The pros obviously has disagreements about the use of aero bars and using them while riding in a pack. Which always seemed odd to me as if I showed up to any road group ride on a weekend with my TT bike I’d be either told ti get lost or just ride off the back solo.
For unbound, with amateurs especially anybody not at the front or chasing the sun, you spend a lot of time solo so having aero bars can be nice and no danger to others. I personally don’t care for aero bars on gravel as I don’t feel comfortable doing it.
I personally don’t have a problem with aero bars for gravel races…especially ones as long as Unbound. You are out there a fook of a long time and they can help considerably…if nothing else, they are a much needed extra position to reduce hand / arm fatigue. Obviously they need to be ridden in a responsible manner…
That said, it is ultimately the organizers decision and if they say no bars, then no bars it is and I’m not gonna complain about it.
(note - I don’t use aero bars in gravel races even though I am not opposed to them)
I am disappointed in the staggered start however…but it was likely inevitable. One of the great things about gravel races is that you can show up on race day and test your mettle against the biggest names in the sport…no need for categories, upgrades, etc. And when I did Unbound, rolling out of town in such a huge peloton was an awesome experience.
But as many pros have said, it was getting very sketchy at the front with riders that shouldn’t be there fighting for spots up there. So again, this move was probably inevitable…but I’m still disappointed.
ETA - just saw that the no aero bars rule is only for pros and amateurs can still use them.
What is your guess to the field size of the elite men & women? Maybe 50-150 total?
Point being that my gut says this split will be a minor dent in the overall field for the non-elite rider count, leading to what will likely still be a massive number of riders rolling out of town.
That’s a significant change for the pros. Maybe even bigger than banning the aerobars, the pro women now start 2 minutes behind the men and 8 minutes in front of the amateurs. Seems like that could change race tactics quite a bit for the pro women.
I don’t typically run aero bars in gravel races, but I used them at Gravel Locos last year and plan to at Unbound. Once I get beyond 5-6 hours, another position is welcome and there is a high chance of being solo or small group once you get that deep into a race. I recently put the aero bars on the bike and plan to do all my training and early season racing this year to get comfortable with them. I’m also running my 1x Eagle AXS gearing, so pretty much running my Unbound setup between now and then. The only thing I’d like to add is the wireless blips so I can shift from the aero bars. They are out of stock everywhere, but hopefully I’ll be able to nab some in the next couple months.
On a related note, that Velonews piece also said they are banning aero bars for all racers at leadville. I don’t see too many folks running them at leadville, but some of the pros do and there is enough flat sections to get a benefit for sure.
Oh yeah, certainly….but it was kinda cool knowing that everyone was in the same field….pros, amateurs, men, women.
I think it is the right decision and inevitable……but it just removes a unique aspect of gravel racing. The idea that anyone could show up on race day and prove themselves against the best in the world was kinda special.
Think how special it will be when you close the 10 minute gap and ride away for the win… This is how legends are made.
I’m kind of indifferent on the pro men because I don’t see them for long, but I do like the opportunity to race alongside some of the pro women. I expect that will still happen at the pointy end of the amateur field with only an 8 minute gap.
Just read the new rules for unbound with the highlights being:
10 minute staggered start for pro’s/elites vs “amateur” (8 min for women)
elite women get their own start
no arrow bars just for pro’s (to the non-pro that slapped them on the day before, go for it bro)
IDK but is this opposite day?? First why take arrow bars away from the pros for safety reasons? Isn’t that why they’re pro’s because they know to test and ride with arrow bars? Shouldn’t it be the opposite? I’ve done Unbound and there were way too many people out there with aero bars that did not know how/when/why to use 'em. Saying that the “pro’s don’t need them”(direct from lifetime). Why did the '22 winner and half the top 10 feel the “need?”
No mass start! Personally think that’s the true spirit of gravel is the mass start and lining up with guys/gals you only read about and seeing truly how fast they are when they pull away from you in the first 2 miles. They are pro’s, they can handle a little argey/bargey/crowds for the first 10 minutes. In terms of the elite women having their own start i really don’t feel qualified to say (um because i’m’a dude) but i’ve heard pros say that surfing the crowds with other men is part of the strategy. I guess it truly levels things for them but there will be amateur packs that catch the women and it will still play part of the race, 8 minutes is not enough of a gap for this not to happen in 200 miles.
I don’t see how this changes much. The pro women can still draft off the “amateur” men, which I think was the problem from the get go. It wasn’t like top women were mixing it up with the pro men. Perhaps they did if a top man had a mechanical, in which case this still does nothing.
You just answered your own question…only “half” the Top 10 used them…if your competition didn’t opt for them and you did, you had a competitive advantage.
