The World's Premier Gravel Event Is....

Image courtesy of The Traka

 20 years ago there was a small group of riders who convened at a seedy, run down motel in a city in Kansas most people had never heard of to ride in the Flint Hills. A 200 mile trek across those rolling, rock infested roads around Emporia. 

At the time, no one cared. 

No one, that is, outside of the small cadre of enthusiasts who were the pioneers of what we now know as Gravel™. The biggest trend in cycling for decades. 

That event grew, and it grew, and it became known as "The World's Premier Gravel Event". And it was true for many years. 

But now? Now there is a contender. An event across the sea in Spain which has been around for eight editions now. Run by a series called Gravel Earth, The Traka, based in Girona Spain, has a little something to say now about who may have the world's top gravel event.  

The Traka isn't the richest Pro gravel event. It isn't even a pioneering gravel event in Europe. But it has taken on a vibe, and it has taken on an importance in Europe, and beyond. A place on the calendar which took Unbound far longer to achieve in terms of overall importance. Of course, the event formerly known as the Dirty Kanza 200 had to forge a path no other event had forged before it, unlike The Traka. But besides this point, it would seem to me, at any rate, that the Traka is poised to take over the crown of the World's Premier Gravel Event. 

Image courtesy of Unbound Gravel

Comparing these events we see that both draw about 5,000 riders across multiple distances. Both feature Pro level event categories. Both events draw heavy industry attention with brands choosing to debut new equipment and bicycles at these two events. Both events draw intense cycling media coverage on the internet and social media. 

So, why might The Traka overtake Unbound Gravel as the top world gravel event? In one word, I can give you a very compelling answer: Geography. 

The thing is that geography could take in what the courses are like at these two events, but that is not what I mean, necessarily. I think it has to do with something N.Y. Roll mentioned while we were discussing the two events. It is just easier to get to Girona Spain than it is to get to Emporia, Kansas. 

But cycling companies are making choices too, and one popular wheel brand has already stated that The Traka is the "benchmark" gravel event. We can see how many European based brands are making moves to be a part of The Traka as well. This has been the domain of Unbound up until recently, but with both events in May, and after Sea Otter, it seems to me that The Traka has drawn a lot more brand interest than Unbound seems to be getting. 

Now, it should be said that both events have had growing pains when it comes to Pro vs amateur field racers. Just this year at The Traka complaints were lodged by some Pro women riders concerning this. Now Unbound has further separated the Pro field from the amateur classes by giving the Pros exclusive feed zones. They also have separated finish chutes and timing for their respective classes. The Traka is still navigating some of these issues as well. How the ending of these stories is told may have a say in which event becomes the one at the top of the heap for all concerned. 

For now, in 2026, twenty years after a humble beginning in a seedy Kansas town, the Unbound Gravel event still holds the crown as being the World's Premier Gravel Event. But for how much longer will it retain this accolade is now in question. I wouldn't be surprised to see this crown move overseas.  

Gravel Grinder News: Life Time Announces 2026 Grand Prix, Updates

Image courtesy of Life Time Events

Life Time Events Announces 2026 Grand Prix With More Payouts, Refined Selection Process:

 NOTE: All information and images provided by Life Time Events. Comments are Guitar Ted's and may not reflect the opinions of Life Time Events and their affiliates.

Thursday sees a big announcement with Life Time Events revealing its plans for the 2026 Grand Prix. This series of six events evenly split between gravel and MTB has become the premier series for professional cyclists in the USA.  

There is a lot to dig into here, so let's begin with the dates for the events in 2026. 

 Thursday, April 16: Life Time Sea Otter Classic Gravel 
Saturday, May 30: Life Time UNBOUND Gravel 200 presented by Shimano
Saturday, August 15: Life Time Leadville Trail 100 MTB presented by Kenetik
Saturday, September 19: Life Time Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival
Sunday, October 11: Life Time Little Sugar MTB
Saturday, October 17: Life Time Big Sugar Gravel presented by Kenetik

The Money:

The Grand Prix for 2026 - according to the press release -  " ...will see record investment in athletes, including $590,000 in prize money across the series, with $350,000 dedicated to the overall Life Time Grand Prix podium, increased prize purses to $60,000 at UNBOUND Gravel and the Leadville Trail 100 MTB, and $30,000 prize purses at the remaining events."

The overall series compensation pays out from first to tenth place equally between Male and Female riders. First in Male or Female categories gets $50,000.00 and tenth will receive $7,000.00. Additionally, every Pro racer who finishes at least three of the series events, and ends up in 11th place overall in the series or beyond, will be compensated at an amount of $2,500.00. 

Additional benefits to series riders are all entry fees being covered. Under 23 athletes selected for the program after the Unbound Gravel event will also have their entry fees covered. All series athletes have free entry to Life Time events nationwide, coverage in media promoted by Life Time Fitness, and complimentary access to all of Life Time's fitness centers nationwide.

The Selection Process:

According to the press release, there will be some tweaks to the selection process. Here are some bullet points from the release:

 

Each 2026 roster will include: 

• The top five overall finishers from the 2025 Grand Prix
• The top overall U23 athlete from the 2025 series
• A minimum of 16 selected athletes (additional slots may open if one or more top-five athletes do not return)
• Three Wild Card athletes, chosen following Life Time UNBOUND Gravel 200

"Applications will be evaluated based on performances over the past 12 months at Life Time-owned and select national and international off-road events, including the Sea Otter Classic, UNBOUND Gravel, Leadville Trail 100 MTB, Chequamegon MTB Festival, The Rad Dirt Fest, Crusher in the Tushar, Lutsen 99er, and global events such as Cape Epic, BC Bike Race, and the UCI Gravel World Championships."

The Wild Card Life Time introduced for the 2025 season will again be enacted for the 2026 season with three male and three female riders being added to the Grand Prix after Unbound Gravel, as long as those six athletes meet certain criteria.  

