røed broke through with a win at Big Sugar in 2023. Similar circumstances — he approached the line with a high-powered group of riders, and in the end, only Røed had the juice to jump ahead of the pack. The result was an eye opener for Røed as much as anyone else. He struggled on the road, where his competition could sit on his wheel only to slingshot past him at the finish line. In gravel, the conditions are difficult enough that he feels he can finally outlast the field.

“Big Sugar was of course a huge confidence boost,” Røed says. “It really took me out of the underdogs. And it’s gonna be different not being an underdog anymore, but I’m super excited to always aim for the top from now on, and know and feel that everyone else thinks that I can be there.”

If anyone still didn’t know what Røed is capable of before Mid South, they certainly know now. The question is, what can they do about it? Røed is not only looking speedy on Checkpoint, but he feels at home wandering dirt roads thousands of miles away from his native Norway. He’s a man more comfortable taking on the unknown than going down the same well-worn paths. 

In short, there are few people in the world more mentally and physically suited to the rhythms and rigors of gravel racing. And unless you’re the competition, we should all consider ourselves fortunate to catch him on the come-up. 

Røed spoke with the Race Shop about joining Trek Driftless, living in the United States since 2018, and why he never stays in hotels on the road. The following conversations has been edited for clarity and length.

How did you come to join Trek Driftless?

Torbjorn Andre Røed: It just kicked off around big sugar after getting that good result. I feel like I’ve known Trek in a way through a lot of friends riding for them and close connections with a bunch of people on Bear, and I’m really good friends with Daxton Mock and Aaron Mock, who also works at Trek. So I guess that helped me out a bit, and put me in the right direction. And then I just got an email from [Trek Director of Sports Marketing] Tim [Vanderjeugd] asking if I wanted to have a chat.

The Colorado connection is strong with you. You rode for the Colorado Mesa program where Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli XC riders Madigan Munro and Gwendalyn Gibson also rode, and you’re friends with Riley Amos. Did you talk to them while you were deciding to join the program?

Røed: I’ve been looking up to Trek for a while. That was kind of a goal, either the road team or gravel, but Trek is a big brand and they make really fast and cool bikes. They’re definitely one of the top tier bikes in the world. So it’s definitely been a goal to get here.

And of course, being around all these other kids on really nice Treks, it definitely put it a little bit in my face and motivated me to work towards it. 

In the process of getting going with Trek, I didn’t talk to the other guys too much, but I talked a bunch with Riley about equipment setup and stuff afterwards. I was racing him in college a bit before, and I hung out with him because I raised a bit of XCO back in 2020 and 2021. 

What kind of advice or insight into Trek did he give you?

Røed: He was saying it is a pretty good team culture. The riders are all mixing and matching. Though you’re doing road or mountain bike or cross, you all get to hang out and do some things together throughout the year. But also more specifically, he told me how to have a good Supercaliber and what choices to make, since we had a few options to choose between.

How did you get involved with that Colorado Mesa program coming all the way from Norway?

Røed: Well, it actually started with my brother, who was a mountain biker as well. He is five years older than me. He was racing me in Norway and kind of got tired of the Norwegian scene and wanted to step it up and do some school as well. So we learned that in the US you can combine studies and cycling a lot easier. So he was looking on the USA Cycling website and found what schools give scholarships, and did a little tour and ended up settling at CMU.

I came over a year or two later just to visit him around Thanksgiving, and I just remember landing and I was like, ‘OK, I’m coming too. This is awesome.’ [Laughs] And yeah, I just really fell in love with the desert, and all the dry weather, and all the great riding and exploration possibilities in the area, like Colorado and Utah. It’s just so nice to explore and ride it.

That CMU program has certainly produced a lot of great cyclists. What’s the culture like, and how did it help you develop?

Røed: Definitely being a part of CMU has helped me a lot to get to where I am today. Starting there in 2018, it’s been a really good squad the whole time, and most importantly I just had a lot of people to ride with. As the program has continued growing and growing, it’s gotten faster and faster. 

I did five years just to be able to ride as much as possible and do school as little as possible.

What was it like moving the United States for the first time?

Røed: It was a huge difference in a lot of things. But I moved in with two cyclists, and one Swede, so it was nice to have that close connection. And my brother was also in town, so we had some Scandinavian nights, and it felt a little bit like home. But I’ve really, really enjoyed it. And the biggest thing is obviously the weather. Dry trails and road biking all year pretty much.

You famously love to explore, and you like staying with people who you can get to know, and who can show you around rather than hotels. 

Røed: I think that’s also why I’ve been such a big fan of CMU and the whole team there. We used to have a lot more international riders on the team back in 2018, but recently it’s been more Americans. And it’s been really nice just to get to know everyone, and I met a lot of good friends and I’ve visited a lot of where they came from and stayed at their parents’ houses, and I’ve just had a really good time seeing more of the culture and meeting new people. I’ve been able to ride so many places with so many people who are stoked to be on bikes and show me around. So it’s really fun. 

