As it happened: Traka 360 winner solos to men’s Unbound Gravel 200 victory as sprints deliver repeat winner first time in five years in women’s race
Stay up to date with all of the action from the elite women's and elite men's Unbound Gravel 200 as they tackle more than miles of gravel grinding for a signature event in the Flint Hills of Kansas
The 200 mile/333km race is the one that starts very soon. However, yesterday saw the start of Unbound XL, a 300 mile epic that is still racing now after an all nighter on the brutal gravel. They set off 3pm local time and are due to finish in around four to five hours time.
Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live updates of the 2026 Life Time Unbound Gravel presented by Shimano.
The race has upped it's prize pot for this year with $60,000 being split between the top five riders in both the men's and women's races.
The startlist is a blend of former and current road riders, gravel specialists and the odd full blown all-rounders in both the men's and women's lineups.
A mechanics job isn't an easy one at the best of times, but for gravel mechanics, it is a whole other ball game as it is just you against the terrain with no big team of mechanics around you. Cyclingnews spoke to mechanics of Alexey Vermeulen, Carolin Schiff and more.
There have been changes made to the way the support stations work with the pros and amateurs with the elite riders getting their own areas to avoid the chaos of previous years.
Last year's winner, Cameron Jones, is for the changes and told Cyclingnews: "The first year out at the feed zones really opened my eyes – just how many people were at the feed zones, it was like a whole city long, four or five blocks, and you're trying to watch out for your people," He said.
"So, last year was a lot less stressful being in a small group. I think it's a good call that they've split them up from the amateurs, because we're coming through with a lot more urgency than the age groupers. It's nice to have a bit less going on, less distractions."
>>> Unbound Gravel organisers rein in support station chaos, adding feed zones for elite fields only
The riders are all lined up in Emporia. It is currently dry but there was apparently a big storm in the night with mud looking like it could be a real issue.
Men's Race
The men set off on their neutral zone in the dawn light. The neutralised section is around 3 miles long to just get them out of Emporia before they race.
If you are new to gravel racing, Cam Jones won last year with Matthew Beers, Keegan Swenson, Torbjørn Røed, Alexey Vermeulen, Lachlan Morton are all big names to look out for with former WorldTour road riders like Romain Bardet, Thomas De Gendt, Simon Pellaud and Mads Würtz Schmidt all racing with the last two being big favourites for this race.
Men's race
Racing begins for the men with over 200 miles/333km of racing on the menu with moves off the front already.
Men's race
Straight onto the gravel and it looks very dry despite that storm. The riders are pushing hard on this early part of the race as they look to make the selection early.
Women's race
In the women's side of things, Gomez, Lance, De Crescenzo, Kloser, Frain, Decker, Hartog, Schreurs and defending champion Migoń all among the big contendors.
67 riders in the women's peloton and 133 riders in the men's peloton.
Women's race
Racing begins with a steady start on the first bits of gravel. It is a very dusty start but mud may be an issue later in the day.
It is interesting to see the difference in riders. Some wearing vests and some just having the jerseys. There's a real split.
Men's race
There is a group chasing the leaders of Borstelmann and Sens that includes Nathan Spratt. No word on the size of that group yet or the timings.
Men's race
The riders are onto the first climb and the gravel is more mud than anything else. It doesn't look awful but a little bit slippy and difficult to navigate. Some riders already losing contact with a long way to go.
Men's race
In the break today is Connor Sens who is from Bendigo in Australia. He was the 2023 Australian national gravel champion winning the title at Devils Cardigan on Tasmania where the prize includes a homemade cardigan with the name of each winner sewn in as well as a sack of local potatoes. Obvious prizes, of course.
Women's race attack/crash
The first moves go off the front as a crash sees Stella Hobbs and Peta Mullins go down. Both back riding, though.
Women's race
Attackers
Laurel Quinones
Emma Langley
They have a decent gap growing as they hit the first climb of the day as they will hit the mud the men have recently rolled over soon.
Men's race
Borstelmann and Sens have lost a lot of time and are now about 30" ahead of the peloton that are strung out.
Men's race
Riders having to ride through a huge puddle that covers the entire track. Some have had to come off and push through as the peloton bunch up through it and several riders have to stop on the mud straight afterwards and it sees Sens and Borstelmann get caught as they are completely clogged their bikes with mud.
