51 here been riding gravel before there was a gravel thing. Started 10 years ago riding a cyclocross on gravel roads. Then when I bothered to look at forums there is a gravel biking genre! That is cool but I’m been riding gravel for decades because that is the only roads we have was gravel so I technically started gravel biking in the 1970s
gravel roads open a lot of cycling options without cars buzzing you at 75mph. Plus you get to see what the backroads have to offer.