Image courtesy of Life Time Events

Comments: 

This is an amazing development as it makes Unbound Gravel and Leadville some of the most lucrative Pro cycling events in North America. The ability to win one of these two events, or even place top-ten, will be "season makers" for those who can achieve the results. 

The Effects Of Enriching The Prize Purses: The season conclusion for the Grand Prix last weekend was marred by weather and the resulting chaos from changing course at the last minute caused some amount of fear and anxiety for the participants in the finale of the series. Making things more lucrative for the 2026 events will only enhance these emotions, even without the weather factor. 

Amping up the series by way of monetary reward will induce demands from the participants. These might range from petty desires to make things "easier" to concerns over race protocols. We've already seen the results of the monetizing of Unbound, and even before that event was monetized it was indirectly affecting athlete's abilities to score sponsorships and support. Athlete's demands which have resulted in changes to how Unbound is run include separation of Pro's from amateurs, separation of women's Pro fields from the Men's, and separated finish lines for Pro racers. 

Money on offer for performance results has dramatically changed Unbound in particular to an event where the focus has been shifted to only what the Pro riders are doing. The resulting media coverage has affected the experience for amateurs, wrecked what was once a serene, soul-stretching challenge, and affected local residents negatively. While a thriving undercurrent of amateur experiences and competition still exits at Unbound, there is also still a small amount of friction between Pro and everyone else when it comes to how things play out on the gravel. 

Every year we see and hear about how Pro riders desires for "freedom from obstruction" are hindered by roads being open to traffic, riders from the amateur ranks being on a similar course at times, and by an "unfair" support structure for Pros who are "privateers versus those who are affiliated with teams with big budgets and larger, better supplied crews.  

With more on the line than ever before, induced demands will also be on the rise from the Pros. What will the resulting changes be to Unbound, and perhaps other events influenced by Unbound, be in the future? 

Friday News And Views

  A Very Gravel-filled FN&V!

Gravel Amplifier: The Skirmish:

The area around Northwest Arkansas is rife with mountain bike and gravel event activities, but how about something in Northeast Arkansas? That is where an event dubbed "The Skirmish" takes place. 

The event is being promoted as more than just a race. It will be a "festival" of gravel, and event promoters plan a multi-day experience for those who attend. Here is a bullet point list taken from an article seen on the "Arkansas Outside website HERE. 

• Live music on Friday night.
• A family-friendly “slow roll” ride through the Arkansas State University campus and downtown on Saturday.
• A vendor expo showcasing various products and services.
• Opportunities to meet and greet participating athletes.

The daily schedule will look like this: 

• Thursday: Kick things off with a group ride to energize for the weekend.
• Friday: Enjoy two group rides, explore the vendor expo, meet the athletes, and attend a lively welcome party with free live music.
• Saturday: Participate in the main cycling event followed by a post-race celebration. Family-friendly activities will ensure everyone enjoys the day.
• Sunday: Wrap up the weekend with a relaxing short ride, followed by a video and photo montage showcasing the event’s highlights. Award ceremonies and prize distributions will mark the official closing.

The event will take place out of Jonesboro, Arkansas from May 29th - June 1st with the race date being Saturday, May 31st. The earlier you register the less the event costs, but overall this ranks pretty high on the dollar-per-mile scale I use to rank event value. 

Comments: Can't make it into Unbound, or has that event lost you with its growth and focus? Check out this event, held on the same date as Unbound, by the way. In my opinion this will have a feel much akin to Mid-South in that the community will show out for this, but it won't have a focus on the upper echelon of athletes to the point of ignoring the average rider. 

The last Gents Race logo. For real this time?

Gents Race Run Ends v2:

The event dubbed at first as The Renegade Gentleman's Race, but eventually was known as as just "Gents Race", has posted on social media saying that the event's run is over.

Thanking the past riders of the event in helping raise over $40,000.00 in donations for different causes, the directors of the event also rightly pointed out that the gravel calendar has become a rather crowded space in the Springtime when this event was held. 

Comments: Well, we've been here before with saying this event was over, and you never know, but this time the announcement has a bit of an air of finality to it. This makes me feel like the Gents Race is truly now gravel history. The event, started in 2011, was one of but a handful of gravel specific events held in Iowa at that time. Fast-forward to 2025 and there are two multi-event series on gravel held in Iowa plus many other events which were non-existent back in 2011. 

The Gents Race's unique structure, a team of five time trial, was open to interpretation enough that in some ways the event represented a "gravel RAGBRAI/party-pace event for many who participated in the event over the years. Of course, many also could take the racing part seriously, and did so, which is what made this a very unique and attractive event for many years in Iowa. It was an event challenging enough, (held during the first full weekend of April, metric century length) yet one that embodied the social aspect (party-pace option, mid-ride checkpoint at a winery, social bar time at the end), that there was an appeal across a wide section of society. 

I did a look back at my experiences with the Gents Race HERE in a post from 2023. Check those images out for a feel of what this event was about.
 

New Podcast Dropped:

N.Y. Roll had intended that we would talk about a few new things on the podcast including his pair of WTB i76 fat bike rims, his new Lake gravel shoes, and what we would do for a dream lighting set up for our bicycles. 

While we did get around to all of that, there is a fair bit of discussion and weirdness sandwiched in between those topics. N.Y. Roll bitterly rued our rabbit trail dives, but we made it through the episode. 

I think he's just being a bit sensitive concerning a comment we received saying we are just a couple of old men complaining. Which is rich considering that the comment is a complaint. Someone actually took the time and effort to let us know that. As if we weren't already aware that we complain. I mean, c'mon! If we said everything was roses we'd get lambasted for "not being real", right? Comments we make are our opinions, negative or positive. You can call that whatever you'd like. So, listen or do not listen. Complaining about our content isn't helping anyone. 