Men's race
Keegan Swenson and Emil Herzog are a couple of riders having issues with mud clogging the wheels and cogs. So many riders left behind to try and get the mud out.
Women's race
Michaela Thompson with a rear puncture. She is left fixing the wheel. It is taking her a while as she is struggling to pump it back up. She is being passed by some of the amateur riders, she has been there for a while.
Men's race
The front of the race sees about 10 to 12 riders well ahead of the rest of the groups as the riders who made it through the mud unscathed are taking a real advantage early doors.
Women's race
The women's peloton comes back together but they hit the huge puddle as a rider goes down and the riders who made it through are now getting caught up by the mud just like the men.
Men's race
Lead group
Mads Würtz Schmidt
Cobe Freeburn
Torbjørn Andre Røed
Romain Bardet
Nils Brun
Matthew Beers
Daxton Mock
John Borstelmann
Daan Seote
Frederick Raßmann
Chase +27"
Lachlan Morton
Brendan Johnson
Arno van den Broeck
Caleb Botcher
Cameron Jones
Simon Pellaud
Adne Koster
Peloton +1'15"
Men's race
The two groups come together to form a group of 17 but a few issues for riders sees the group drop to 14.
Men's race
All the riders who were on the podium last year, Jones, Pellaud and Røed are all in the lead group.
The mud appears to have compacted down a bit more with both the men and women settling into the race now as the groups have been formed thanks to that chaotic mud section.
All the riders are already completely covered in mud from head to toe.
Women's race
Leaders:
Danni Shrosbree
Cecily Decker
Nicole Fraine
Lauren Stephens
Geerike Schreurs
Carolin Schiff
Samara Sheppard
Rosa Klöser
Paige Onweller
Men's race
Mechanical for Andreas Seewald who has dropped his chain. He was trying to keep riding while also pulling his chain back on but it isn't working.
Men's race
Simon Pellaud is off the back of the lead group. Something has happened to last year's runner up.
It isn't going to plan for Tour de France stage winner Michael Woods...
Women's race
Klöser has been distanced by the leaders. Unsure what happened but she is fighting to get back in.
Men's race
Various issues for the men going through a deep ford of water before a steep climb with a crash and a few mechanicals.
Simon Pellaud said on the event pre-race show The Leadout
"My season started not the way I would have like it to because I've been injured for more than two months. I hit my knee against a car door and, yeah, it's been pretty rough. I had to skip a couple of races and I'm still not quite 100 percent recovered now so it's also still pretty rough mentally. I didn't have the preparation that I would have loved to so yeah, its a bit messed up but I trust the process and I know that at some point everything will just stick and roll further."
Teams impact
"It will depend on the weather forecast too I would say because if at mile 15 we already are all running around its going to be a different situation but I'm quite sure that its going to be the first real different Unbound this year with so many teams around and ready to help each other to reach the victory."
"Even if the weather is not so good, there are not so many really muddy section and still if we have 20km lets say of mud, its still 315km of fast riding so for sure there will be some team tactics."
Men's race
Mock is flying here and has 30" on the peloton as he flies through a very rough and rocky section.
Women's race
Klöser is riding hard to try and get back on. She has passed a few dropped riders from the lead group and is riding well.
Women's race
Cecille Lejeune goes down in the deep ford crossing and is now off the back of the chase group.
Men's race
The men's group sits up and the chasers regain contact with a group of about 25 to 30 riders now lead the race with just inside 150 miles left to go.
Men's race
On Texaco Hill the lead group is getting split up with mud beginning to be an issue as Matt Beers coming back from a problem. Vermeulen and Pellaud also working hard to come back too.
Women's race
Crash
Nicole Frain goes down. The former Australian national road champion looks like she is in a lot of pain and is struggling to straighten her bars.
Haley Smith, 2022 LTGP overall women's winner, told Cyclingnews in the Unbound Expo this week:
"This has been a good year so far. I have raced far less, and I wasn't able to race Sea Otter just with the parasite I picked up from Cape Epic, but that's all resolved now. I had like a season and a half that were quite a bit tougher dealing with the repercussions of long COVID, and I was pretty ill for a while. So I'm through that, and I'm feeling strong and healthy, and just enjoying the racing opportunities I have had, so I'm looking forward to the weekend."
