Originally Posted by
Rocket-Sauce
I gotta say, that after 50ish miles of riding on dirt roads and fire trails, I think I prefer the black tightly packed sort of gravel over the loose stuff.
I think that kind of gravel is also called... tarmac? asphalt?
While picking up a wheelset I found on Craigslist yesterday, I saw a number of vehicles with bikes on their racks heading to a nearby park. When the transaction was complete, I moseyed down that way, and found a cyclo-cross / gravel race in progress. Legions of lycra-clad, helmeted athletes were in various stages of preparation for the event when I got there. Bikes were all carbon-fiber, disc-braked, modern weightless wonders. I parked the van, opened the rear hatch, and extracted my 1949 Raleigh Clubman Path Racer, and explored the paved path around the park.
The race course crossed the pavement in several spots, but rather than blocking it off, the organizers had thoughtfully placed cones which allowed careful crossing of the race course at reduced speeds, encouraging caution in the process. I was able to make a complete circuit around the lake, and when I got back to my van, a couple riders came over to check out the Clubman.
I asked them whether there was a vintage class in their race, there wasn't, and told them that this was the Original Gravel Bike. As a Path Racer, all they really had were dirt and gravel paths back in the day, and these were modified for speed!
Image copyright unknown. This shot is all over the web, in various blogs and things, so I assume it is safe to post here.
They asked a few more questions, and I let a couple of them take it for a spin around the parking lot. As an impromptu history lesson for these modern racers, it was very gratifying for me as well. If I hadn't had other things planned for the day, I would have stayed to watch the races. These folks are
=fast!
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