There are a lot of different types of Gravel events. I started organizing some in 2007; none of them are races, but all it takes to have a race is to have 2 people trying to outdo each other. In the larger events, it is typically easy to find someone to ride with, regardless of one's pace. In the smaller ones, the chances of having a lonely day are greater.
The scene has definitely changed, but with all things, you typically get out of them what you want. If you want to race, great, if you want to ride, terrific. However, if you want to venture off the designated course, I'd suggest you not enter. While exploring is great on your own or with friends, doing so purposely during an event puts the event at risk. Properly permitted events have parameters and estimated time tables, and support for these confines. When participants venture away from these, bad things can happen. A few years ago, we had some participants who knowingly strayed off a course, and when one of those riders crashed, when the call came in, we had a hard time figuring out where they were and how they got there... We figured it out, and all ended well, but it could have been very bad. Gravel started out as an inclusive change from the road scene, and for the most part, it still is. A key thing to maintain this vibe is avoiding judgement whether it be from the faster riders about the slower riders or vice-versa. One should respect fellow participants, the course, and the rules. If there are time cut-offs, they are there for a reason, which may not be apparent to the participants. And FWIW, my events used to attract racer and seasoned riders, but now we are getting significantly more less experienced riders. It's all great, but as an organizer we've had to adapt; we've needed to expand our support services to accommodate this. Brian Ignatin Pineville, PA USA On Sunday, October 13, 2019 at 10:16:33 AM UTC-4, Kevin Mulcahy wrote: > > Advice from a fellow Laterne Rouge gravel/endurance rider: prepare > yourself to be riding alone, it's bound to happen unless you've planned > ahead with friends or somehow make friends along the way during the ride. > On long distance events it happens to everyone, actually, even the fast > people in the front and mid-pack. It'll also happen on rando rides and mtb > events. That's because these events are mostly structured as as events > where people can make very-personal achievements. They aren't team events. > Even most of people in "pelotons" are basically riding alone. I mean, if > they stop for a pee break, the group would drop them in a heartbeat. > > I'd also like to caution against judging people for wearing lycra and > riding fast. That alone doesn't make someone Type-A, or whatever, and it > doesn't mean they are somehow having less fun. There's plenty of > over-thinking anal retentive slow riders, and gifted people who are having > the time of their lives while shredding with the best of them. > > A few weeks ago I finished a +100 mile mtb race a full *10 hours* slower > than the winner. About 2/3rds of the way through the ride I teamed up with > a fellow slow rider, and I'd argue that our ride was way more epic and > memorable than the racey guy's. Plus, I left the ride with a new friend. > > Kevin > In Madison, WI > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/ba150f30-6ff6-4708-addd-b77ad9e0a9ce%40googlegroups.com.
