RATN-GX

[quixoticgeek]

Race around the Netherlands Gravel Edition starts tomorrow.

I'll be writing commentary on dotwatcher.cc. route preview should be up already.

It's gonna be interesting. When bike check closed there were 11 caps still on the table. Approx 10% DNS. But 50% of the solo women.

Will be interesting seeing how the race unfolds.

J

[morbihan]

Race around the Netherlands Gravel Edition starts tomorrow.

I'll be writing commentary on dotwatcher.cc. route preview should be up already.

It's gonna be interesting. When bike check closed there were 11 caps still on the table. Approx 10% DNS. But 50% of the solo women.

Will be interesting seeing how the race unfolds.

J

Excellent I have my eye on this one. Hopefully a bit less Battle of the Somme than my recent experience. Looking forward to your reports QG.

[quixoticgeek]

Excellent I have my eye on this one. Hopefully a bit less Battle of the Somme than my recent experience. Looking forward to your reports QG.

Thanks. It's a cracking route. I'm kinda envious of the riders. But I think I'd rather do it as a tour than a race.

Think about your tyres carefully.

J

[felstedrider]

That may explain the number of kitted out riders I saw coming towards me as I rode towards Hoek today.

I suspect that most of them had also discovered the total lack of a Rozelare-Maasluis ferry at around the same time I did.

[quixoticgeek]

Bloody hell their fast!!

J

[quixoticgeek]

Just discovered the tracker page allows you to turn on "world hill shades"

In the Netherlands...

J
 

[Lightning Phil]

Is the gravel edition planned to alternate each year with a road edition? I’ve vaguely got RATN in my sights (on my recumbent), at some point, but a road edition.

[quixoticgeek]

Is the gravel edition planned to alternate each year with a road edition? I’ve vaguely got RATN in my sights (on my recumbent), at some point, but a road edition.

Yes, even years it's road, odd years it's gravel. That's the plan. Recumbent on gravel sounds fantastic!

There's a tandem this year!

I'm trying to right the riders over view, but I am getting very distracted by all those dots...

J

[Adam]

That's a lovely write-up of the route.  I'm very tempted to look at doing the route as a tour in a few years time.

[quixoticgeek]

That's a lovely write-up of the route.  I'm very tempted to look at doing the route as a tour in a few years time.

Am actually kinda tempted by the sprint route in 2025...

J

[morbihan]

Yup great intro/backround GQ, and quite the geology lesson:) Nice one.
One of my TCR mates  has bailed early sighting the sand and lack of time. He had a marginal set up for the conditions that were tougher than he envisaged.

[Mr Larrington]

Is the gravel edition planned to alternate each year with a road edition? I’ve vaguely got RATN in my sights (on my recumbent), at some point, but a road edition.

Yes, even years it's road, odd years it's gravel. That's the plan. Recumbent on gravel sounds fantastic!

Er, no.  No, it is not.  Not even Type 2 fun.

[Lightning Phil]

Recumbent on gravel sounds fantastic!

Really depends on the definition of gravel. I’d imagine they’d be a lot of walking based on your route descriptions. Easy disused railway gravel is as fast as the road, but I suspect there would be much of that.

But 2026 is a potential, based on road being even years, and current plans till then. May suits me better as well, provided a heatwave doesn’t hit. We will see.

Meanwhile I’ve been lost looking at bikes of riders.  Lot of similar setups at a glance.

[quixoticgeek]

Really depends on the definition of gravel. I’d imagine they’d be a lot of walking based on your route descriptions. Easy disused railway gravel is as fast as the road, but I suspect there would be much of that.

But 2026 is a potential, based on road being even years, and current plans till then. May suits me better as well, provided a heatwave doesn’t hit. We will see.

Meanwhile I’ve been lost looking at bikes of riders.  Lot of similar setups at a glance.

The amount of sand has taken a lot of people unawares. I've already seen some of the full distance riders saying they want to do the shorter route.

J

[Lightning Phil]

Really depends on the definition of gravel. I’d imagine they’d be a lot of walking based on your route descriptions. Easy disused railway gravel is as fast as the road, but I suspect there would be much of that.

But 2026 is a potential, based on road being even years, and current plans till then. May suits me better as well, provided a heatwave doesn’t hit. We will see.

Meanwhile I’ve been lost looking at bikes of riders.  Lot of similar setups at a glance.

The amount of sand has taken a lot of people unawares. I've already seen some of the full distance riders saying they want to do the shorter route.

J

If you’ve ever ridden the Icknield way, that is very sandy at eastern end, and fun to manage to ride, even on a mtn bike with 2.1” tyres.

[quixoticgeek]

If you’ve ever ridden the Icknield way, that is very sandy at eastern end, and fun to manage to ride, even on a mtn bike with 2.1” tyres.

I have not. But I have ridden quite a bit of the RATN-GX route.

J

[quixoticgeek]

Oh, post about the riders is up.

J

[morbihan]

Oh, post about the riders is up.

J

Thanks for that. Insightful.
I just read your intro to JoJo and its peaked her interest to perhaps tour some of the route as you recommended. Nice one.

[quixoticgeek]

First race update is up.

14 scratches so far.



J

(If you read it in the first 15 mins of it going live, go back, I've updated it. )

[Lightning Phil]

What is this well known Dutch hotel booking app?

[quixoticgeek]

What is this well known Dutch hotel booking app?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booking.com

J

[Lightning Phil]

Ha!

[quixoticgeek]

They're kinda a poster child of the dutch tech industry, but they have become a bit controversial in recent years, esp after some dubious management choices. Hence not wanting to name them directly.

J

[quixoticgeek]

New update is up.

J

[Lightning Phil]

If riders infringe a rule (using water taxi), how long do they get to correct their mistake, before they are sent a message saying disqualified?