What have been some of your favorite places to ride?

Røed: Crested Butte is definitely up there. Such a good spot. But of course Moab can’t be not mentioned. It’s somewhat basic, but it’s very unique and great.

When did you pick up gravel racing and why has it clicked with you?

Røed: I did my first gravel races last year. BWR Arizona in March was my first one, and I rode the season on a borrowed bike. 

I’ve always enjoyed doing longer events. I really enjoy going long on my training rides — six to 10 hours. And I just really like the volume, and my body responds well to it, so that makes me like it more. And with my background — I grew up racing mountain bikes from 10 to 19, and then I switched to road for a few years, and back to mountain bike and road, and I also did some cyclocross and track cycling — I’ve been through it all and just have lots of different technical skills. 

And with the mountain bike background, the road stamina and just the desire to go far and stay out there for a long time and explore, that’s what I feel like I get through gravel. I get to explore because it’s just the one big loop to nowhere normally. 

And at the end of the day, normally my sprint isn’t that great, but when everyone’s tired, it’s a lot better.

I mean, your sprint looked pretty darn good at Big Sugar.

Røed: And that was kind of the first time I ever won a sprint.

Why was that such a good day for you?

Røed: I’d done some really good training before, and coming out of BWR Kansas the week before I was very confident in myself. I was feeling good, and I knew that if the day was right, I would have a chance to be up there. 

I don’t remember exactly what happened in the last 30 seconds of that race, but looking from the overhead shot I can see that my road experience really played a role. I feel like it was really good, just taking a look at the sprint, it was definitely the thing I should have done. I’ve seen a lot of road racing lately and been in a bunch this summer. So it was definitely helpful. 

What was going through your head as soon as you realized it was going to be a heads up situation?

Røed: I was definitely thinking, ‘Ah shit. This is not what I want.’ Especially with three or four miles before the finish when Alexey [Vermeulen], Lachlan [Morton] and Alex [Howes] caught up with us. I was about to fight for maybe top six and now I’m fighting for top 10? I wasn’t feeling that confident, especially with my earlier flat, because I remember saying to myself, as I was on my way up after the sprint, ‘That was the winning legs, and now I’ll be fighting for a top 10.’ But that might have also calmed me down a bit and be like, ‘Let’s just have fun because the race is kind of over.’

Did that results make you up your goals or see your career in a new way?

Røed: The thing is, I’ve felt pretty strong for maybe about two years now, I just haven’t really gotten it out in a race. And that might also be because road racing maybe doesn’t fit me as well. Everyone can sit in my wheel and then sprint me at the end. But Big Sugar was of course a huge confidence boost. It really took me out of the underdogs. And it’s gonna be different not being an underdog anymore, but I’m super excited to always aim for the top from now on, and know and feel that everyone else thinks that I can be there.

Do you have a favorite moment ever in a gravel ride or gravel race?

Røed: It might be my first gravel race, BWR Arizona, when we were all just going at it, and suddenly we were just in a small group, and I felt some accomplishment about that. [Laughs]. And just being out there, and also being in the middle of nowhere in Arizona. It was just some cactus and a bunch of guys having fun. 

I remember sitting there with [Chris] Blevins and Keegan [Swenson], and we’re just chatting it up and everyone stopped to pee, because we were all just out there to enjoy it, not to take the edge off each other. It was just a very friendly vibe, and I felt welcome even though I was the underdog, or the odd one out.

Gravel racing seems to have a layer of respect and community over it — of ‘something more.’ What do you want to represent within the sport?

Røed: Just the love to explore. It’s about exploring nature, but also meeting new people. Just go out there and see what’s of the world, and learn from your experiences.

Are there any races that you’re particularly looking forward to, especially in the spirit of exploration?

Røed: Just racing in general. Definitely Unbound might not be the craziest place, but I haven’t been there. I’ve been close. Lawrence, Kansas, is not that far away. But I haven’t done that long of a race before. So far my longest is about six and a half hours. So Unbound seems a little scary, but also something I’m super excited for. 

And then a place I really want to go … I’m looking for some odd races to do and I might be doing the Rift in Iceland. It seems like a really special gravel race.

Looking ahead to this season, how do you want to evolve as someone who is still young and new to this discipline? 

Røed: As a rider I definitely want to get more consistent in training in general, and then hopefully also become even more consistent at races. My main is to get a good sprint [Editor’s note: Mission accomplished], which might seem weird since I won a sprint at Big Sugar, but it was a once in a lifetime moment. 

And as a person, I want to get better at enjoying where I am right now. Because of course you always work to get to the next thing, but I want to get better at taking each day and just making it a good one, and then spreading that with the people around me.