Men's race
Lachlan Morton is rumoured to have abandoned the race at about mile 50. Not confirmed yet, though.
Women's race
Frain is back racing but has blood pouring down her left leg, her fingers and left shoulder. She looks in a heck of a lot of pain.
The sun is out on the riders for the moment but the rain is falling at the finish as the junior 50 mile race sets off.
Men's race (138 miles to go)
Attack
Würtz Schmidt
Swenson
Freeburn
They have 25" on the chasing group of about 16 riders.
Keegan Swenson told Cyclingnews at Specialized product launch on Thursday:
"It's kind of been the trend every year. It seems like it gets faster and faster, and guys are more willing to gamble on early attacks and early moves and breakaways, and yeah, no one really. I think we've learned we can push hard all day, you know, and no one really respects a distance anymore. We just ride flat out from the start, so yeah, we'll see how it goes."
Women's race
Lejeune makes it back to the front group with former WorldTour rider Mieke Kroger also in this group.
Winning Unbound 200 last year may have set the rider from New Zealand up for a career in gravel but "there's lots to gain by getting another one".
In the Unbound XL men's race the leader, Robin Gemperle has covered 297 miles with Alex McCormack close behind him.
Men's race (130 miles to go)
Würtz Schmidt, Swenson and Freeburn have dragged out their lead to 1'45" on the chasing group.
Men's race
Second service zone
Würtz Schmidt, Swenson and Freeburn all stop for technical support, fuel and a pressure wash to get the mud off.
Men's race (124 miles to go)
The leading trio have over two minutes on the chase group led by Bardet who has rejoined that group.
The sun is out for the men but it is raining on the women's race.
Women's race (roughly 150 miles to go)
The 11 rider lead group are rolling along at a decent tempo but nothing is really pushing as the race seems to be in a bit of a settled point.
Men's race (113 miles to go)
Würtz Schmidt and Swenson riding for Specialized as well as Freeburn for Trek have over three minutes on the chasing group.
Men's race
Chase group
Bardet
Kongstad
Beers
Taylor
Johnston
Botcher
Soete
Havik
Wild
Koster
Herzog
Jones
Røed
Voß
They are at 3'15" from the leading trio.
Women's race
Attack
Gómez Villafañe
Schreurs
Klöser
Decker
They go clear of the lead group and are gaining a good gap with the second aid station.
Women's race
Klöser stops in the second aid station for a chain clean with Gómez Villafañe getting a mussette. The Specialized duo of Schreurs and Decker both missed their feed grabs and Schreurs looked very frustrated. Potentially vital for later in the race.
Women's race (second aid station)
Frain spent a long time in the aid station to clean her wounds and get her bike sorted as well as taking on new fuel. Her teammate Schrosbree joined her and they both rode off together. Possibly the difference between them finishing and not.
The weather has closed in again after a sunny spell but now it is very dark with heavy rain, thunder and lightning. The men's race have just over 100 miles to go as they pass the halfway point. The women have just left the second aid station and are settling back into the pace after slowing to work together as they go clear.
Men's race (100 miles to go)
Specialized duo of Swenson and Würtz Schmidt have dropped Freeburn on a little drag.
Men's race
Würtz Schmidt and Swenson now have a gigantic gap on the chasing group of well over seven minutes. Freeburn is fading fast and was 30" down at the first check.
The tracks are now extremely wet and the riders are getting coated in mud. Horrible conditions for the riders.
The men are 114 miles into the day with the women just under 100 miles in. The four leaders in the women's race look to be getting further clear of the chase as the two Specialized riders of Würtz Schmidt and Swenson go further and further clear of Freeburn in the men's race.
The weather has really descended on the riders with the rain so heavy and the clouds so thick that they can hardly see 100 metres up the road.
Women's race (100 miles ridden)
The four riders clear, Gómez Villafañe, Schreurs, Klöser, and Decker are riding together well. No gap given as of yet.
Men's race (93 miles to go)
Swenson and Würtz Schmidt have 1'24" on Freeburn and 8'14" on the 12 man chase group.
Men's race
Freeburn now almost five minutes off Würtz Schmidt and Swenson. He's either sat up or is having an issue.