I do, however, agree with your point that allowing amateurs to continue to use them kinda flies in the face of banning them for the pro field in the name of “safety”.
I agree that not having a full mass start is a loss for the start, but as I noted above, this was likely inevitable. The difference in the start of gravel races in just the last 3 years is significant. I did Unbound in 2019 and I was able to ride around 100-150 in the field with no issues. Could easily see the pink jerseys of the EF guuys at the front and the early no-hoper breakway guys.
When I did SBT and Big Sugar this year, I never even sniffed the front, let alone get close enough to see the pro riders…and both starts were blazing fast.
“Argey bargey” is one thing…pros being put in dangerous situations because 1) the speeds have picked up considerably and 2) there are riders who have no business being at the front around them are other things entirely. It was only a matter of time before some knucklehead took out one of more of the major contenders because they wanted to be up front, IMO.
The sport has changed dramatically in just a few years and it needs to evolve. Unfortunately, that will mean letting go of some of the aspects that made gravel different. You simply can’t have this kind of growth and continuing to keep things “small” in terms of rules / organization.
I see other’s points regarding aero bars and i think the pros don’t really care just want a rule either way (Dylan Johnson (friend of the show-hah) and other pros have mentioned this.
The staggered start rule is one for the pros and by the pros, when in fact the vast majority are the people are amateurs’ that actually get a thrill lining up with them (if only for a few minutes). The men’s race will truly be affected by this.
Will it be “safer”, maybe, but how unsafe was it really? Unless you read Lea Davidson’s interview post UB, which you don’t see any other racers really complaining about any of her gravel-gripes, it really is just standard racing folly’s and dangers. I thought it was more unsafe not providing more than 3-4 water-stops on-course and generally having very little-to-no course markings.
I think that Lifetime thinks that people actually watch that super boring live feed and paid attention to what was happening during the race, when really the majority just like seeing the end results and reading the race recaps of their fave racer.
The staggered start probably makes it a little safer for the pros, but I think it has a bigger safety impact on the amateur field. From what I’ve seen in most gravel races , the starts are sketchy when you have a decent sized group trying to stay with the pros. I have not done unbound yet, so I’m just guessing that
a similar dynamic happens there as well. The wrecks happen when you have a bunch of strong/aggressive amateurs at their limit (technically and physically) trying not to get gapped at the speed the pros are pushing to get separation. The wrecks don’t typically happen right at the front, but in the churn that is trying to stay connected. The pros push harder to stay in front of the mess and that just makes the mess bigger until the race breaks up into reasonably sized groups. There will still be a similar dynamic without the pros pushing at the front, but it will be at a lower speed.
I think there were some pro women with male teammates helping with their pacing. I don’t know if those men would fall under elite or amateur (of if they can make the choice), but either way you have an effect. If I were a women and knew that the “fast” amateurs were eventually going to close the 8 minute gaps, how would I race the start? Slow roll and save energy while waiting for the men? Or push hard and possibly pick up some weaker male pros, guys with mechanicals, or guys that were always planning on waiting for me? It would be pretty bold to put a couple male pacers up the road (the sprit of gravel would be very angry indeed).
Agreed…it is still a bike race and riders taking chances at the front are part and parcel of the event.
As noted, the change in dynamics from 2019 to now are substantial. When I did Unbound in 2019, it was a pretty mellow rollout and the group was still well over 100 riders when I dropped off after ~90 minutes. No way that happens in today’s big gravel events.
When I did Dustbowl this year in IN (no big names present) the pace was still hot coming out of the gate, but because the overall field quality was lower, more people could hang on longer…I got popped around mile 35 and there were still about 60 riders in the front group. But lots of risk taking and sketchy riding during that time frame, too…
Whatever they do seems aimed at maximizing discussions like this while ignoring the experience of the 99% who are actually paying for this event to happen . The pros being there is neat and all, but other than walking past them on my way to the middle/back of the start grid I never saw them and by the time I finished they were long past showered
The difference in the start at the front was huge. In 2019 it was relatively “chill” both in speed and sketchiness. 2022 was much faster and sketchy. It was a noticeable difference. The pros started the race much faster and many amateurs were really overextending themselves in both effort and skill.
I did unbound in 2019 and thought the same that the start pace was pretty chill. have not returned but did do BWR last year and yea, its a different race but the start was very fast. Maybe its changing and this needs to happen IDK. I think the women’s race will be affected but the scenarios that @grwoolf outlined is pretty spot on. 8 minutes is not that much and depending on the elite men’s field size i bet the top women reel in the slower men and pace off of them. It will be interesting to see the pacing strategies of the women.
. The pros being there is neat and all, but other than walking past them on my way to the middle/back of the start grid I never saw them and by the time I finished they were long past showered 