Just finished but didn't see a thread on here, pretty good course this year a marked contrast from last year. Some nice descending skills from Mohoric to take the win and a good ride from Connor swift to hang on for the bronze medal, Florian Vermeesch took silver. Shame there was only 30km of live coverage for the mens and none for the womens at all.
Was there any cafe stops, coffee making or dicking about on singletrack having a laugh or was it all paid pros in skin suits riding a long CX course without the running bit? It's about as far from what 95% of the actual scene as you can get.
Well, no there wasn't and yes it was 😃 though it wasn't really any different to the pointy end of the Dirty Reiver, Gritfest or Grinduro, it might not be your scene, or to be fair mine either, but it was still an enjoyable race to watch.
Was there any cafe stops, coffee making or dicking about on singletrack having a laugh or was it all paid pros in skin suits riding a long CX course without the running bit? It’s about as far from what 95% of the actual scene as you can get.
you could say that about any kind of pro racing vs what folk do for fun.
didn’t gravel come from riding and racing road bikes on unsealed roads rather than people putting drop bars on mtb’s and riding single track? i always thought it had more in common with CX and road than MTB. or am i confusing gravel racing with gravel riding?
It’s about as far from what 95% of the actual scene as you can get.
Speak for yourself!
Some of us happen to dislike how 'gravel' seems to have been entirely co-opted by silly shirts, beards and not actually trying to go very fast... 😉
Sounds like another disappointment for WvA ☹️ Have been trying to find footage but have settled on Paris - Tours instead which is an acceptable substitute 😎
Was Flannel compulsory? What about beards and cake?
Or was it just a bit like XC on toad(ish) bikes?
Speak for yourself!
Some of us happen to dislike how ‘gravel’ seems to have been entirely co-opted by silly shirts, beards and not actually trying to go very fast…
if i was speaking for everyone it would've been 100% Shirley?
Pro gravel racing could be great. Just needs a few years and courses that become classics - it's got Paris-Roubaix to match, at least. Unbound always looks well up there on the bonkers racing scale.
Big favourite Wout van Aert (Belgium) had a disastrous day, suffering untimely mechanicals and a crash in the opening 60 kilometres, which saw him at times over 10 minutes off the pace of Mohorič and Co up front
He must wonder what he needs to do to wear the rainbow bands again!
Just needs a few years and courses that become classics
It's an interesting question though, what is the perfect course? Especially from the perspective of televisable close racing. Do you want to attract big names by keeping it suitable for the roadies, or do you go 'full' gravel a la Unbound and end up with an epic race but a field of people most haven't heard of?
Seems fairest I guess, the roadies and CXers have enough opportunities elsewhere...
Unbound is probably too long and as far as I know it's similar terrain all the way? What I love about Paris-Roubaix is the mix of road and pave, how the pave replaces mountains as points on the course for tactics. Gravel racing could mix it up like that, embracing road racing influence and history as well as the unpredictability and damn hard work of riding a race bike fast off-road. I mean, why couldn't P-R also be a round of the gravel world series? Ok practically it wouldn't happen, but it'd fit right in I think.
I agree entirely, 'professional' or competitive gravel is almost already out-shone by existing races which sit where pro gravel racing should sit.
Could you imagine a gravel series including heavily gravelised versions of P-R, Strade Bianche, Tro Bro Leon and Paris Tours 🤩
(Gravel Roubaix already exists, I forget who came up with it but I pinched the route 😎
Check out this route on Strava: https://strava.app.link/30UexuyMJDb — Gravel Roubaix)
