Lauf Gravel Worlds

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Some observations:
1. That's the way you broadcast a gravel race. Motos with the front group and followers, overhead shots. Hey Lifetime, the level has been raised.
2. Gravel Earth Series should have the money to broadcast well...their entry fees are absurd.
3. Adam Roberge never deseerves to win anything. He wheelsucks enough to be Cadel Evans' son. Jones took his cookies, and it was sweet to watch.
4. Great to see Beers win. He and Kegan were the class of the field, and rode a fair race together.
5. Still watching the women's, but Rose and Gee are riding a fair race (Gee slowed at an aid station so Rose could refill). Whoever wins deserves this, as they've traded pulls the entire time...though I would have loved to see Migon there in the mix for the win. EDIT: Rose won, and it was deserved. Cool thing is that Gee gave Rose a bottle early on, because Rose lost both of her's. The Holy Spirit of Gravel baby!
6. The US gravel scene is great sport to watch, and I hope more races are covered live.
7. Super cool to see Carter Lemberg winning the 300. 17 years old, and a super talent

 

[stonerider]

Good to see Beers finally get a win. I was afraid he was just working as Keegan's secret domestique in all his races since they are good training buddies.

 

[jono]

Some observations:

3. Adam Roberge never deseerves to win anything. He wheelsucks enough to be Cadel Evans' son. Jones took his cookies, and it was sweet to watch.

Adam has explained himself on podcast many times. In gravel races, unlike road races, the lead group is nearly always a collection of the strongest riders, not a breakaway of second-tier riders like in a tour stage or some one day races that needs to cooperate to stay away. The riders in groups behind are not coming back - they've been dropped by many minutes because they are weaker. There is no one in front to chase.

What is the point of "pulling"? Sure, someone has to be on the front, but if you as a fellow rider have a problem with Roberge sitting on, take him off the back or attack the front. If anyone follows gravel racing from the POV of a road racing fan, you'd wonder why the strongest riders often ride so stupidly, especially the pissing contest about pulls. In this particular instance, Roberge was essentially riding against two teammates, another scenario where it would make sense to avoid work. This isn't Zwift racing - you are allowed to use your brain as well as your legs. An argument for equal pulling is really an argument against tactical and attacking racing.

In the end, he got himself into the lead group with three other riders with World Tour level watts that he decidedly doesn't have. The other three should have been able to get rid of him anytime they want, and the top 2 eventually did. I give him credit for racing his own race to get a result (and to be fair, before the race was whittled down to four he took his share of pulls in the larger group).

If a random rider like Bram Welten or Henok Mulubhran or someone like that was somehow in the lead group with MVDP, Wout and Pedersen in some classic I wouldn't expect him to pull much either, nor would anyone else.



Agreed about your point about the broadcast. The usual excuse from other races is poor wireless coverage in remote parts of the course, but there appeared to be Starlink setups mounted to the motos, which is a clever workaround.

Drones used in coverage of key sections also seems a more affordable and scalable solution than the helicopters that Lifetime seems to favor for their non-coverage.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Adam has explained himself on podcast many times. In gravel races, unlike road races, the lead group is nearly always a collection of the strongest riders, not a breakaway of second-tier riders like in a tour stage or some one day races that needs to cooperate to stay away. The riders in groups behind are not coming back - they've been dropped by many minutes because they are weaker. There is no one in front to chase.

What is the point of "pulling"? Sure, someone has to be on the front, but if you as a fellow rider have a problem with Roberge sitting on, take him off the back or attack the front. If anyone follows gravel racing from the POV of a road racing fan, you'd wonder why the strongest riders often ride so stupidly, especially the pissing contest about pulls. In this particular instance, Roberge was essentially riding against two teammates, another scenario where it would make sense to avoid work. This isn't Zwift racing - you are allowed to use your brain as well as your legs. An argument for equal pulling is really an argument against tactical and attacking racing.

In the end, he got himself into the lead group with three other riders with World Tour level watts that he decidedly doesn't have. The other three should have been able to get rid of him anytime they want, and the top 2 eventually did. I give him credit for racing his own race to get a result (and to be fair, before the race was whittled down to four he took his share of pulls in the larger group).

