So who has done this before? Whats it like and what tips do you have?
Or just what you liked and didnt like about it?
Ive heard mixed reports about it being fast, but then also slow and harder than unbound 200…not sure how on that but it could be different between folks.
What is the area like?
Im from KC so I have no idea if its similar or wildly different.
So I signed up for the 150 miler, because why not? Longest I have done on gravel is 126ish last year with Wicked Wilson in Kansas, which hurt but was plenty doable for me, those steep hills were the killer. My benchmark this year was this weekend doing 103 on road, hard pace, and still felt fine at the end. So I figure if I do an easier pace I should be just fine, unless that gravel RPE tax hits harder than expected, but I’m definitely stronger than last year.
I figure ill run my aerobars on the gravel bike, and I plan to put the stiffest elastomers in my new redshift stem. If anything just for the extra body position. It looks like a lot of elevation change but short and not so steep hills. Its the punchy 12-20% guys that kill me, so maybe this will go well for me.
i did the 150 in 2019, finished in 10hrs, although I think I was on pace to do 8.5-9. I picked a bad time to try a new thing, a full camelback 3l, which I attribute to lower back pain I got about halfway through and really messed up my ability to keep on the power. It’s very up and down and not flat, despite the perception of nebraska being pancake flat.
aside from a long day with some discomfort, it was a good time, although at the current reg price I wouldn’t do it again, it was half as much when I did it.
You’ll hear the promoters talk about riding ‘the gravel seas’, and that’s exactly it. You’re going to be up and down over the whole course. None of the climbs are that big, but there are a ton of them. Manage your speed on the downhills and you will be fine.
Depending on how adventurous you are feeling, Lincoln is a fun little college town.
Race promoters do a great job. You’ll be well supported. Plenty of goo, cokes and other snacks at the aid stations. You’ll likely be offered a couple free hot dogs or brats along the way.
The gravel is not chunky at all and smooth. Do be careful of the oncoming traffic on the gravel roads and also when descending there can be sections of soft gravel which can through you off line.
i rode with my aero bars but i did the 300 miler so it was more spread out. Others can chime in but i would think you could probably skip putting them on.
Would love to get out and do Wicked Wilson. Right before Unbound isn’t ideal. Been meaning to get out there and hit the MTB trails also. Looked SUPER windy this year. Bob Delaney had a good YouTube video covering Gravel Worlds in the past two months or so.
I’d slap the aeros on. 150m is a long day just for the extra position. Probably be alone for a big part of it. If windy probably wish you had them.
Omg it was so hot. Heat index was 105+. Flat at mile 30 that was a pain to fix. Then mile 60-120 was into a headwind. Stung on the head by something at mile 80ish. Still a welt there. Heat got me hard so I chilled for a while at a stop at mile 100 and 120 to cool down and catch up on hydration, electrolytes, and calories. I’m guessing a lot of DNFs.
10:52 moving time. 13:20 total ish so that was a bummer but I’m still damn happy to finish with how hard it was.
Race organizer is awesome, the volunteers were great, the route was brutal. Never flat with loose pea gravel. I’d do it again though, but man I wish I was stronger.
Next time more chamois cream. Small sunblock to reapply since I didn’t get to til mile 100. Only a tad burned on one arm so eh success.
Yep, results are out, ~150 started the 150 and only 97 finished. I was around 87, which, whatever, just glad to finish at that point. Feel like I have the legs to do far better next time if the heat isnt as bad. Then again those that sign up for 150 on gravel are definitely a more selective bunch, gravel has some very very very strong riders.
Crazy because I think like 250-300 signed up originally but then most dropped to the 75 the week before due to the forecast.
Does anyone have any theories why attendance has been decreasing so much the past couple years?
It’s down from the high mark in 2022 of around 1600 finishers to only around 1000 finishers in 2024. More DNFs or DNSs? Or just lower registration overall? Poorly positioned on the calendar?
This is one of the few, or perhaps only, national level event that had such a down year in 2024.
I saw elsewhere that there were a lot of DNFs this year in the 150 mile event due to the heat - upwards of 1/3.
This may also be coupled with participants changing their registration from the 150 to the 75 mile event prior to the deadline (which was about 1 week prior).
If you’re looked to determine the overall trendline for the event, I’d suggest looking at 75 mile totals and trends. That has always been the most popular distance - at least for Gravel Worlds.
But this year may be an outlier from a registrations vs. finishers perspective.
EDIT: Just reread your axis, assuming you’re including finishers of all distances. It’s hard to distinguish one-year weather dynamics vs. a larger pattern without more data, I’d say.
They made a lot of changes this year, all with the intention of adding a bit more ‘juice’ to the event. If there is a decline in attendance that’s not weather related, my guess is that they’re at a busy spot on the calendar.
If that’s just by finishers, then yeah there were a lot of DNFs, bunch that changed to the 75 last minute, and I’m assuming some no shows.
Also SBT grvl was a week before, probably doesn’t help since both are pricey.
But yeah as the other guy said, ~1/3 dnf on the 150 and probably some on the 75 too. From my results on the 150 it shows 97/150 finished. So my guess is the biggest factor being the crazy hot/windy weather. It was real rough mile 60-120 right into a furnace headwind. It pretty much slaughtered the mid/tail end of the “party pace” folks just wanting to complete it.
I was able to find the pre-registration numbers back to 2019. Finish rate (overall) was better for 2024 than recent prior years. It seems this might be a schedule, prominence, or marketing issue. Registration appears to have collapsed, especially for Women, compared to 2022.
2022 was the year of the 1,000 Women initiative so this is a pointed outcome.
