Originally Posted by
clasher
I've seen people double-flat on paved roads, either hitting potholes, glass, expansion joints... just not paying attention. There's been a few crashes here with people riding in groups... I wasn't involved so I can't say what happened, but I haven't heard of anyone crashing on gravel on our rides since I've been around. There's been gravel sections on some of our routes since before I was member. Avoiding traffic is the first 'tenet' in our route design guidelines and personally I worry much more about being struck and killed by a motorist than I do crashing. Our schedule has many brevets that don't have any gravel and many people have asked to have more gravel events on the calendar. All the routes I design have the gravel clearly, and correctly, marked on rwgps... pretty easy for riders to avoid those routes if they don't like riding gravel.
Not when the RBA puts a control right in the middle of a gravel section and I am pretty sure it is not allowed to deviate from an unsafe route to a safe route although I know that riders do this. So, I can't disagree more.
I agree avoiding busy roads is key. Where I do some of my randonneuring, the routes were always on quiet roads, no gravel, and just a pure delight. Now, there is gravel, busy MUPs, and unnecessary trips in and out of the city. I now very carefully review courses for gravel. There is no way to know in advance if the gravel is fine and maintained or the more common, huge course rocks with potholes everywhere, branches overhanging, branches and debris on the path. Some hazards like rail tracks cannot be avoided but intentionally putting riders on gravel trails in the night after riding 15+ hour is just stupid.