Some riders have simply fitted wider tyres, while others have chosen a far more aggressive gravel set-up
a chance to check out what bike set-ups have been chosen by the riders around me. It’s sure to play its part today as La Resistance’s challenging parcours includes four gravel sectors, totalling 20km. The longest is the 14.3km long Route de la Soif, coming at around the 45km mark, which is described as a ‘high-altitude mountain track’. I’ve no idea if that means a well-maintained path of light gravel or a boulder-strewn nightmare, and I’m hoping that the bike options of my fellow riders might offer some clues.
My own chosen steed is the 3T Exploro, a bike that claims to be built for precisely this kind of varied terrain. It offers plenty of clearance for voluminous tyres so I’m rolling on 700c, 40mm WTB Nano gravel tyres, which I hope will provide the perfect middle ground – not too draggy, but durable, grippy and comfortable enough for both man and machine to stay the course. Around me I note some riders have simply fitted wider 25mm or 28mm road tyres to their top-end carbon race machines, while others have chosen a far more aggressive gravel set-up. Knobbly tyres on cyclocross bikes seem to be a popular choice, but as yet no one knows who’s got it right.
Early test
A rider rolls up alongside me aboard a Cannondale Slate, unmistakable with its single-sided ‘Lefty’ front suspension fork. I can’t help thinking it’s a decent choice so I decide