Thanks for the info. I always like to start up front if I can. Knowing that there is a lot of room to move on the track to get there is good info. That first downhill sounds a bit scary so I will not worry about being first to the turn. Even though I consider myself a good bike handler there’s something about very fast descents on gravel that keeps me in check almost all the time.
It turns out that Thank Gravel It’s Friday & Canyon is doing a shake-out pre-ride on Thursday at 3PM Ride Out at Sea Otter Classic with Canyon — Thank Gravel It’s Friday. That will be my recon session for this race as I haven’t had a chance to recon the course.
Nobody asked but I’ll be running 45mm Vittoria T 70’s. I think these will do the job pretty well for all the different surface types.