I traded my Checkpoint for a Crux a couple years ago and it certainly took me a while to learn to trust the Crux, it still never feel as stable as the Checkpoint did, but I have learned to trust it over time.
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Just curious. Would you ever go back to the Checkpoint like bike?
If my riding style changed or my location changed. Most the gravel near me is Cat 1-Cat 2, flat and straight. If I lived in Bentonville, or somewhere with chunky gravel and more technical terrain I might swap, or try a Diverge.
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Interesting. Im on an Otso Waheela C, which I think has a middle of the road geometry for gravel.
I tweaked the rear chip to be in the more forward position for CX and I’ve left it there since I didnt want to be bothered to add a link back to the chain, so maybe its a tad less stable. Did garmin gravel 150 on it and it seemed stable and fine but that didnt really have any rough descents, just some loose bits on flats. So going over the loose stuff to get into a better line feels like you lost control for a second but not bad, just takes getting used to. Now during Muleskinner outside of KC there were 2 descents that scared me. Both were straight but really steep and bumpy, managed just fine but others around me were still pedaling down while I was trying to feel like I wouldn’t die.
I think the feeling of being unstable and actually being unstable are 2 different things. While the Crux doesn’t FEEL as planted as the Checkpoint did, it’s also never tried to toss me overboard and I’ve ridden through just about everything on it.
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I’ve been in Bentonville/Bella Vista the last few days and pre-rode the first 30 miles of the 100m course yesterday. Not as chunky as some of the gravel I’ve ridden previously in the area, but maybe that stuff is deeper into the race or the course doesn’t hit those roads. There was definitely some random sharp stuff, but I didn’t really hit any sections where’s it was solid heavy/loose gravel. Even without bad gravel, many roads are tree covered, so you get that really challenging light pattern where you can’t see rocks or potholes very well at speed. There were also a lot of leaves on the road hiding stuff. Just really challenging visually to pick a good line and avoid the random sharp rock.
It’s been a little chilly the last couple days, but a welcome change from record highs when I left Texas. Race day looking cool in the AM, but should be nice with only moderate winds.
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Happy to report it did work. I’m 190#s, 20psi rear, 26 front inserts both ends. Midpack finish in 7:23. The slick front tire seemed sketchy but I was descending as well as my peer group so maybe on the thick gravel everything was about the same. (?) Saw a ton of flats though, at the bottom of every descent for the first hour guys were firing plugs right and left.
Joe
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Ran my Pfinder 47s with extra sealant and no liner. I’m just under 190 and ran 28 front 30 rear, no issues.
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Good race today. Weather was perfect, not flats or wrecks for me (but several close calls). I was very happy with my choice to roll with my XC bike. Burned a few extra watts at times, but it kept me fresh all day and let me go as fast as I dared on the downhills (the only concern was what other riders were doing). I’ve raced some of those roads previously at Rule of 3, but it was much crazier at Big Sugar with bigger packs and people racing more aggressive. Saw multiple wrecks and one looked serious with police heading there with lights on. With so many descents with blind corners on loose gravel (and very low visibility with dust), I’d consider it the most dangerous race I’ve ever done. I’m not sure what the organizers could do to make that aspect safer, but I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time before someone has a head-on with a car.
Anyways, I treated the race as 2 segments. I wanted to make it to the 75 mile checkpoint with fast groups, so I hauled enough fuel/hydration for ~4 hours (I actually made it to the end on my fluids). It worked out really well and I was able to find a big group that had me teetering on the edge of my comfort zone, sag climbing, etc. I let that big group go on a climb right before the checkpoint and that was the last I saw of them. But I only rode solo for ~15 minutes and ended up in a nice small group all the way home. I haven’t done any real training since July, so was happy to feel strong all day despite a bunch of time at vo2 and higher. .85 IF for the first 4 hours and .82 IF for the entire race (~6:10). I think AIFTP may have my off-season FTP estimated a few watts low because those are big percentages for me. I ended up 10th in age group and 42nd overall, pretty happy with that for a race where I had no expectations or pressure.
One lesson learned - On courses like Big Sugar, it would be helpful to have the elevation profile displayed on your head unit. I didn’t even think about it prior, but with all the sharp climbing I could have saved a lot of energy if I knew what was on the other side of the crest.
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The big news out of the race was that Dizzle beat Dylan……Dizzle in 20th and DJ in 31st.