Men's race (85 miles to go)
Würtz Schmidt and Swenson have a little chat and a fist bump. The European champion had been drilling a tough pace and his Specialized teammate Swenson looked to be hurting so they may be easing things as they have the winning gap at the moment.
Women's race (roughly 100 miles to go)
Paige Onweller was said to be at 30" at the last time check and got so close to bridging but may now be fading again.
Men's average speed so far is at 23mph and the women are at 20.5mph. They are flying considering the brutal conditions.
It looks as though the rain may have eased or even stopped for both lead groups in the men's and women's races. However, they are all absolutely caked in mud at the front from the top of their helmet to the bottom of their shoes.
Women's race
Onweller is about to catch the leading group of four riders. An absolutely superb ride by her as the rider from Arkansas is about to make the bridge.
Women's race
Onweller is now working with the other four leaders after a period briefly on the back.
Women's race (at mile 106 time check)
The five leaders had a gap of over six minutes and it is still growing.
Take a look at what happened earlier on in the day with the riders facing difficult thick and gloopy mud that caused various crashes as well as completely clogging up the bikes.
>>> The mud mayhem arrives again early at Unbound 200 with fields shattered early
Men's race (75 miles to go)
Swenson and Würtz Schmidt have 9'00" on the chase group that have now caught Freeburn. They have a huge gap.
Some biggest names crashed out of the 200 and the XL with rainstorms causing havoc in the various pelotons...
The leaders in the men's race have 72 miles to go whereas the women's leading group of five have 93 miles to go.
Women's race
Onweller was briefly gapped and the leaders pushed hard to try and drop her but she has made it back on again.
Men's race (68 miles)
Puncture
Mads Würtz Schmidt with a major impact puncture and it is taking a long time to get it sorted. Swenson has stopped with him as the gap will be coming down but they are being very calm about this.
Swenson is giving his wheel to Würtz Schmidt. This is major drama. The Specialized squad clearly have Würtz Schmidt as the leader with Swenson struggling.
Men's race
This is a very long change for Würtz Schmidt and Swenson but now the Dane is on his way after losing about half the gap with Swenson waving bye to the motorbike camera.
Men's race
Romain Bardet abandons the race after being in the chase group. Meanwhile, Keegan Swenson is STILL working on this punctured wheel.
Men's race
Swenson has been caught and passed by the chase group as he still tries to sort things. He finally gets riding again.
The chasers of Beers, Herzog, Jones, Freeburn, Johnston and Kongstad fly by with Swenson stopping again! He has lost some key parts from his cassette. Absolute nightmare for the man who was a certainty for at least second and now won't even get a top seven.
Men's race
Swenson is finally back riding again. That took a huge amount of time and has wrecked his race.
Unbound XL finish
Robin Gemperle has crossed the line and wins the 2026 Unbound XL in 21 hours and 16 minutes. He set off at 3pm yesterday. Incredible ride in awful conditions.
Women's race
The leaders head onto the brand new MMR section of W Road. It is a 1 mile mess, really. Just grass and rocks, not gravel at all as Schreurs goes to the front.
Women's race
The two Specialized rider make it through the first ford crossing but everyone else comes down in the water and are now struggling to get going again.
Men's race
Würtz Schmidt has stopped in the third and final aid station and is now riding again after getting a new back wheel. He has 7'00" on Jones, Beers, Johnston and Kongstad.
Women's race
The chasers have been caught at a level crossing as a train passes them. Absolutely massive freight train.
Unbound XL
Gimperle says he was throwing up in the night and ran/walked roughly a half marathon due to the mud.
Women's Race
Coming out W Road, Gomez Villafañe and Decker pulled briefly away but Klöser was able to catch back on while Onweller is chasing.
Men's race - 56 miles to go
After 151 miles of racing, Würtz Schmidt has around 7 minutes on chase group of Jones, Kongstad and Beers.
Johnston is a further 2 minutes back
Würtz Schmidt is crossing Council Grove, racing on approximately 10 miles of paved roads in this area.
He is heading towards Flint Hill trails which is may provide 5 miles of recovery.
Jones has drifted off of the chase group, doesn’t seem to be a mechanical.