Check it all out HERE if you are interested in hearing two old men complain. I jest! But it is true.....

We're hoping to get a long-time guest on next and then start in with my talks with early gravel scene folks. If you have any suggestions for a guest that you'd like to hear from concerning the early days of gravel cycling, let me know in the comments.

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame To Reveal 2025 Class:

Monday January 27th will be the day that the next class of inductees will be revealed that are going to be enshrined in the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame in late May in Emporia, Kansas. 

Electors were sent the nominees last December and asked to choose five from a long list. Of the five chosen, each had to be ranked 1 - 5 with the elector's number one vote being weighted more than the next and so on. The GCHoF board then compiled all the votes, added up their rankings, and chose three new inductees for the class of 2025.

With the announcement of the 2025 class the total number of individuals in the hall will be 19. The GCHoF started in 2021 and inducted its first class in 2022, which included seven people, including myself. 

Comments: I'll be keen to see which three of the list that was sent to me to vote on will be getting the nod this year. I will have a complete commentary on the 2025 inductees next week after the announcement on Monday. So, stay tuned for that as I will have some very interesting comments depending on how this class shapes up. 

Image courtesy of Life Time Sea Otter

Life Time Sea Otter To Feature Gravel Heavily:

Sea Otter began as a mountain bike festival. Then as the years wore on it took on road racing and other forms of cycling, especially at the expo. Now, in 2025, under Life Time's ownership, the festival will be gravel-centric. 

Life Time is holding its first Grand Prix event here and has switched it from a mountain bike event to a gravel event. 50 folks will take away free entry to Life Time's Unbound Gravel event. Furthermore, Life Time is promoting its expo as being home to "the cutting edge in gravel" components and bicycles. 

Meet-ups with top gravel athletes and gravel specific workshops will also be offered this year. Life Time predicts that upwards of 70,000 folks will attend the four day event which will be held April 18th - 21 at Laguna-Seca Raceway. 

Comments: With Sea Otter having taken over the role that Interbike used to have in regard to introducing new product and providing a meet-up for industry folks, it is no wonder then that "gravel" is taking over the festival. Gravel being really the only bright spot in the marketplace (besides electrified bicycles) and it certainly draws the most people in terms of events. 

Expect to see a lot of cycling media sites and YouTube accounts spilling coverage all over the place starting in April.
 

Special Thanks: Thanks to all those who commented on the post yesterday, or who have taken the time to give me a Happy Birthday shout-out on social media. I appreciated each and every one of your messages!

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Get out there and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

From Ingrid Components Instagram account

Ingrid Components Shows Brake/Shift Lever Combo:

At the Bespoke show, which is Europe's biggest handmade bicycle show, Ingrid Components showed this angular, brutalist looking brake/shift lever combination. Seen hooked up to a brake caliper and Ingrid's own rear derailleur, the only clue given by Ingrid in the post was that the brake was produced " with a little help from our friends @rideformula". 

Brake/shift levers for drop bars are a difficult thing to produce without some clever workarounds due to Shimano, Campagnolo, and SRAM patents. It very well could be that Ingrid is using the flat bar shifter internals that they already make. Yes - this is a mechanical lever.

Comments: The comment section under the post had a few references to the Cybertruck and Minecraft aesthetic. Yeah, I get that as well. But you have to hand it to Ingrid for being true to their design language. It is also fairly obvious that the design language is more important than ergonomics. No word on availability, price, or other details yet.

Image courtesy of Life Time Events

Unbound To Offer Prize Money For First Time In 2025:

In an announcement that came out a little over a week ago, it was revealed that Life Time Events will offer a new prize structure for their Grand Prix events in 2025. 

Besides offering equal prize money to the top ten men and women at the end of the series, the following events will also offer prize money for the first time: Unbound Gravel, Leadville 100, and Big Sugar Gravel.

Comments: First of all, I will admit that most riders really do not care what these people get paid. (Are they "employees" of this series?) So, it is kind of weird that anyone thinks this is "news". What difference to anyone, outside of the actual competitors, does this make? I guess it is lost on me. Maybe more money somehow equals "better/more competition"? So, you are saying you can "buy yourself a meaningful race by waving cash around"?  Gotcha.... Again, I don't care. I don't think most people care either. 

But all this aside, my main reaction is that by offering prize money at Unbound the organizers have finally wiped away the last remaining tent pole of meaning which the original founder's had put in place for the event. Not looking for a monetary "prize" meant that riders were finding other "rewards" for choosing to take on the challenge of 200 miles of Flint Hills gravel. Not anymore. At least not for the elite athletes. And really, if you read what the pundits write about Unbound, well you might think that all there are there riding are elite athletes. At least those folks who are not getting the red carpet elite athlete treatment are not getting paid for placing. So there is still meaning there, perhaps. 

Image courtesy of Chris King Precision Components

Chris King Seat Post Collars:

Seat post collars are an important part of a bicycle. It also is a part you would have thought Chris King Presicion Components would have made by now. That wasn't the case until just recently.

Now you can have more Chris King on your bicycle, or maybe look at this as your first Chris King part, seeing as it is reasonably inexpensive relative to all the rest of Chris King's catalog at $48.00 each.

They come in 10 anodized colors and four sizes to fit most frames. The Chris King Seat Post Collar is made in the uSA and comes with a Lifetime Warranty. See their webpage for more here. 

Comments: I never really thought about this not being a Chris King thing before until now. It makes all the sense in the world that Chris King should offer this, and why they hadn't before now seems almost silly. At least the maximum torque rating is a realistic 6nm instead of what Thomson seat post collars are rated at. (Yes, I have some beef with that component) 

The New Mason Macro: The Missing Link?

Mason Cycles just introduced a new hard tail MTB model they call the Macro. And calling it a mountain bike is probably not what Mason would like here, but it does take a MTB drive train, so....

