Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
Yeah, lost in all the bickering in this thread is the fact that the entire race was slower this year. I too saw that and wondered why. The gender of riders didnt even cross my mind- just curious why it was slower. The average speed was slower for the winner, so it was therefore slower for all.
Rain? Heat? Wind? Everyone rode Gatorskins?
And the reverse is true- when I see a race that is faster than usual, I also wonder what allowed for better times.
I was wondering a lot of the same things. The one news article I did find mentioned a lean field. If it was really 12 entrants than lean is an understatement.
Maybe the uncertainty with covid caused people to think the race wouldn't happen so no one trained. Also wonder if they required riders to be vaccinated and if that caused people to not show up.