Lube always helps when its dry.
I have heard that is an issue on any gravel ride over a certain length. Has made me questions the validity of waxing on long gravel courses.
I wasn’t at the pointy end (dropped off the main pack after 90 min to ride my pace) and didn’t even finish the race (was really, really sick over Memorial Day weekend and I simply didn’t recover sufficiently in time…whole body cramped at ~mile 75)…but damn it was an awesome experience regardless.
Seriously…one of the coolest events I have ever done. Rolling out of town in a pack of 1K plus riders was spectacular.
Dunno if I will try the lottery this year or not, but I am definitely going back next year if I can…
Fun do demonize big corps sometimes… but this seems to be right inline for the DK in the prior years, pre Lifetime. So do we rip on the little guy too?
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I’m a big believer in waxed chains for big events…did it for my IM races and the 70.3 Worlds. The difference is noticeable…
Personally, I would never do a wax chain for a long gravel event.
Epic events are, well, epic, right?!
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I think its fair to charge a reasonable price. The consumer at the end of the day decides the value. I think some of the prices for Crits are way too much, $50 for a 30min crit, that’s way too much.
I would sign up for unbound just do to the event to say I did it, do I think its a good deal. NO
I don’t know…I have always just had a dedicated waxed chain that I got retreated professionally.
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I’d be curious to see this info from day one.
Lifetime bought it in 2018, and for a few years before that I’m sure the DK crew was working the prices up to show any potential buyer that the event would support those kinds of fee’s that would make them a lot of cash.
My threshold is about $100 less than their current pricing. It will continue to go up until it doesn’t sell out. As a company they are better served by growing the cost of attending rather than growing the number of riders.
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It is a fair comparison. I have promoted a summer TT series for 6 years, nd I can assure you that despite the modest size of my events, there is more to it than you know. With the geographical vastness of UG, you are encompassing many different municipalitees/counties that have their own rules/requirements - same as IM. Insurance alone is a huge expense. Each municipality will require they be named an additional insured to a policy in excess of $1 million - with a premium based upon number of competitors, risk, etc. Don’t think for a minute that a rider’s signed waiver will save the the promoters butt. Not to mention, the sponsors that are signed on can, and have, fallen short of commitment. This leaves the promoter to clean up that mess. And finally, is the promoter doing this out of the goodness of their heart, or are they trying to turn a profit? In my case, the proceeds go to a local charity as it is a training series. At the magnitude of this event, they need to make $$$. I am friends with the founder of Tour of Battenkill (among other events he’s done) and he got out of it for many reason. I might say that one of them is about people complaining over fees, free stuff, etc without knowing what went on behind the scenes. To everyone out there, if you don’t like the fees, don’t ride. If you can give up your own time and do it better, have at it. Show us what ya got…
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Having done both, there is a vast difference in what needs to occur with the different local authorities. I’m not even certain how the roads are governed for UG…when I say you are out there on your own, you are really out there on your own. There are areas where there is literally nothing around you.
I’ve done IM as well, but not unbound gravel. Regardless, until you’ve actually promoted events, it’s hard to get a grasp on how much municipalities/counties/private parties require to conduct such an event on their property. While you may have been in the middle of nowhere during UG, someone owned it, and the promoter had to go through the process of obtaining permission. Not being snarky, but try promoting a race sometime. It’s a challenge. NOBODY is ever happy, and far too many complain about trivial things. Ride on!
As an interested onlooker from the UK I have a question.
Should the Belgian Waffle ride be renamed as it implies residents of Belgium waffle ( or maybe are even partial to eating a waffle)
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Nice of you to devalue and diminish those people effected by centuries of continual racism, genocide, white privilege, and cultural appropriation.
Well played, marshmallow.
Enjoy the outhouse which is my ignore list! 
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Wow, I didn’t realise I was putting my heavy boots into such a minefield. Clearly I had no intention of upsetting anyone and I apologise if I have done so unintentionally.
No idea you are talking about. That is why I do not talk anything about cultural reasons of changing the name, only naming.
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Can we focus on who has/hasn’t entered the lottery, gear selection, and training for the 100/200 mile event rather than going back to the name change issue which dominated the first ~100 posts in this thread?
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I am tempted to start (or have someone else start) a dedicated “Unbound Gravel 2021 Race/Ride” thread just for that purpose. This thread, justifiably (from time and thread objective) was focused on the naming.
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That is a smart idea. You’re an ideas man. I like the way you think and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
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What happens in a few years when gravel becomes passe and/or too elite for the masses?
Ressurect grass velodrome racing? 