It's that time of the year when everyone who signed up for, what is concievably the biggest gravel race in the World, Unbound starts to panic about their preparation. They start to look at weather forecasts and imagine if they will be sweltering in the heat or slogging in the mud. Or both. They start to organize their hydration and nutrition. We take a minute to catch up with our sales guru and our pair of gravel pros to see how preparations are coming along.
Skyler Taylor can you share with us a little of your Unbound history? How many times have you been and what has this experience been like? I've raced Unbound twice before in 2022 and 2023. I have yet to put together a race I am proud of there. 2022 was dominated by flat tires and learning a lot of lessons the hard way. In 2023 I had some nutrition issues that took me out of the race in the first 80 miles.
Can you share one of your favorite Unbound moments? In 2022 I was around 120 miles in and I had already flatted multiple times. I was in a group with Heather Jackson and a few others. It was just starting to rain quite hard and we came into a muddy descent. It was way slicker than we were expecting and as soon as we tried to corner we all went down pretty hard. Thankfully no one was too injured but Heather who was in podium contention slashed her sidewall in the crash. It was probably an inch gash. She pretty clearly didn't have the tools or knowledge to properly boot it, but since my race was already long gone I thought maybe I could help her get going again. I used a twinkie wrapper from my back pocket to boot the sidewall and then put a tube in and pumped it up with my hand pump. The whole ordeal took about 20 minutes and it was hailing and thundering the whole time. Miraculously the boot held and she ended up racing 80 miles on it and finishing with a solid result. Up until that point in the race I was only thinking about my result (or lack there of) and was pretty bummed by my bad luck. Being able to help Heather get going again totally changed my mindset and I ended up really enjoying the rest of my race out there and finishing with a smile on my face.
Can you share one of your least favorite moments? I've got to say the huge mud section in the first 10 miles of 2023. It was really frustrating that they intentionally sent us through a completely unrideable 3 mile mud pit solely for the media spectacle. Many people broke their bikes, the race ran out of water for the amateurs because they gave it to the pros to wash the mud off and the race turned into a game of who had the most support in the feed zone to get their bikes working again. I'm all for challenging conditions but this was a completely avoidable stunt that ended a lot of peoples days early and didn't have to.
Can you share with us a little bit about your equipment and hydration/nutrition plan for this year's Unbound? It really depends on the conditions out there. We might see a super hot, dry race where it will be a no brainer on tires and a logistical challenge of staying cool and hydrated. It could also be another mud year where heat is less of an issue and it will be about optimizing tires for clearance and puncture protection.
Are you hoping for any particular conditions for this year, what might those be? Both of my Unbound experiences so far have been mud years. I'd love to have a year with dry conditions and focus more on the racing and less on the equipment and support.
Julius Berith can you share with us a little of your Unbound history? How many times have you been and what has this experience been like? I attended Unbound for the first time in 2023 where I competed in the 100 mile version of the race. This was the muddy year where it had rained quite a bit before the race, turning parts of the course into a mudpit where even the guide motorcycles got stuck. We had to walk some 4 miles, 10 miles into the race because the course was unrideable. It was a very difficult but an incredible experience where I ended up taking 11th overall and winning my age group (30-39). After the race, I sat at the bar enjoying an ice cold adult beverage when I observed racers finishing the 200 mile (marquee) event and felt like I had run a half marathon during a marathon. I decided then that I needed to complete the 200 the following year, where in 2024 I teamed up with a frame builder from Mosaic Cycles to finish before sundown. We completed the race in 13.5 hours successfully and it was one of the greatest and most beautiful rides of my life.
One of your favorite Unbound moments? In 2023, during the 100 mile race I bridged up to a gap of 5 riders (including myself). In the group we had: a junior, a 20-29, a 30-39 (me), a 40-49, and a pro. Because of the mud and the race blowing up we had no idea where we stood. As we neared the finish line, the decision was made to lead out the junior for the sprint as he had the best chance of winning his age group. Heading into town the last climb was the famous "College Hill" that had some people unclip and walk. I told the group that being the biggest rider I would blow myself up the hill and let them take the Junior to the finish line. As we neared the top of the hill I buried myself and turned back to realize only the Junior was on my wheel, I asked him to give me 30 seconds to recover before leading him out to take 10th overall and winning both of our age groups. To me this defined the "spirit of gravel".
