Originally Posted by
msu2001la
There's a guy that dominates our local CX series on a flat bar rigid fork MTB. He races in the Masters 35+ group and UCI doesn't regulate local races, so no restrictions on tire width, etc.
More specifically to that point, even though the UCI regulates CX racing, the vast majority of CX racing in the US is not affected by UCI regulations. The same would likely apply to gravel, if the UCI decides to get into that game.
I think I raced against that dude. That bike has a pretty strong motor!
No reason why a light weight hard tail (and fatter tires) wouldn't be better at those races (he got first place). Kinda defeats the purpose of riding a road bike off road though.
On gravel, the light weight and much broader gearing (esp top end) make my gravel bike faster than my mountain.
I'm thinking there is a large contingent that wants to keep UCI out of gravel. But we'll see.