I think common sense is/was required in situations like these. If you feel out of your depth when facing an obstacle/challenging section, just back off a bit and do it in your own time and space. I was riding with a group containing a few C's, but mostly D and a few E's that had caught up by that point. On the section of the gravel road, before the water point, everyone started raising their hands and shouting to the other cyclists to slow down as there was a huge bunch of people who had fallen over (not crashed). They were slow speed wipe outs due to rider error. No one was hurt, aside from bruised egos. I simply (slowly) made my way through the pileup and made my way to the end of the gravel road without any incidents. Then I had a bit of catching up to do back on the tar, but it was fine and I still managed to finish in the top half of my starting group (D). Having done a lot of mountain biking (which obviously helps with bike handling skills), it really is a case of treating "obstacles" with respect. I do agree that some more warning could've been provided (for less experienced riders), but I don't think any one taking part in yesterday's race wasn't aware that there was a gravel road that you would have to contend with. Maybe at registration (number collection), an additional printout with exactly what distance the gravel road was at in the route and a few tips (as suggested previously), may have helped. At the end of the day, it is a race (fun ride) and you need to take responsibility for your own actions.