Mason says it is the most configurable adventure hard tail bicycle you can get. So, you could go with their own design carbon fork or a suspension fork. You can load it up with the many accessory mounts for touring, go with a bagged bikepacking set up, or use it as a fast XC hard tail. 

The frame is aluminum and the Mason fork is carbon, if you want that, or it can be ordered with a suspension fork. There are complete options as well. A basic frame/fork package runs approximately $1,625.00 USD at the time of this writing. (Mason is based in the UK)

Comments: There are not too many high-end hard tail bikes designed for all-around, versatile usage these days. The Macro is such a bike. I think it could work for gravel to all-day mountain riding and everything in between. It strikes me as kind of the modernized equivalent of the once ubiquitous 90's steel hard tail MTB's which were super-versatile and capable bicycles. 

This is kind of a "missing link" bike. A bicycle that isn't a long travel, down hill oriented hard tail, but it also is not a bike that would shy away from a rowdy MTB trail. (with a suspension fork, most likely) Now what I'd like to see is more of this sort of thing at a more entry level price point with decent components made to work everywhere. Maybe even a bike with a (gasp!) multiple ring crank set and front derailleur.

Outrider Components - Tire Pressure Sensor Tech For Bicycles:

Your newer vehicles all have tire pressure sensors which alert you to low air pressures in vehicle tires, or sudden losses of air pressure, in case of a flat tire. Now this type of technology is available from Outrider Components for your bicycle. Or it soon will be. 

The company has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for their device which promises to alert your Garmin device in case of a puncture, or it can be used to monitor air pressure. 

The device is designed to run for up to two years on replaceable coin style watch batteries. The device attaches to your existing valve stem and sits inside the rim well of the wheel.

Comments: I suppose we all should have guessed this was coming. It does make sense, and while I am not a fan of more lithium type batteries, this system would probably be a big hit if it works in the real world and if it could be used across many different wireless computer brands.

That's a wrap on the last full week of October! Get out and ride those bicycles!

Gravel Grinder News: Heathland Gravel To Be Qualifier Event For Unbound

 Will Unbound Gravel Eventually Be Like Kona?

Friday on social media Unbound Gravel announced that the Heathland Gravel, an event in the Flanders region of Belgium, would serve as a qualifier for "at least 50 riders" to get a ticket to Unbound Gravel's event in 2025. The Heathland Gravel event is scheduled for the 9th-11th of August this year. 

Riders who choose the 160km distance for Heathland will have a chance to be awarded a coin based upon performance, or receive one through a random process for riders in that distance. The event site claims that half will be distributed based upon performance with the other half going through a randomized process. 

Heathland Gravel is an event under the management of Flanders Classics and the event will serve as the only European qualifier event for Unbound. Unbound's President of Life Time's Events, Kimo Seymour is quoted on the website as saying, "We are excited to grow the reach and appeal of Unbound Gravel to Europe." Also, on the"About Us" page for Heathland Gravel, there is a statement which reads, "In the future, the intention is to expand the number of official qualifiers for Unbound Gravel internationally".

Comments: The development of Unbound Gravel by Life Time is taking on similar vibes to their triathlon side. In fact, on that "About Page" Flanders Classics' CEO, Thomas Van Den Spiegel is quoted as saying, "Unbound gravel is for gravellers what Kona in Hawaii is for the triathlete."

This is veering from the original intentions of not only gravel events at the grassroots level, (which arguably happened with Unbound years ago), but it is also not in the vein of gravel events as a whole. Some may see this as an elevation of the Unbound events, but others, who may already be decrying Unbound as a sell-out and worse, will no doubt find this news even more damning for the popular gravel event in Emporia. 

It will be interesting to see how Europeans react to the news and how this will be accepted there. Unbound already had a fairly strong draw from European riders, but perhaps Life Time is looking to expand that appeal for the future event opportunities it may create. 

This news also begs a question: Do the qualifying people take away from the roster limitations, and if this idea is expanded to other venues worldwide, does Life Time move away from the lottery to a full-on event qualified field for Unbound? 

This is how it works for Kona, a Life Time triathlon event. Interestingly, a quick Google search brought up the percentage chances an individual has for getting qualified for Kona: "In general, the chance to qualify for Kona ... is less than 10% for most age groupers, and for most of the IMQ events, it is less than 5%."

Will this eventually be the case for gravel riders in the future? Heathland Gravel may just be the start of a sea change for Unbound Gravel.

UNBOUND Makes Changes To Event But Will It Matter?

 Tuesday afternoon news broke on "Velo News" that UNBOUND Gravel, a Life Time event, would alter start times dues to feedback received from elite and Pro racers over the Summer and via media stories post event last year. 

This author also called for a separation of the amateurs and Pros/Elites in a post published here last June. Not that Life Time, nor anyone connected to UNBOUND gave any credence to my opinions, or even knew about them, but this is important to what I wanted to say today. That is- "Okay, but you didn't go far enough!" UNBOUND is answering the critics, but what they have done isn't as effective as it could have been. 

The issues can be traced back to what this event eventually evolved into being about 8 years ago now. I described it in my June post thusly: "I made a comment that the Unbound Gravel was a "Pro road race on gravel at the front with a fondo that follows it.". Perhaps I should have said that there is a mixing of the waters between Pro, paid, sponsored riders and the amateurs, which is probably closer to the truth, at least at the start."

So, keeping that in mind, what has UNBOUND done to address this? (Again, it's linked in the first paragraph) Well, separating the Men's Pro/Elites by 10 minutes from the field and the Women's Pro/Elite field by 8 minutes is the big deal here. I would assume that this will work to keep most of the Women and Men Pro/Elites away from the remainder of the racers well enough. I have no problem at all with that bit.