Nice win for Alexy after a crap season and Sofia rounded out her season with a win.
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If the last Bonk Bros wasn’t awful enough with the VC interview, this one’s going to be even worse. Dizzle really is a 30yo child that thinks hus childish personality is funny… he’s the only one.
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I had my map up with elevation profile on bottom the whole race. On the flats I’d occasionally switch over to see my stats but knowing what we in the course ahead was top priority. I saw 4 or 5 ambulances, a fire truck, a sheriff, and a number of other people waiting for first aid. Big Sugar should probably advertise the need to bring technical skill in the future.
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Finished the 50 mile course in just under 3 hours with my trusty old 47mm Pathfinder Pros. Still such a good, reliable tire. I didn’t find anything too sketchy, but I know the roads and tried to stay up front and away from anyone that looked… questionable
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I did the 50 with my new Lauf and 2.2 Race Kings. Lauf with true grit fork and 2.2 Race Kings was pretty much a cheat code. I was “where is the gravel?” all day. 
Holy cow it was dusty though.
Unsung hero of the day; Garmin 1050 Voice guided route directions. First time I did an actual route with the 1050 and having the voice guide you like a normal garmin/car GPS was simply amazing.
Fail of the day; Losing my Uswe cap to my drinking hose at around mile 10 and dumping the contents all over me. Talk about a sticky situation. Luckily I had 2 bottles on the bike. Was debating if I even needed a pack since it was so cool and I guess now I know for next year.
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The weather was stellar and very little wind, stark contrast to the last time I raced it in 2022.
The 2.2 RK’s on the Lauf Seigla were on point. Ran them at 17psi Front, 18psi Rear. No flats and no punctures that I could see after. Pressure would have gone up a little as the day warmed up, but by then the roughest parts of the course were over. I ran fully rigid but if I return next year I’ll likely put the suspension fork on. There were enough sections were the road was bumpy enough that it would have likely helped.
I hung out in my warm AirBnB until 10 minutes before start time, so started way at the back. That meant riding through people from the start to about Pineville (Aid 1).
After Pineville settled in with groups and had people to ride with most of the day. Saw the same wrecks that others have been reporting. Also, apparently multiple riders and cars collided. The officer directing traffic at the top of the big climb out of Aid 2 was annoyed with riders that weren’t stopping at the top. He was giving the cars the right of way. He also mentioned the Lifetime Helicopter scared a bunch of cattle that ended up breaking through a fence!
Comfortably broke 7 hours this year, which was a personal best as the prior 2 efforts I was a little over 7. Lots of flats on the course but I’m pretty sure there were way more the first year of the event when it wasn’t nearly as dry and likely word hadn’t gotten out yet about how hard the course was on tires.
The event is super well run. Packet pickup at the Expo was a 1 minute in and out experience. The Expo was good but a few of the popular vendors who were at Unbound and/or Leadville were not there including ENVE, Schwalbe, Skratch, and Carbs Fuel. Garmin was there and were offering discounts including on the new Fenix 8 watches, so that was pretty cool to see. I spotted @Jonathan at the Expo in his gear hanging out with Keegan.
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Dizzle has some raw footage from the race posted…only watched bits and pieces, but there is some interesting stuff. Between this and the official IG updates, it seems he worked pretty ahrd to get into moves throughout the day.
And LOTS of guys on the side of the road with flats / mechanicals.
I did chucle at the guy ~5:10 into the video riding a 3T that was coated in dust…and they had not hit any gravel yet. Can’t wrap my head around showing up for a big race like Big Sugar, in the elite field, and not having a clean bike. 
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Maybe there’s no way to wash the bike after the pre-ride? Got in late? Going to get dirty anyways?
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I noticed a couple of the pros using a number plate holder on the seat post. I wonder if they’d let that fly in the amateur field? Shouldn’t be any issues with timing, just potential problems seeing the number (photos, officials, etc.). Would be nice to get the number plate off the front of the bike.
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Yeah, one of the biggest downsides of having a bike sponsor is the expectation of keeping it clean all the time (I know some sponsored folks who tend to ignore that requirement, but usually not at big races). No worries here, nobody is paying me to ride their bike. I was in Bentonville all week riding trails and it was a dust fest everywhere. I did end up washing my bike the day before the race, thinking how pointless is was since it would be a mess 10 miles in. But I like to check the bike over very carefully pre-race and it’s easier to spot issues when it’s not caked in dust.
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