Originally Posted by
TheRef
I did a couple of gravel events last year and I saw a couple of people with wider tires on the front to my surprise. After chatting with a guy about his choice he explained that the wider front allows him to hit larger gravel, divots and objects and not have the front end give. I have no first hand experience with this set up.
Fairly common approach for all loose surface riding. Although the exact reasons vary. Some simply refer to grip and roll. Grippier front for better cornering. Better roll for the more heavily loaded rear where a skid is more controllable.