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I’m probably in the minority here but I really wish race organizers would chill on the techy/single track stuff being thrown into so many of our area gravel races here. Last year I signed up for a small gravel race and found a bunch of locals on fat bikes… found out it was a very sandy course that had long unrideable stretches on a conventional gravel bike.
Another has a pretty extensive ride through two track in a cow pasture that is exceedingly rough and slow going.
Now a very popular local race is looking at throwing in a couple miles of rocky pasture 2 track with a big climb that no mortal human could clear on a gravel bike…
Am I alone in just wanting to compete on roads? Throw in tough climbs and descents but I really don’t want to ride a mountain bike race on my gravel rig. Or for that matter, constantly dismount for fluffy sand… or anything else.
From my experience, I'm gonna guess you'll be in the minority. I went down this road with local race organizers here for MTB XC. The courses were getting steeper and more technical and I'm at that age where staring at a potential broken collar bone makes me think twice. I was in the vast minority. We did a gravel race here recently and there was a 1 mile section of wet, muddy singletrack with rocks, roots and several switchbacks. Not a fan. I walked it.
Look at the progression in DH, XC, even Road Racing. More tech and challenge seem to be the direction. What used to be RedBull Rampage is now DH (well.... sorta). What used to be DH is now XC. What used to be XC is largely what we call gravel today. Race Organizers are trying to make their race stand out. I expect to see more of this.
fargy483 wrote:I vote: The gnarlier the better especially in a race. Gravel shouldn’t be road biking off road. It should require cajones (figurative not literal). At times, your routes should make you wonder wtf am I doing on this bike. Otherwise ride road bikes. 😎
My guess is that even after this, Ted King would still say he likes the more technical/difficult races. But this is not how I want to end MY race day. I did my spills and thrills when I was young and pay for it every time I try to put shoes on..... and recovery at this end of the spectrum takes WAY longer. Crashing really is not an option and when you ride the more techy stuff, it's just a matter of when, especially when surrounded by 20 other racers that want the same line.
The sport will do what it will do. I will do what is best for me.
digivon wrote:It's also a way to get away from all those type A roadies.
I think that the day that this is true is drawing to a close. More and more road racers are turning to gravel and the dynamic is in flux. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out over the next few years.
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-announces-gravel-series-and-official-world-championships/SWGraveler wrote:I personally think that there should be some general boundaries for a race based upon the sort of bike they say is appropriated for the course. That said, I also think that the key thing is that they should be upfront with stating any non-typical aspects within the course if they are including them. That way for folks who do/do not want that sort of thing they can make a choice or at least be prepared in terms of gear/tire etc.. Lots of folks approach rides as an event and may travel to them for diversity and hence have no local knowledge. One can research but that only provides so much. There is a point where something being sketch becomes dangerous if it rains and frankly, a race promoter should know the area and hence the typical rain chances..
mtbnut87 wrote:Agree 100%.My guess is that even after this, Ted King would still say he likes the more technical/difficult races. But this is not how I want to end MY race day. I did my spills and thrills when I was young and pay for it every time I try to put shoes on..... and recovery at this end of the spectrum takes WAY longer. Crashing really is not an option and when you ride the more techy stuff, it's just a matter of when, especially when surrounded by 20 other racers that want the same line.
The sport will do what it will do. I will do what is best for me.
Course design inevitably comes down to personal interests of the organizer, sometimes their age, feedback they’ve received and what others are doing. The latter feeds itself, and becomes a contest and marketing angle.
I personally would be okay with more just straight up gravel races with some minor technical sections, and mountain bike XC events on proper mountain bikes but like others here, I’m in the minority.