Originally Posted by
WhyFi
Jumped in to the ring with A. Anquetil again. Yeah, still pretty tough. Given the elevation profile of the course, I thought that I might be able to hang for the full loop, but I ran out of gas a little over 20 min in. The Jungle Loop section, with all of the gravel, really saps me and makes me wonder if a gravel bike might give me a fightin' chance. Warming up beforehand, instead of jumping in cold, might not be a bad idea, either - I never did feel quite up to speed, though it might have just been a bad day.
In my experience with the Jungle Loop is that a gravel bike makes a significant difference. My last time with a group on that section, I could not stay with anyone on a gravel bike, even when putting out significantly more power.