Watched it yesterday on YouTube for a while and then a lot of Instagram posts today of the aftermath. I’m torn if I would ever want to do the event. Seems like you break derailleurs, chains, handbags, etc…on top of the misery, lol. But so many people keep going back. Also makes me wonder how people that live their drive on those muddy roads.
Not a broken handbag!
Paris to Ancaster spring classic in Ontario (sort of a miniature version of this with 35km and 60km variants) is wildly popular despite having multiple intentionally created mudslides on the course. There are embedded hoses in the ground to ensure loads of mud, regardless of conditions. Bringing a spare hanger and chain tool are just good policy, and all part of the fun.
I would think people understand the challenges and accept them as fun, but most of the after race interviews just seems like people are miserable. Still though, I think I’d like to try it someday with a goal of just finishing. My mountain bike is old and very heavy though so I can’t imagine having to carry it.
I thought the short finish line of #2 Maddy Nutty here (and winner of Traka) was golden.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DY-4qAfRd5n/
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I don’t think they’re riding on the roads most locals use on a daily basis. I think it’s a bunch of MMRs stitched together but I could be wrong.
It was boring as can be to watch, but there was usually about 20k tuned it which is about 4x the last couple T100s which does not bode well for our sport.
Haha, yeah, I don’t know her but my thought was that she is waaaayyy over tired. Haha.
I would agree, other than the feed stations. Those were pretty insane to watch. We kept checking in throughout the day.
I saw that video yesterday and became an instant fan…..and while I love gravel roads no,I’d never do that event or one like it.
I raced cross for 4 years and may again this season. I get it about conditions totally. But a bad cross event is s a max of like 45min. Less for lower categories. So mud buildup doesn’t tend to ruin drivetrain as much so.
Once an event damages equipment as part of the suffering I am out.
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Listened to it at work starting at 9. Commentators did a good job. Of course I had to go to the bathroom when Keegan had his issues.
I discovered Maddy’s YouTube channel a while ago and she usually has some entertaining post race comments. Here’s another clip of her from unbound: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DY_BjOHtcNt/
I finished the 200 yesterday, barely. It was my third finish but the first wet one and it was nuts! It started storming around mile 10, stopped around mile 70, then these Kansas winds blew around 30, followed by even more severe thunderstorms starting at 9 pm and lasting into the morning. Riding in that mud took more than I had in the tank. But the worst part was the lightning. I feel dumb that I risked my life riding out there with bolts flying just hundreds of yards around. I would definitely recommend it when dry!!
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Congrats. It’s an epic event even with good weather but this year…WOW.
Did the 100. I will say the expo rivals or better than Kona. So there are MMR roads all over kansas, iowa,nebraska and there have been “gravel racing” on them over 2 decades at different events. Locals typically know i would never go on that road unless i want to get stuck or have a crazy all terrain vehicle( dune buggies actually work well). So unbound is a bunch of gravel roads with MMR and some small road thrown in. The mile 15-18 everyone knew about as the mud section from 2023. Funny pros had to walk this year for it but the 100 front group got mostly by it if you went super slow. All together it was epic in a biblical way but also frustrating with two more long stretches( thinks couple miles)of unrideable roads with the thickest mud ever and then miles of roads rideable but having to stop cause it destroys the bike( i actually ran 650b for clearance) . As one local said on one mmr road with a power washes “ why the hell are you guys on this road it is never rideable” when 1-2 blocks away a different mmr road would be difficult but could be done as all these roads are different. To me this is done on purpose which im all for challenge but when you meet a guy doing the 350 take 7 hours to go 25 miles is this really a gravel race. Go for the locals and community rather than the course.
The pre-race vid referenced
This is my second year doing the 200, and I will admit to thinking “why would anyone want to do this event” when I watched video from one of the previous mud years. But then, I wondered. . .could I do it, and as you might suspect, I wanted to find out.
As much as it might seem like hype when people talk about the landscape, it is a kind of beauty that I don’t get to experience in New England. The town and most of the locals actually like the event. There are people handing out water, or pickle juice, and signs of encouragement and welcome along the way. Some folks host parties at their house for the day and offer cheers and tempting beverages as we ride by.
Each year the logistics are improved and changes are thoughtfully considered. The team is genuinely interested in making your day–and honestly all of Unbound week–a real, feel-good experience. I’m in awe of their considerable patience when communicating with people who might be tired or disoriented and cranky.
The amount of Unbound tee-shirts paired with IM backpacks at the airport makes me wonder why we can’t the gravel thread here to be more active. Clearly there are a lot of triathletes in the sport!
In any case, if you are gravel curious, you can dip a toe in the water at Unbound camp, which is held in April. I went–mostly because I wanted the experience without the big, crazy crowd, but what I discovered was a great group of people who made me feel welcome and who made me feel confident that I could ride in the wind and the mud on Kansas. And the next year, I signed up for the race. You could also spend a long weekend at the Training Grounds camp in Patagonia to meet some faces who are also prepping for the big day. I went this past February.
In long, I had great, but different experiences at Unbound this year and last year. You should come play gravel! It’s satisfying!
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Satisfy-ing, you say?
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I mean, it’s a certain kind of fun, for a certain kind of person, right?
She’s hysterical
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