Jebbus.
The Wikipedia-scanning summary of the Oklahoma land runs is hilariously tone deaf. Is there anyone who isn’t tired of “gravel influencers” by now? That well is fucking bone dry.
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This is merely one of the reasons why I want gravel to die off:
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Come to think of it, “Land Run” does appropriately describe a bunch of mostly white, generally talentless and otherwise unemployable bike riders rushing to cash in on the gravgrav trend. It’s a rush to get that content!
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honestly, this seems pretty bland and inoffensive - LA has a lot of tourist shit to do, why not try to grab some of those leisure dollars?
I have no problem with people commercializing a recreational thing, as long as it doesn’t preclude the option to go do it on your own.
My problem with the Land Run is the choice of name and historical framing, and further with the way that the writeup disengaged with it. This thing doesn’t even have the excuse of having been founded in a less sociopolitially aware time. Just rebrand as the “Stillwater 100/200” and it would be fine.
I have a problem with the organizer calling it that and not engaging with it, but I have to give prolly props for bringing it up. We wouldn’t be talking about it right now if he hadn’t.
when you read the article you may find that the way that it’s framed is pretty un-great
I read that portion and stopped when he started talking about bikes. It is a bike blog–just the fact that he brought it up is to be celebrated atmo. Are you saying that he should have been more forceful?
I believe the writer is a woman
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the monthly reminder that prolly should stick to pictures and not words
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I’m not a fan of Zabriskie; mostly because of his juvenile company/product name and even more cringe-worthy copy.
Time-trial specialist and cycling pro Dave Zabriskie had it all. He had bottom bracket destroying legs, balls of steel and generated enough wattage to power a house, but underneath it all he had an achilles taint. In an effort to improve his situation and increase the comfort of riders everywhere DZ Laboratories formulated DZNUTS with the dream, equality and mainTAINTenance for all.
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The scene of the first official Land Run of 1889 was not so unlike the scene of the morning of the Land Run 100 gravel race of 2019. However, we were there for a radically different purpose. Rather than white-settlers stampeding their way to lay claim on native lands, gravel racers from around the country were lining up at the start line, chomping at the bit to claim, not land, but the glory of the ultra-endurance feat of riding 100-miles of Oklahoma’s historic and notorious red dirt.
Good god, that is a trainwreck of a segue.
This should have been two different posts, and the historical side should have at least asked Bobby Wintle for a comment.
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Just to clarify, as @anon24974279 noted, the author is Sarah Swallow, half of the former Swallow Bicycle Works.
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yeah, but he could have read it/intervened before running the copy on the site
It should pretty clear by now that Johnny W. only reads checks from advertisers.
I should have known since it was better-written than what is usually on the site.
It’s a pretty gross comparison.
And this part I don’t get:
it should be done in a way that promotes a greater awareness among participants of the whole history behind the name
Ok and what would that “awareness” achieve? Does it just make the gravgrav racers feel better about themselves?
TC: I want to do Land Run next year. Sup can visit her brother in Stillwater and dad in Enid.
yeah sarah is generally pretty cool w/r/t native/land issues and that was a big part of ruta el jefe earlier this year
weird miss on this one, kind of cringily tone-deaf for someone who I know as conscious of that stuff, but I guess it goes to show that we all gotta actively check ourselves even “woke” folks
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Because she is a woman?