But was that ever really a problem at UNBOUND? There has been voluntary seeding of the field since, oh....the early twenty-teens, and after about ten to fifteen minutes, anyone that wasn't a Pro/Elite rider was spit out the back. Certainly by the first big climb, that was true. And that wasn't any issue. Additionally, UNBOUND is vetting the Elite/Pro fields, so sneaking in shouldn't be an option for someone thinking they have what it takes but do not. Okay, maybe that's settled, BUT the mixing of the Women Pro/Elites with the male Pro/Elites? THAT was where the issues have always arisen with regard to UNBOUND. 

In my opinion, a two minute differential will not be enough to dissuade some male riders from pulling Pro/Elite women racers at that event. It could be by design, easily, I mean, just soft pedal for a bit until you find the woman you are working for, and then go. Or- It may be just women catching the back end of the Pro/Elite men and drafting and then you have that whole issue happening again. 

Life Time/UNBOUND needs to separate these elite/Pro fields by a LOT more than two minutes, in my opinion, but we'll see. 

Elite/Pro riders will not be able to use aero bars at UNBOUND

Some welcomed the news saying that this will cause less crashes in the earlier part of the event due to unskilled riders mixing it up with Pro/Elites. Ahh...... Don't hold yer breath on that! Elite riders and Pros are just as capable of screwing up on unfamiliar gravel as anyone else, and with big money, sponsorships, and with media filiming everything, the situation at the front will be aggressive and amped way above that of the amateur field. (Which will also still see crashes, just because there will be so many riders on those roads.)

In another inconsequential move, they banned aero bars for Pro/Elites. Not a big deal, but I get it. Less liable to have a catastrophic issue in tightly packed bunches of riders if they haven't got aero bars. Interestingly, the article hinted that no Life Time event may allow anyone to use them on gravel in the near future and gave the Leadville event as an example of that already. 

Again, good moves, at least in intention, but will they be effective? I have serious doubts, but we will find out in June.  

For a discussion on this subject listen to the latest podcast on Guitar Ted Productions Podcasts HERE.  

UNBOUND Makes Changes To Event But Will It Matter?

 Tuesday afternoon news broke on "Velo News" that UNBOUND Gravel, a Life Time event, would alter start times dues to feedback received from elite and Pro racers over the Summer and via media stories post event last year. 

This author also called for a separation of the amateurs and Pros/Elites in a post published here last June. Not that Life Time, nor anyone connected to UNBOUND gave any credence to my opinions, or even knew about them, but this is important to what I wanted to say today. That is- "Okay, but you didn't go far enough!" UNBOUND is answering the critics, but what they have done isn't as effective as it could have been. 

The issues can be traced back to what this event eventually evolved into being about 8 years ago now. I described it in my June post thusly: "I made a comment that the Unbound Gravel was a "Pro road race on gravel at the front with a fondo that follows it.". Perhaps I should have said that there is a mixing of the waters between Pro, paid, sponsored riders and the amateurs, which is probably closer to the truth, at least at the start."

So, keeping that in mind, what has UNBOUND done to address this? (Again, it's linked in the first paragraph) Well, separating the Men's Pro/Elites by 10 minutes from the field and the Women's Pro/Elite field by 8 minutes is the big deal here. I would assume that this will work to keep most of the Women and Men Pro/Elites away from the remainder of the racers well enough. I have no problem at all with that bit.

But was that ever really a problem at UNBOUND? There has been voluntary seeding of the field since, oh....the early twenty-teens, and after about ten to fifteen minutes, anyone that wasn't a Pro/Elite rider was spit out the back. Certainly by the first big climb, that was true. And that wasn't any issue. Additionally, UNBOUND is vetting the Elite/Pro fields, so sneaking in shouldn't be an option for someone thinking they have what it takes but do not. Okay, maybe that's settled, BUT the mixing of the Women Pro/Elites with the male Pro/Elites? THAT was where the issues have always arisen with regard to UNBOUND. 

In my opinion, a two minute differential will not be enough to dissuade some male riders from pulling Pro/Elite women racers at that event. It could be by design, easily, I mean, just soft pedal for a bit until you find the woman you are working for, and then go. Or- It may be just women catching the back end of the Pro/Elite men and drafting and then you have that whole issue happening again. 

Life Time/UNBOUND needs to separate these elite/Pro fields by a LOT more than two minutes, in my opinion, but we'll see. 

Elite/Pro riders will not be able to use aero bars at UNBOUND

Some welcomed the news saying that this will cause less crashes in the earlier part of the event due to unskilled riders mixing it up with Pro/Elites. Ahh...... Don't hold yer breath on that! Elite riders and Pros are just as capable of screwing up on unfamiliar gravel as anyone else, and with big money, sponsorships, and with media filiming everything, the situation at the front will be aggressive and amped way above that of the amateur field. (Which will also still see crashes, just because there will be so many riders on those roads.)

In another inconsequential move, they banned aero bars for Pro/Elites. Not a big deal, but I get it. Less liable to have a catastrophic issue in tightly packed bunches of riders if they haven't got aero bars. Interestingly, the article hinted that no Life Time event may allow anyone to use them on gravel in the near future and gave the Leadville event as an example of that already. 

Again, good moves, at least in intention, but will they be effective? I have serious doubts, but we will find out in June.  

For a discussion on this subject listen to the latest podcast on Guitar Ted Productions Podcasts HERE.  

Friday News And Views

Geoff Kabush's Tweet concerning Sea Otter pricing.

Sea Otter Pricing Balloons:

I saw the Tweet alongside this text last Tuesday evening. You can read it yourself, so I won't bother repeating it. You can see for yourself what is being pointed out here. 

It should only be noted as an addendum here that Life Time Fitness purchased Sea Otter in 2021. Is the new price a result of that purchase, or is it something else that is at work here?

Comments: Okay, on the one hand you've had a couple of years where Sea Otter has been affected negatively by the pandemic. Prices may reflect this due to an effort to recoup "lost revenues" and one could perhaps easily see that shipping and supply issues may have caused a rise in prices to some degree. But on the other hand, the price has doubled? 

