Planemaker

Well, I rode and ok race, 56 miles in 3:39 and finished 7th in the C group. The people in front of me were way younger than I was.

I put new Easton EC 70 AX bars on bike last week at 44 cm. I loved the control the wider bars gave me and the flares made riding in the drops a dream.

We had one hill that was close to a mile long that had close to 4 inches of gravel across the whole road. We had to go up the hill and back down twice (we did a 28 mile loop twice).

The course had other areas that had some thick loose gravel and my downfall was getting on the wrong side of the road a couple and not being confident enough on the corners. The second time around I was getting better though.

wheelsmcgee

Hey planemaker, I was out there as well. I agree that the thick sandy gravel was a pain. Not bad when I could find a good groove (literally), but then I’d pass someone or turn and have to really watch myself. I saw one guy on a fatbike/plusbike passing me in the other direction on that sandy two-way stretch...it didn’t seem to be bothering him as much!

Overall though the course and conditions were pretty nice...great day for a race (It would not have been pleasant earlier this week with that wind we had). My biggest bother was the grass fire smoke, but that’s just Kansas in the spring.

chris406

Was also there in the "B" class which is always funny to me because as you know they recommend anyone who can ride about 20-30 miles on our gravel from 14-17 mph should be in "B". In the lead group of "B" our first lap averaged over 20 mph. The lead group in "B" (much older then me) finished about 19-20mph pace. Great race series as always....we have some seriously fast gravel riders around here.

valleysuper

Nice job guys.
I’m looking around at some training and racing threads as I contemplate entering one locally.
That does seem like some fast averages in that “B” class. Wow. I have to work hard to average that on the road.
At that pace there must be some drafting going on?
I obviously have everything to learn, and I’m sure each race is different, but do you see road tactics at play in some races.. drafting, pulling through, paceline work? Or is it typically more single line, each person racing their own race?

ksryder

Depends on the race and the size of the field. Bigger fields mean more and more road-type tactics including drafting and attacking etc. (although it's a little different in gravel because you also have to worry about the line through the smoothest part of the gravel.)

But in smaller races the field might get stretched out pretty early and unless you're in the lead group you might find yourself all alone for several hours.

In the midwest you see more and more aero bars on gravel bikes (mine included) for that reason. I'm told that in hillier places like Cali you aren't likely to see any aerobars and in some races they're banned.

wheelsmcgee

Valleysuper: My experience pretty well agrees with what ksryder said. I started at the back of B group (and usually start a little slow) so I missed the peloton, but they seemed to stay clustered pretty tightly until they passed out of my view...I had only occasional encounters after that. Around 40 miles in, I passed a rider and he ended up asking if I minded if he drafted me for a while...fine by me. Another rider joined in for a few miles, until i pulled ahead.

The largest race I have done is the DK100. The first 25 miles or so are crazy crowded, nearly wheel to wheel and tricky to safely pass.

valleysuper

Thanks for the info guys. Was pretty much thinking it was with a few riders here and there for varying distances. Depending on people’s goals and skills.
I saw Chris post 19-20mph overall and it got me wondering. I’m sure all races are different, which is what intrigues me.
Thanks again.