The 2022 edition of Unbound Gravel may have been wet and messy but in 2023 the degree of difficulty presented by the conditions reached a whole new level, with an early, new section delivering 'peanut butter mud' that left many riders running and equipment clogged.
Riders, still packed in a large group, left the firm-packed gravel roads after the Emporia start and barrelled straight to 'D Hill' at mile 10. This hill had not been used since 2015, when it became a mud pit eight years ago because of heavy rain. That flashback became reality again as days of rain storms in eastern Kansas created sludge again, sparked chaos and split the race.
"Savage, absolutely savage. It was unreal," was how women's fourth-placed women's 200 rider Danni Shrosbree described it.
"From the start I felt pretty comfortable at the front and then we hit the ‘peanut butter’ mud, and it was absolute chaos."
The field was split to pieces in that section, with some managing to somehow find a line through, either by avoiding halted riders and keeping momentum at the front or heading off the side across the steep, slippery slope of grass, but so many more were caught up in the quagmire.
Shrosbree was among those that fought back after the mud section, picking off riders once onto firmer terrain, though for others it spelt an early end to any chance of taking a top place, or even meant race over.
“Today was one of the most hectic days I’ve ever had on a bike. It was brutal,” Nathan Haas, who finished 26th last year on debut, said in an Instagram post. He quit this year's race soon after the mud.
“We hit a section ... and it turned to peanut butter mud and I couldn’t believe what we saw. It was absolute madness. We went in like maybe 50-60km an hour after a downhill and then it was just guys running with bikes. It was utter chaos.”
The conditions that came after a heavy overnight dump of rain took their toll not just on riders, but equipment as well. Some riders had packed paint stirring sticks to help scrape away the mud caught up in their tyres. They needed them.
“No bike company designs bikes to be able to handle those conditions. Anything that has a tight tyre clearance, for a more aerodynamic bike, the wheels just weren’t spinning," said Haas, with thunder rumbling in the background.
"Unfortunately my cassette was just covered with mud and once you get into a gear, once you’ve been walking long enough you can’t even get back into your pedals."
For Haas, that meant walking eight miles carrying the bike, just riding in the downhill sections, and trying to wash the bike in streams along the way but ultimately there was no hope of getting back into the race and the rider walked away after having started with high hopes for 2023.
He was far from the only one. Australian gravel champion Brendan Johnston was among those left trying to continue on while being unable to shift, but ultimately called it quits. Anna Yamauchi broke her derailleur early but continued on single-speed until the Eureka checkpoint where she got it repaired and continued on to finish in 27th.
Lauren De Crescenzo was also on the back foot after the mud, but making back ground when she hit barbed wire and then fell even further behind, ultimately becoming a DNF.
Australian debut rider, Justine Barrow, on the other hand had made it through the mud in good position but suffered the same fate as De Crescenzo, having to pull out after hitting the deck.
Payson McElveen also pulled the plug with back spasms, after having crashed out of Gravel Locos. Paul Voss was also among those not making it through, as was Ruth Winder, Adam Blazevic – who had managed to chase back into the top 20 before having to abandon – and early women's leader Jenna Rinehart.
Ted King also pulled out of the Unbound Gravel XL, first losing the lead with his wheels so clogged with mud that they wouldn't spin and then pulling the plug at 4am after walking for 2 hours.
"I found my limit," said King in an Instagram story. "Everyone still out there is a gosh darn hero."
It wasn't just the number of early stories of abandons and delays where the impact of the conditions could be seen. Men's Unbound 200 winner Keegan Swenson finished with a time of 10:06:02, 44 minutes longer than he took last year when he came over the line one second behind 2022 victor Ivar Slik.
Women's winner Carolin Schiff took 11:46:39, compared with last year's 10:27:40 from Sofia Gomez Villafañe.