Okay, commenters were pointing a very sarcastic finger at the popularity gravel cycling for the cause of this, but I don't think that is really what is going on here. I've seen this model for price increases at work before. Here's the deal...

The operating principle here is, what will the market bear? You do not know the answer until you "hit the ceiling" in regard to pricing. So, you raise the price every year by default until, well.....it doesn't work anymore.  Many events do this, not just Sea Otter. 

Also, 2022 saw mass participation at many events max out, possibly due to the fact that most people felt safe to go "do all the things" again. More demand = higher prices. Certainly, economic forces are at work as well, since inflation and higher prices for goods and services are going to put upward pressure on prices. Life Time cannot ignore this as well. 

So, you can say Life Time is "The Bad Guy", but there probably is some credence to seeing this as an economically driven decision to boost pricing as well with an eye to keeping profit margins intact. 

And c'mon! What'd you really expect after Life Time's takeover? Lower pricing? I don't think so....

From Bike Hugger's twitter feed.

And When I Die.....

I saw this on Twitter as well on Wednesday. A cargo bike conversion to a hearse. Electrified, natch! This was seen in France, apparently. I did not research the article. 

Comments: So, this makes sense in that Europe was developed well before automobiles and the streets are narrower, the cities more compact, and the rural byways are often wagon-wide if that. Modern highways exist, for sure, but the majority of Europe is not like America, which is car-centric as it gets. 

So, a hearse on a cargo bike, well that wouldn't fly around here. The church is often not on a cemetery site anymore, or never was, so a funeral procession can be miles, and miles, in length. Also considering the changeable weather, which can sometimes be pretty brutal, and the wild swings seasonally that we have here, well it comes as no surprise to me that I probably will never see anything like this in my lifetime. 

But if I were to die tomorrow....... 

Did you hate the 4 wheeled Hummer?

GMC Partners With Recon To Sell Hummer eBike:

 According to a recent "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article, Recon Bikes, an eBike manufacturer, is partnering with GMC's Hummer brand to sell their rebranded two-wheeled Hummer to consumers via Hummer/GMC dealerships. While the bike will be available direct to consumer, GMC has approximately 1000 dealerships where the possibility exists that this bike might be sold. Exact numbers were not released at this time for the amount of dealerships that will actually sell this bike alongside the behemoth Hummer EV Supertruck. 

The eBike has twin hub motors and can be modified by the consumer to go above the 20mph factory assist level up to 28mph. The bike also has a thumb operated "throttle".

Comments: A few things stand out to me about this. First, the "Supertruck" has a 3 second zero to 60mph performance. THAT should raise some alarms right there if you ride a bicycle in urban areas where this, and other high-horsepower EV vehicles are about to be unleashed. Second: The bike has TWO hub motors? Yep! It's advertised as an all-wheel drive vehicle. THAT should also be a bit of a scare. If you've ever ridden a throttle equipped HPC - essentially riding an electrified bicycle in "motorcycle mode", you understand why having two torque-monsters on a bicycle has the possibility of causing major mayhem. Third: The comments on the BRAIN article reveal the disconnect that US based bicycle purveyors have with these motorized rigs. One commenter bemoans the "modification" factor and another exclaims that it is "our right" to do what we please with vehicles on our own property. 

That's a lot to unpack, but it is a perfect microcosm of an example for why I believe that we are all looking at "mopeds" with electric motors, why this race to "more power" will end up making these into motorcycles, and why the whole lateral move to electrified transportation is not going to "fix" anything about car-culture. 

Kae Takashita won the C.O.G. 100 in 2019

A Nice Throwback On International Single Speed Day:

Thursday I was tagged in a post on Facebook by Kae Takashita where she posted about riding in the 2019 C.O.G. 100. She was prompted by the Paul Components initiated "International Single Speed Day" which was observed on Wednesday. 

I enjoyed the fact that Kae said, "I believe it was the slowest century I had done...."which is saying something since she is an elite level athlete. To have provided such a challenge is a reward and confirmation of N.Y. Roll and my efforts to do exactly that- provide a tough challenge to overcome. 

So, while I am NOT going to revive this idea, I am proud and satisfied that I was involved in putting on a single speed only gravel event. To my knowledge this is the only time anyone has done such a thing. I am really glad that I did this with N.Y. Roll, who was a huge motivator and assisted me in every way to put on that event. 

Too bad that we were thwarted by COVID and that the 2019 version was the only one we were able to pull off. I regret that deeply and I apologize to anyone reading this for our inability to pull off the second C.O.G. 100 due to the circumstances of the times. 

The whole thing with the C.O.G. 100 is bittersweet, to be honest. It was my swansong of sorts, when it comes to events promotions, and I wasn't aware of that at the time. COVID precipitated my decision to get out of that mindset of putting on events for others, which is a good thing - for myself. My mental health and physical health has been rejuvenated as a result. But had I known that the 2019 C.O.G. 100 was going to be "it", I maybe would have done a few things differently. Maybe it's better I didn't know....  

Anyway, thanks to Kae! I appreciated the shout-out and the memory very much.

 That's a wrap for this week! Don't forget to set your clocks back this weekend (if that affects you) and charge up those lights!

Friday News And Views

Geoff Kabush's Tweet concerning Sea Otter pricing.

Sea Otter Pricing Balloons:

I saw the Tweet alongside this text last Tuesday evening. You can read it yourself, so I won't bother repeating it. You can see for yourself what is being pointed out here. 

It should only be noted as an addendum here that Life Time Fitness purchased Sea Otter in 2021. Is the new price a result of that purchase, or is it something else that is at work here?

Comments: Okay, on the one hand you've had a couple of years where Sea Otter has been affected negatively by the pandemic. Prices may reflect this due to an effort to recoup "lost revenues" and one could perhaps easily see that shipping and supply issues may have caused a rise in prices to some degree. But on the other hand, the price has doubled? 

