10/27/2018
https://www.velonews.com/2018/10/news/commentary-think-ef-riders-will-dominate-gravel-mtb-and-fixie-races-think-again_480564
David Trimble, Red Hook’s founder, says the EF riders can expect no special treatment at Red Hook. Hundreds of riders sign up to race each Red Hook race, and they participate in qualifying rounds in order to make the final. EF’s riders will need to qualify, just like everyone else, and that means surviving the early rounds, where they will race against riders with a wide variety of experience. In 2018 former Canadian national road champion Bruno Langlois failed to even qualify for the finals.
Could an EF rider overcome the challenges? Sure. In 2017 Bahrain-Merida’s Ivan Cortina Garcia won the Red Hook race in Milan. But Trimble said Cortina Garcia participated in several smaller regional fixed-gear criteriums in the months leading up to his victory.
“The main thing is when a rider wins, they don’t just jump into it. They spend time preparing,” Trimble said. “It’s a mental thing. You have to really want to win it and accept the risks and what you’re getting yourself into.”
Since EF announced its partnership with Rapha, we've all been wondering how WorldTour pros will fare in "alternative" races.
