I started my second Unbound Gravel this past Saturday. Coming into it with some knowledge of the experience, even though both the course and weather would be much different, was relieving in many ways. This time I had an idea of what I was getting into. Last year was very hot, and this year was cloudy but with rain and mud. Either way, after 200-miles, getting to the finish line is already an incredible feat of human resiliency.
The event has become the premiere gravel event, attracting top pros, Olympians, and even World Champions to its startline. As you can imagine, the start is very fast. It’s like a Women’s WorldTour race, but just plopped on loose gravel with potholes, puddles, and low visibility from the dust and sheer number of humans. This year, Emporia received a deluge of rain earlier in the week, and although it was drying out rapidly, it was a big concern. Flint rocks and peanut butter mud is a gruesome combination.
Unbound Gravel strategy for early miles
The start came after a brief delay for a train at 6:06am and then we were off to the crit — I mean, the 200.2-mile gravel race. The field last year was deep in talent, and this year it was that much deeper. Since it is a mass start, the name of the game in the women’s field making the splits in the men’s field as long as possible without blowing up, and putting in big digs as needed to connect with another group or strong rider. It’s really difficult to see your competition among everyone else, leaving a lot of question marks about where you are. Sometimes you can glean info from other riders if they came from a group up the road with other women.
Although everyone was riding pretty safely, there were probably a half dozen crashes, often near the front. That had a cascading effect further back, causing splits super quickly. I was sitting too far back and was caught behind a few of these, putting me in a position of having to chase at my own pace while also trying to stay on top of nutrition with as many JoJe Bars as possible. After awhile, I ended up in a pretty solid, fast-rolling group, riding with both Sarah Max and Kate Kantzes at different points. The timeline is already mixed up in my head; I can’t remember when I was riding with who.
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Aid 1 was quick, thanks to my crew from home — Mike Woodard, owner of Brave New Wheel where we have the Bike Sports Fit Studio, and friend Logan VonBokel — swapping hydration packs already loaded with food and bottles. After a quick wipe of my sunglasses and a pee behind a car, I left, catching just a couple of the group I was with rolling in with.
There was no way to know if they were ahead or behind. Eventually our group of three was caught by a very solid larger group, including Sarah again. So began the start of an insane journey together. I was behind on hydration, but our group didn’t want to stop at the Oasis, so I had to make the tough decision to keep rolling, knowing I would be digging a hole. But I would also get dragged along further and faster than I could on my own.
Course conditions factor in
Shortly after the Oasis, the rain and the mud made its dramatic debut. Sunglasses became foggy and muddy, and more dangerous than simply riding around with squinty eyes and blinking mud flecks out of them. I didn’t have any racing experience in the mud before, but quickly learned to navigate with survival in the forefront of my mind. When we hit the first of two insanely muddy sections, the group was falling over left and right, and it quickly became an “everyone for themselves” situation. I opted to ride through the wettest, most puddly section because I hoped it would be flatter and easier to roll through. I found that to be the case and exited in a favorable position.
Maybe 20 miles from Aid 2, I really started to suffer. I was behind on nutrition, not knowing when my next hydration pack sip would be my last. I popped off the group after someone in front of me opened up a gap and I just couldn’t close it. When I finally made it to Aid 2, I was in a dark place. My crew got my drivetrain cleaned, I cried while eating Oreos, chugged a coke and water, and forced myself to eat another 300 calories of PayDay while riding out of town. I was somewhere between third place and fifth.
Unbound’s dark places
Stumbling onto the final super thick mud section was mind-numbing. I was so far gone from being a normal human and was now just an automated shell of a human. Dismount bike. Try to “run” with bike up the hill. Hop on bike and slide down the hill. Beg the 100-mile riders to get out of the way so I could take the only semblance of a line. Almost as if it was set up on purpose, the section concluded with a deep creek crossing, washing off a lot of the mud from my bike. I used some precious water to spray the front derailleur to get as many gears functioning as possible.
Eventually Scott Tietzel and I ended up together. I can’t remember who caught who. But at that point, having someone else to ride with was a lifesaver, preventing me from going to that dark, dark place. The carb-hydration and caffeine bottle I made was kicking in and I was feeling a lot better. I rolled across the line 4th again, very happy and relieved to be done.
After so many hours on the bike, a transformative experience occurs. It shows you your resiliency, your ability to deal with adversity, your adaptability, and so much more. It’s not exclusive to Unbound Gravel. But maybe the sheer duration makes Unbound stand out in a unique way. Post-race, the community — and your own competition —all stick around to share hugs and congratulations. You ride that high into the sunset and straight into the Happily ENVE After Party, followed by the mind-defying post-race insomnia.