Okay, commenters were pointing a very sarcastic finger at the popularity gravel cycling for the cause of this, but I don't think that is really what is going on here. I've seen this model for price increases at work before. Here's the deal...

The operating principle here is, what will the market bear? You do not know the answer until you "hit the ceiling" in regard to pricing. So, you raise the price every year by default until, well.....it doesn't work anymore.  Many events do this, not just Sea Otter. 

Also, 2022 saw mass participation at many events max out, possibly due to the fact that most people felt safe to go "do all the things" again. More demand = higher prices. Certainly, economic forces are at work as well, since inflation and higher prices for goods and services are going to put upward pressure on prices. Life Time cannot ignore this as well. 

So, you can say Life Time is "The Bad Guy", but there probably is some credence to seeing this as an economically driven decision to boost pricing as well with an eye to keeping profit margins intact. 

And c'mon! What'd you really expect after Life Time's takeover? Lower pricing? I don't think so....

From Bike Hugger's twitter feed.

And When I Die.....

I saw this on Twitter as well on Wednesday. A cargo bike conversion to a hearse. Electrified, natch! This was seen in France, apparently. I did not research the article. 

Comments: So, this makes sense in that Europe was developed well before automobiles and the streets are narrower, the cities more compact, and the rural byways are often wagon-wide if that. Modern highways exist, for sure, but the majority of Europe is not like America, which is car-centric as it gets. 

So, a hearse on a cargo bike, well that wouldn't fly around here. The church is often not on a cemetery site anymore, or never was, so a funeral procession can be miles, and miles, in length. Also considering the changeable weather, which can sometimes be pretty brutal, and the wild swings seasonally that we have here, well it comes as no surprise to me that I probably will never see anything like this in my lifetime. 

But if I were to die tomorrow....... 

Did you hate the 4 wheeled Hummer?

GMC Partners With Recon To Sell Hummer eBike:

 According to a recent "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article, Recon Bikes, an eBike manufacturer, is partnering with GMC's Hummer brand to sell their rebranded two-wheeled Hummer to consumers via Hummer/GMC dealerships. While the bike will be available direct to consumer, GMC has approximately 1000 dealerships where the possibility exists that this bike might be sold. Exact numbers were not released at this time for the amount of dealerships that will actually sell this bike alongside the behemoth Hummer EV Supertruck. 

The eBike has twin hub motors and can be modified by the consumer to go above the 20mph factory assist level up to 28mph. The bike also has a thumb operated "throttle".

Comments: A few things stand out to me about this. First, the "Supertruck" has a 3 second zero to 60mph performance. THAT should raise some alarms right there if you ride a bicycle in urban areas where this, and other high-horsepower EV vehicles are about to be unleashed. Second: The bike has TWO hub motors? Yep! It's advertised as an all-wheel drive vehicle. THAT should also be a bit of a scare. If you've ever ridden a throttle equipped HPC - essentially riding an electrified bicycle in "motorcycle mode", you understand why having two torque-monsters on a bicycle has the possibility of causing major mayhem. Third: The comments on the BRAIN article reveal the disconnect that US based bicycle purveyors have with these motorized rigs. One commenter bemoans the "modification" factor and another exclaims that it is "our right" to do what we please with vehicles on our own property. 

That's a lot to unpack, but it is a perfect microcosm of an example for why I believe that we are all looking at "mopeds" with electric motors, why this race to "more power" will end up making these into motorcycles, and why the whole lateral move to electrified transportation is not going to "fix" anything about car-culture. 

Kae Takashita won the C.O.G. 100 in 2019

A Nice Throwback On International Single Speed Day:

Thursday I was tagged in a post on Facebook by Kae Takashita where she posted about riding in the 2019 C.O.G. 100. She was prompted by the Paul Components initiated "International Single Speed Day" which was observed on Wednesday. 

I enjoyed the fact that Kae said, "I believe it was the slowest century I had done...."which is saying something since she is an elite level athlete. To have provided such a challenge is a reward and confirmation of N.Y. Roll and my efforts to do exactly that- provide a tough challenge to overcome. 

So, while I am NOT going to revive this idea, I am proud and satisfied that I was involved in putting on a single speed only gravel event. To my knowledge this is the only time anyone has done such a thing. I am really glad that I did this with N.Y. Roll, who was a huge motivator and assisted me in every way to put on that event. 

Too bad that we were thwarted by COVID and that the 2019 version was the only one we were able to pull off. I regret that deeply and I apologize to anyone reading this for our inability to pull off the second C.O.G. 100 due to the circumstances of the times. 

The whole thing with the C.O.G. 100 is bittersweet, to be honest. It was my swansong of sorts, when it comes to events promotions, and I wasn't aware of that at the time. COVID precipitated my decision to get out of that mindset of putting on events for others, which is a good thing - for myself. My mental health and physical health has been rejuvenated as a result. But had I known that the 2019 C.O.G. 100 was going to be "it", I maybe would have done a few things differently. Maybe it's better I didn't know....  

Anyway, thanks to Kae! I appreciated the shout-out and the memory very much.

 That's a wrap for this week! Don't forget to set your clocks back this weekend (if that affects you) and charge up those lights!

Friday News And Views

Canfield Bikes Jedi 29 (Image courtesy of Canfield Bikes)

 Canfield Bikes Announces 29" Wheeled DH Jedi 29 Model:

Canfield Bikes announced last week that it had redesigned its flagship DH bike with a new high pivot, multi-link rear suspension and 29" wheels. New Jedi 29 models are available by pre-order and run about $6500.00. Frame/fork/rear shock modules are also available. See the website for details. 

