It’s gravel day at Unbound, errr, we mean TdF 2024. Is gravel fun? Is gravel too hard? How did Ben Healy approach this year’s stage nine? All that and more in this episode of RaceTV.
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okay so I’ve heard there’s a gravel stage in the T to France today is not so boring yeah I think so today a full of action you will see action from the zero I can tell [Music] you are you excited to experience a spirit of gravel rule number one just have fun I know it’s probably going to be stressful but gravel’s supposed to be a good time yeah no neon did you hear we’re going did you hear we’re going to Emporia today are we I guess number two try and go around the Rocks not over them keep the air in the tires I’m really a anti- arrow bar you know um that’s just against this Spirit of gravel you know yeah for undone gravel it’s it’s today are you excited to do your first Unbound it’s all about having fun out there we’re going to stop at all the eight stations and uh just enjoy it with our friends um yeah oh I get I get your uh I get the joke and if you do have a flat tire just slow down and enjoy the view I guess it’s nice well I said it before to start maybe not after the Finish but W it’s something different uh as long as it goes well well then uh then it’s nice I guess but no stopping today no stopping Savage out here in World Racing you know we’ll try to keep the spear out of gravel alive but uh we might be the only ones out there trying to keep it alive fire that mean how many wheels did you prepare for today in the car uh same another day two inside one outside we we have uh 20 more for the helper and for the extra feed today’s a different was only the wheel the tire is different instead of every day we used the 28 mm Tire today is 30 mm Tire the air pressure is different because we have a cobblestone section uh which make difference so each rid yeah each less pressure for different Riders you [Music] know there’s going to be a GC race today that’s not rocket science but I wouldn’t let the fact that people didn’t want to race yesterday make us think that they’re not going to try like hell today the race isn’t R I’ll give you all the details but the sand is actually or the the gravel is actually in good condition so it’s trool or carry tours rather than P okay so you you get your position and then you don’t do anything wild on the sound okay cuz that’s where it goes WR [Music] it’s going to be I mean this is going to be a hell of a lot faster than Unbound um and a hell lot more dangerous this is Formula 1 car racing yeah enjoy uh the spirit of gravel we did everything but everything that we could do and uh we also did everything that we should have done we had neelson in an early move we had neelon wait for Ben at very the very last moment to get Ben across great bit of teamwork there it’ll be a battle into each sector what we’ve told our guys is you fight for the position on the pavement and once you’re onto the gravel just stick to where you are don’t try to move up too much on the gravel because that usually causes crashes [Music] [Applause] a [Music] [Music] [Music] back did great surviving the whole day ruy protected his position by joining the group with Vander and gai was [Applause] there I stay in the front in the first case for try take a break away yeah a lot a lot energy there was a gr group in front Gamble a little bit and yeah I don’t know Ben it was good that Ben was there and ruy was there at one point but yeah it was uh full gas fight from the start for the Breakaway kept my cars Hur close to my chest until the first sector cuz we knew it was pretty hard after that and uh if the Gap wasn’t too big then we could maybe bridge and that’s what I managed to do with Pitcock but uh yeah it was a tough all old battle to get across to the front and uh I think we spent a lot of pennies there cuzz as soon as we caught them we hit the the next gravel sector on this steep CL and yeah it was uh we knew it was in for a hard day then and then from then it was just a war of attrition and uh yeah with with nowhere really to make a a really big difference for me in the in the final I think it was always going to be tough but yeah we gave it a good go and just happy was uh represented in the in the finish and uh yeah you never know got to keep playing our cards and eventually it’ll roll that way we wanted to win we did everything to win but when you do everything as well as that as a group and the best you can get is fifth then you accept it and uh I’m pleased with the group and I’m really happy with how the road [Music]
21 Comments
back in the very old days, tarmac was carnage
Lachy as Gravel Consultant – absolute legend.
He needs to get some business cards!
nice racing today team!!! Ben was right there!! super cool.
Pink Cadillac- genius, is that a theme or an official sponsor? (Guessing you can’t play Springsteen while using team radio!) ❤
Lachy with most unhelpful advice ever. Keep the air in the tires 😛
Lachy out here living his best life while everyone else is just clocking in for their shift at work
Great racing Neilson and Ben! Way to execute the tactics and be in the fight at the end of the race.
I pull for y'all because y'all are my kind of people. Wishing for the best.
I was rooting for Ben!! Chapeau for staying in the breakaway until the end 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽
All that dust could damage their lungs.
I love this race coverage- fun and clever filmmaking!
y’all hiring?
that Vancouver Canucks shirt though 🤤
Life advice from Lachy🎉
Sean is tuned in to all the gravel drama haha No aero bars and stop at every aid station.
Love the content, great team. I have been at the Tour and you guys are great around the bus.
But my beef. You let Ben go full gas on the TT, then burnt him up the next day, THEN try to get him this stage? Should have held him back the 2 previous days and targets this one?
Ben needs to loose The helmet
Go Lachy. Nice format. Keep it up.
Were there more flats than usual? It didn't seem so from the highlights from different channels.
If they could have had Lachlan race the TDF just to win this one stage and then drop out, that'd been awesome. But then he'd have to put up with the BS up until this stage and he'd be like nah. And naw, this isn't "Formula 1 on gravel". The lead group in Unbound trained MORE per week and are even more capable and faster on gravel than the world tour pros, and they proved it. What's more dangerous with this stage is they are riding road bikes on gravel and that causes crashes. So it's like you have Zwift power riders with bad gravel handling skills on crappy bikes on gravel. Don't diss the real gravel racers – they are the best in the world at what they do. This is a stunt to watch roadies crash and be miserable for the public's entertainment.
Would love if every stage a team can have an alternate rider and Lachy could join for this stage