The least favorite moments? In 2024, Ross from Mosaic and I were making a steady effort during the 200 mile course and ran up to a cyclist who jumped on our wheel and would attack every few minutes. He'd rest, attack, and get caught again. Over and over for 20 miles until we decided we finally had enough and dusted him by picking up the effort on our last bridge effort to catch him and not let him jump back on.
Can you share with us a little bit about your equipment and hydration/nutrition plan for this year's Unbound?Similar to last year, I'll be running a 2L hydration bladder in my frame bag, keeping the weight off my back along with 2 bottles in the frame. Each bottle will have 6 scoops of Skratch's Super High Carb Mix along with a packet of LMNT. I'll have 3 bottles and a spare 2L bladder waiting for me at both sag stops to switch and get back on the course as fast as possible. I plan on consuming a GU Liquid Energy Gel every 30-45 minutes along with some all natural bars from Found In Nature for solid and real food. Unbound is as much as an eating contest as it is a bike race.
If you had to give three tips to someone who is making their way to Kansas for their first race, what might those be? Carry more food with you than you would normally and get some heat acclimation training in if you live in a cold climate like Marin. It's always a hot race and you'll see a lot of people cracked on the side of the road in one of the few shady spots on the course. The other thing to note is that it's going to be difficult, in the best way possible. Everyone who registers is signing up for a day full of suck. Embrace it.
Are you hoping for any particular conditions for this year, what might those be? I'm hoping for dry and hot conditions, being a Florida Man I like the "swamp" climate. If it rains, tire choice won't matter all that much because in my experience because unlike Skyler and Brennan I won't be at the front of the race so the course will be run through by 100+ people and slippery.
Brennan Wertz can you share with us a little of your Unbound history? How many times have you been and what has this experience been like? I've ridden Unbound three times now, with my first stab at the event being back in 2021 (link to AC Journal from back then). I took part again in 2022, had to sit out 2023 due to an untimely Covid infection, and was back again last year. I've had more than my fair share of bad luck since placing in the top ten in 2021. Many mechanical, many issues, and never anything remotely close to a 'clean run'.
One of your favorite Unbound moments? My favorite Unbound moment was watching my good friend Salifu cross the finish of the 350 mile Unbound XL last year. I had finished the 200 Miles edition a few hours prior and then was able to shower, change, and head back to the finish line to watch Sali cross the finish line with an ear-to-ear grin. He finished a few seconds before sunset as the announcer was counting down the seconds to the sunset, and Sali was the last rider to make it into the 'Beat the Sun' club that year. It was truly a special moment for us both and was also shared by our friends from Mosaic Cycles who had built the beautiful bikes Sali and I were both riding that year. I had helped Sali a bit with his preparation and had seen firsthand how much this event meant to him. It was a special moment.
Can you share one of your least favorite moments? Last year I had a real nasty string of bad luck and mechanicals, beginning only about 40km into the race on a very tame, straight, 'smooth' gravel road. The rocks in the Flint Hills are some of the sharpest and nastiest I have ever encountered and they can be so keen to destroy your hopes of a result.
Share with us a little bit about your equipment and hydration/nutrition plan for this year's Unbound? My plan is relatively straightforward. Eat and drink a lot, really just as much as physically possible at all times. Equipment-wise some things will stay the same from years past and others will change. I'll be on my new Stars & Stripes Scott Addict Gravel [LINK] and there is a chance I will be riding some new prototype tires from Rene Herse that we have been testing. Other than that, most things should be pretty similar to years past regarding setup. I'll have double OrangeSeal in my tires, foam inserts, Enve SES wheels, and a whole host of CeramicSpeed upgrades to round out the setup.
If you had to give three tips to someone who is making their way to Kansas for their first race, what might those be? Eat/drink as much as you can at all times. Ride easier than you think you should be and avoid 'going into the red' as much as possible.
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