Comments: I know I would never really be interested in a down hill bike, and maybe most of you reading this would not either. I only run this bit on the "FN&V" because it is another nail in the coffin for what used to be a commonly held belief just ten years ago. That being that 29" wheels would never make it on long travel mountain bikes. Not 'maybe would someday', no- the word was 'never'. 

Well, as the years go by this thought gets more and more ridiculous looking, doesn't it? I mean look at the orange thing. Eight inches of travel? Are you kidding me? And to think many thought it could never be possible. That it was a 'joke'. Who's laughing now?

History is ironic and history has a lot of things to teach us. What 'they' say now days? Maybe ten years from now we will look back and know that whatever 'it' was is garbage thinking. In terms of cycling, what do you think is being said now that will look foolish or wise ten years from now? Maybe 29"er DH bikes will be a joke then. Hard to say.....

Pardon the interruption.....

Podcast News:

With the announcement of Andy's Bike Shop closing and the ending of my relationship there with the shop, the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch has been impacted negatively. The last two years with Andy as co-host has been wonderful, but with the changes in his employment status and with the closing of the business, I now am back to being on my own with the podcast and the recording of it. 

So, you may have noted a break in the release of new podcasts. Honestly, it just never occurred to me that we weren't doing that anymore until recently. The events of late Fall with my Mother's death and the job situation have pretty much put my mind in other places. Podcasting hasn't been on my radar for a while now.

So, now that some time has passed I am starting to think about this again. I do have a set up here with which I can record podcasts and my partner in riding Gravel, Ben, can still post those up. So it hasn't been for lack of resources. I should be getting back on the podcasting horse again here soon, so look for news of Episode #95 coming soon. 

Life Time Gran Prix Series Numbers Boosted:

A week ago the names on the roster for next season's six event series being put on by Life Time Fitness across three gravel courses and three off-road courses were announced. Interestingly, what was to be a 40 person series turned out to be a 60 person series. 

No reasons were publicly reported for why this was the case, but one would have to assume that the overall response to the call for applications must have been robust enough that Life Time saw a chance to include more riders and make more money. Obviously, with Life Time Fitness' resources, adding 20 more riders is not a burden at all for the company, and having 30 rider fields for Men and Women probably looks a bit more exciting than 20 per gender. Especially on big courses like the Kansas one where 20 riders in a pack is nothing much to see. 

Which brings up a question: Do these events keep other riders out of the way of the Pro/Semi-Pro riders chasing big money, or are they mixed in with everyone else? 

The money factor really makes this a big question and how it is answered is going to be very important. Already some riders have noted that the prize purses versus the entry fees don't line up for most of the roster to come out ahead. If these riders on the 60 person roster feel that they have been impeded in any way by non-Gran Prix riders it isn't going to be seen in a good light. 

This is another reason I feel this series' three events on gravel is not really 'gravel racing'. It isn't representative of where gravel riding/racing came from, and it is not representative of the gravel culture in any way. This is merely a big purse racing series that just happens to have a few of its events on gravel courses. It should never be confused with 'gravel grinder events' or be associated with the gravel scene in any way since it doesn't represent what gravel riding is about. 

"Gizmodification" Of Bicycles Marches On:

 Since the year 2000 or so it seems that humans are hell-bent on digitizing every aspect of life as we know it. Appliances as mundane as refrigerators and washing machines now have Wi-Fi connectivity. Heck, even a barbecue grill can be had now with Wi-Fi! 

So, it was inevitable that some company would come along with the intentions of turning all our bicycles into "smart devices". 

Meet RP Designs, who have a crowdfunding effort underway to produce handle bars, both in MTB and drop styles, with integrated touch screens compatible with major platform Wi-Fi connectivity brands. The company claims that, "The Smart-Cockpit™ is designed to make any new or existing bicycle Smart in minutes."

This isn't just for electrified bikes either, no- they mean to have everyone on this bandwagon. Their crowdfunding site claims that the founders thought it was bizarre that one could spend thousands on a bike yet have to spend hundreds more on accessories to make the bike useful.

Comments: First off, 'integrated' cockpits won't be super popular. Humans come in thousands- nay millions- of variations in size, shape, flexibility, and other considerations that a single, fixed stem/handle bar combination will find very limited appeal. That's a proven fact. So, the design has a serious flaw out of the gates. 

And accessory items have been tried on bicycles to avoid aftermarket sales for consumers. There are two problems with this however; and they have to do with buying habits and retailers. First, buyers want to customize their bike in the way that they see fit, because a bicycle is an extension of their personality.  It is not seen as a utilitarian device for transportation. Many Europeans don't view cycling in this way- because for them, it is a way of life and 'just how you get around'- so why wouldn't you buy a complete, fully accessorized bicycle? 

Then on the other hand, retailers want to make the high-margin accessory sales and pocket those profits. Retailers do not make money on bicycles, but they do make money on accessories and labor. So, a fully accessorized bicycle is a money-losing proposition for a smart bicycle retailer.

Next, technology for connectivity has been so fluid and fast changing that this may find itself out of date in short order. Then also you have the electronics themselves which would necessarily need to be waterproof, shockproof, temperature-proof, and dust-proof, which even our own smart phones have issues with. Not that it couldn't be done, but bicycles put certain stresses and situations on devices that a smart phone device wasn't really designed for. And this company wants to do this for mountain bikes, so this is a tall order. 

Can this be serviced, or when it fails, is it just an expensive piece of trash with no way to recycle it? Yeah, this company has a big mountain to climb. It's interesting to see where they are coming from though. Is something like this the future of cycling? Will all bicycles be track-able, radio wave emitting, 'droid-like', robotic devices in ten, twenty years? 

I'll say it- I sure hope not!
 

That's a wrap on this week's news and views. A scheduling note- This will be the last "FN&V" for the year as the holidays and end of year reports will necessarily push this normally scheduled post off for the next two weeks. "FN&V" will be back again in the New Year on January 7th! Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!