If a random rider like Bram Welten or Henok Mulubhran or someone like that was somehow in the lead group with MVDP, Wout and Pedersen in some classic I wouldn't expect him to pull much either, nor would anyone else.



Agreed about your point about the broadcast. The usual excuse from other races is poor wireless coverage in remote parts of the course, but there appeared to be Starlink setups mounted to the motos, which is a clever workaround.

Drones used in coverage of key sections also seems a more affordable and scalable solution than the helicopters that Lifetime seems to favor for their non-coverage.

Disagree completely with the Roberge point. He's a guy who has stolen wins, so the Welten or Mulubhran comparison is not relevant. Also, he failed to pull with other riders of his calibre, who were pulling, and did get dropped earlier. He deserved to be with them. If pulling made no difference then why the attrition? Beers and Kegan both made clear their annoyance with his wheel sucking, and this is one in a long line of him doing this exact thing. What I can say is that he is at least consistent. Anyone in a group with him can count on him not putting his nose in the wind, ever.

I like listening to him when he's on podcasts, and he seems like an honest guy...but I never want to see him win anything, because he doesn't earn it.

 

[jono]

Disagree completely with the Roberge point. He's a guy who has stolen wins, so the Welten or Mulubhran comparison is not relevant. Also, he failed to pull with other riders of his calibre, who were pulling, and did get dropped earlier. He deserved to be with them. If pulling made no difference then why the attrition? Beers and Kegan both made clear their annoyance with his wheel sucking, and this is one in a long line of him doing this exact thing. What I can say is that he is at least consistent. Anyone in a group with him can count on him not putting his nose in the wind, ever.

I like listening to him when he's on podcasts, and he seems like an honest guy...but I never want to see him win anything, because he doesn't earn it.

I can see why some riders and fans might prefer an attritional race where everyone carefully takes equal pulls on the front and riders eventually and "honestly" drop themselves out the back in ascending order of fitness. I enjoy a good time trial for the same reason. I can certainly see why riders like Swenson and Beers prefer this sort of racing because they are almost guaranteed a top result.

As to Saturday, if Roberge "deserved" to be with the others that were dropped, he would have been. The race decides what is deserved. And make no mistake - he was far from the only one not pulling in that group of 12-13 that was together most of the race. Drew Dillman didn't make a single appearance at the front. Chase Wark attacked a few times but didn't pull the group. Ortenblad tanked his own chances to do some teammate stuff, both attacking and chasing down attacks, but rarely trading pulls with the rest. Svendsen took fewer pulls than you'd expect from a guy whose motor is close to the top riders.

From the time that group of 12-13 riders was established until Roberge was alone with Jones, there was no moment where taking hard pulls on the front was in Roberge's interest. Some riders are willing to tank their own chances by taking pulls in some sort of misguided notion of fair play, or "spirit of gravel" machismo, but increasingly many are choosing to be tactical, like Roberge. As ever, a wide variety of tactics are available to those like Beers and Swenson and others with stronger legs: attack from the front, or open up gaps at the back for Roberge to close. You know, racing.

The best reason to be anti-wheelsucking in road racing is that it makes the success of the group less likely. In the attritional style of gravel racing, the success of the lead group of favourites is all-but guaranteed. One shouldn't expect half of the group to ride against their own interests, though it still does happen.

So I'm not really sure how a win can be "stolen", aside from cutting the course, or otherwise breaking a rule, nor how a win can be "earned" other than by crossing the line first. If you earn a win by being physically the strongest, then you will always have the same winners. Of Roberge's very few big wins, the only one that was remotely controversial came to light in a whingy post from Ian Boswell who was frustrated that he couldn't drop the group on the few decisive sections of the Gravel Locos course. He had one particularly rich line: "The more events I do, I realize that most people only see results at the line and that is becoming less of an indication of who was strong out on couse[sic]". It's easy to say results at the line aren't important (though his post, roundly critized at the time, suggests this isn't the case) when you are always winning and have earned you World Tour million, but for a guy whose existence as a gravel professional is as tenuous as Roberge, the rare win is hugely important in gaining and keeping sponsors.

The more gravel racing continues to grow as a professional pursuit, the more you will have to get used to riders using their heads, not only their legs. This will turn off some in the sport, and likely also gain new adherents, but it's inevitable.