Rapha at the Dirty Kanza
 

Anyone else watch the Rapha video of some euro pros doing the race?
very cool 😎 the big boys did well but suffered like dogs Phinney was one if the bug names all felt much respect for gravel grinding
cool video

Phinney was one of the big names......

Got a link?

Makes no sense. People wearing Rapha wouldn't be caught dead on gravel or out on hot days.

Impossible. There was a guy wearing Rapha on my local Wed night gravel ride this last week.

No I received an email from Rapha
must be on line somo
just cool feel good video

Thanks for the description. Took 10 seconds to find a link.

just for that I'm putting on my RCC kit and hitting the dirt.. it's supposed to be in the 90s next week.

I've got a Rapha Flyweight jersey that is the best thing ever for a very hot day...Even on gravel.

Does anyone else totally not care about elite pro riders and what they think and what their living room looks like?

The first guy to speak is an example of a condescending elitist view of the rest of us who in his mind are too stupid to understand how the Tour de France works.

Im sure the video served some purpose but I couldn’t watch it past whomever it was telling is about moose.


-Tim-

So you understand how the "scoring" works with the TDF, that part of the video was not for you.

Shockingly, there are a lot of people who don't fully understand all the specifics of the race but are also interested in cycling. I can't tell you how many times during the TDF that someone could come in to the shop watch it for 5-10 minutes and then ask us about "how it all works."

Ironically, those same people would later ask about gravel bikes because they read/heard about it from somewhere.

I got a good laugh at Taylor making fun of MTV's Cribs, very tongue in cheek.

Well, Tim...90%+ of Americans don't understand cycle races. The ---strong hoopla came-and-went along with nigh-on-a-decade of domination of TdF, and Americans still don't get it or care. We're the few inside the bubble who ride bikes, and the few-er that get it.

There's good reason any cycling stream of a race in America....you get the intro-to-cycling schtick. Still.

Bought me a $10 hat paid $30
 

Went to Rapha nyc cool place great part of nyc i dropped $30 on cycling cap
Basically a cool arse coffee shop if you have $270.00 u can get a fine cargo bib
😘

I bought a $180 jersey at that store.

Asked if they would throw in a cup of coffee and they said no.

Maybe cost them thirty five cents to make.


-Tim-

Not knowing how something works and not being able to comprehend how something works are two different things. I’d wager that the vast majority of those to whom you explain it are able to understand. The person in in the video however, mocks the same people. It is very elitist and condescending.

If people like that are indicative of the way gravel is going then I’m happy to just ride solo in the woods. Already DK has become an elite focused event. Even gravelcyclist.com has become focused on elite riders and association with celebrity insiders where they used to be about the regular guys riding bikes


-Tim-

I guess I'm not tracking the mocking and condescension. But then again I work with doctors and scientists all day, so I've just learned to let stuff roll off.

He's only a bit out of college and young. Further, like a great many in other fields, he's gotten annoyed by needing to explain the rudiments of his field to everyone outside of it. The patience of a teacher is a rare thing, and a great many people don't have it--and would rather not have to explain/teach people who probably won't remember a thing they say.

I watched the first few minutes, including the scene you referenced. I did not pick up any mocking condescension - just a sort of acknowledgment that the scoring in a grand tour is perhaps not well understood by most people here in the US.

I do totally agree with your opinion on professional cyclists, and professional athletes in general. Most of them are not very interesting people. Which is exactly what I would expect from people who spend such large proportions of their lives in pursuits that are neither intellectual nor creative.

As for the purpose of the video: it is obviously to sell Rapha apparel. Though it does not have that effect on me. It just makes me even less interested in ever riding the Dirty Kanza.

The only condescending attitudes I'm seeing are coming from members of this forum. I enjoyed the video. Education First is one of my favorite pro tour teams. I've followed their coach, Jonathan Vaughters, since his racing days 20 years ago. They have a solid lineup of racers and have been very successful. Among their team there is the eternally almost there American hero, Tejay van Guarderen, Rigoberto Urán, who finished 2nd in the 2017 TdF, Lawson Craddock, everyone's hero of the 2018 TdF where he finished the tour despite breaking his scapula in an opening stage accident. And there's nutcase, 3 time US national time trial champion, Taylor Phinney, who makes silly videos similar in tone to parts of this one for daily broadcast at the TdF.

They are pro bike racers. It's their job, they do it well and they have some fun while they do it. That may not interest you, but why get your panties in a wad about it? Just look the other way. If they get paid to sell some clothing, so what?

Here's a photo feature on the Dirty Kanza that was posted on their team website.
https://www.efprocycling.com/cows-gr...d-a-cold-beer/

Loved it. Well shot, well cut. Sounds like EF was there in a good way. Lots of positive feedback from riders that were there on EF's involvement.

Love these three dudes. The video made me want to do some kind of gravel event some day, and just get out and ride. Funny they said they would prefer a jersey next time instead of a technical tee. Rapha is capitalizing on the growing gravel scene and that's cool with me. Love my core cargo bibs.

I thought it was a good video. Narcissistic in spots? Sure. They're millennials and they're pro racers. Narcissism is an essential part of both cultures. But there was humility there, too. It was good to hear that the pros hit a "wall" about the same mileage that I did. (Of course, I was riding at a much slower pace.) Proof of the adage: It never gets easier, you just get faster.

The DK200 isn't the same event that it used to be. With the kind of growth they've enjoyed, there was no way it could remain the same. But there are still gravel races out there that have the same vibe that DK had five or more years ago. I race those now. Different races for different racers. Although it means I'm no longer attracted to it as a racer, I find the up-scaling of Dirty Kanza to be a cool thing . . . from a distance. It's probably good for the sport. If it causes more grassroots races to be promoted, it's definitely good for the sport.

That's interesting. No punctuation, except for the decimal point in $270.00, when you could have just used $270 and avoided the necessity of deploying the decimal point.

Yup.

Funny, I didn't hear anyone at the actual race complaining about the pros (probably because we were all suffering through trying to complete 200 miles in 90-degree temps on a course that was a lot tougher than the last few years).

It was only after I got home and got on the internet that Experts told me I should be Outraged and offended by the pros.

I'm glad, it never would have occurred to me that I should have been Outraged had not the Experts on the internet that were not there told me that I should be Outraged.

My thoughts exactly. It was an awesome event, and it was made all the cooler by EF's presence. Their water stop at mile 100 was a Godsend. Super cool of them to have cooling towels to pass out to everyone too. They're a class act.

What planet do you live on?!? There wasn't an ounce of condescending elitism from Alex in that bit. I've tried to teach my wife every year for the past five years how the TdF jerseys work and I guarantee you she still couldn't explain it. So yeah, it's not straight forward and most people don't understand it.