Though the competition is always fierce at Unbound, the most formidable opponent for this year was the mud and lots of it.
In the flagship 200-miler event, the mud started around mile 11 and continued unrelentingly for several miles. The unrideable section caused riders to run, walk or shuffle — any way to keep momentum. Unfortunately for many — this muddy sector was as far as they would make it, with mechanicals a-plenty. For those that made it through the mud unscathed, the front groups were selective and filled with anxious riders, not letting anyone get up the road.
Carolin Schiff of Bremen Germany, wins Unbound 200 with a finishing time of 11:46:39. Schiff crossed the finish line solo, only accompanied by a rainstorm that chased her in for the last 20 miles.In the women’s 200-mile race, Jenna Rinehart opened an early gap of about two minutes. Unbound 2022 winner Sofia Gomez Villafane overtook Rinehart and gained about a minute by mile 40.
Near the end of the race, the group was whittled down to seven. As the group approached Commercial Street, the riders began showing their cards. Keegan Swenson started his sprint early, beat out the chasing pack, and one-upped his second-place finish from 2022. Keegan Swenson of Park City, Utah wins Unbound Gravel, a 200 mile gravel race through the Flint Hills of Kansas, with a finish time of 10:06.4. Swenson finished second here last year in a similar sprint finish, after 200 miles of gravel and mud he claims victory in 2023.
“It’s nice to win this race,” Swenson said at the press conference. “Second was a great result last year, and I was content with it, but to come up that short after almost 10 hours of racing is a bummer to lose it in a sprint.”The 350-mile XL event was a battle of attrition and willingness to survive, with riders spending over 24 hours on the bike. XL racers experienced all the rain, mud, walking, and darkness they could handle.
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