Chase group is now down to 2 riders: Beers and Kongstad
Chase duo is going through Council Grove, the northernmost section of this year's course
Jones has lost one minute in one kilometre. No visible mechanical issue to be seen,
Women's race - 79 miles to go
After 128 miles, three riders in the lead group: Gomez Villafañe, Schreurs, Decker
Klöser was 20 seconds back, a few seconds ahead of Onweller
Kroger is 7 minutes behind.
The course passes to the east of the famous Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, established in 1996 to protect a significant remnant of the once vast tallgrass prairie ecosystem - many rare plants and rare species of birds and other animals. Tallgrass prairie once covered 170 million acres of North America in what is now the US and Canada, but now only 4% remains.
Mile 136 is beyond the Preserve and the course bends back to the west to the third and final Feed Zone for pros - at approximately mile 149.6 - approximately 57 miles to go.
Klöser is back with the front group with Onweller 11 seconds back after 140 miles.
Onweller catches back onto the lead group, after being dropped on W road. Again. Back to five riders in the lead group.
Report that winds are impacting the race with strong headwind.
Interesting combination in the lead group as team tactics will come into play with teammates Gomez Villafañe and Schreurs vs solo riders.
Reminder that the group also includes two previous winners Klöser (2024) and Gomez Villafañe (2022).
Women see 63 miles to go, and on their way to the third feedzone which is on a road between farms, not in a town.
At mile 140 out of 200, the women’s lead group was averaging 20.10mph
Mieke Kröger is chasing solo, is more than 7 minutes back.
Behind her, Lauren De Crescenzo is another further 7 minutes, then Hayley Preen and Sarah Lange together.
Women are now going through third feedzone. Onweller stops, gets what she needs and up and going fairly quickly. As the other riders grabbed bottles and musette bags on the fly.
Klöser had to turn back after dropping a bottle, making a small split.
After a small split was created when Klöser had to go back to grab a bottle, Gomez Villafañe drilled it at the front right after the feedzone, with Schreurs on her wheel.
Klöser chases back on and Decker also manages to connect back onto the group.
2 miles north of the exit of the Feed Zone, the course begins a turn to the northeast, headed for Council Grove. That is the third Checkpoint for age-group riders. There are approximately 10 miles of paved roads in this area, which will be a nice respite for the riders.
Women's race
Women's chase group now goes through the feedzone Lange also had to turn to grab her bottles. These riders had to stop at a level crossing as a massive freight train passes them.
Men's race
From earlier in the race. Keegan Swenson gave his back wheel to send Mads Wurtz Schmidt on his solo lead
Würtz Schmidt is on the 2.6-mile descent to Lake Kahola. There is some pavement along the lake and a return to gravel marks a big climb about to come at Kahola Dam, and threats of high winds. There is a steep climb right after the dam, and about 25.8 miles to go.
Update on 'Chase the Race': 2013 Unbound 200 winner Yuri Hauswauld has now passed 1041 racers over 115 miles of racing.
Hauswauld made his annual pilgrimage to Emporia for a 13th edition of the race this year, this time lining up at the back of the field for Life Time Foundation's 'Chase the Race', raising funds for a bike skills park for a local Emporia youth mountain bike team.
Read more: 'Tectonic shift' with technology, horsepower of WorldTour riders a game-changer at Unbound Gravel 200 for 2015 champion Yuri Hauswald
Würtz Schmidt is fighting a headwind as races on Lake Kahola making the long open stretch past the dam a foe for tired legs.
He has averaged 22.71mph over 180 miles, in almost 8 hours of racing.
Kongstad and Beers are still together in the chase group.
If the race ended right now, Beers would take the lead in the LifeTime Grand Prix which explains why is pulling through in the chase group even though his teammate is solo up the road. And of course, Würtz Schmidt has a commanding lead of over 6 minutes.
Yowza. Gusts of 35mph wind on Kahola Lake.
Beers is now solo in the chase group.
Würtz Schmidt is heading back to Emporia with about one hour left of racing. The finishing stretch from Lake Kahola back to the finish line is the same as past years, almost dead flat to town with a finale push up short climb of Highland Road.
Women's race
Women's lead group are on Flint Hill trails, a respite before the 3-mile climb on Dd Avenue.
After 160 miles, and almost eight hours of racing, the five in the lead group have averaged around 20mph.
Kröger is chasing solo, 10 minutes back.
Also solo in seventh spot, De Crescenzo is a further five minutes.
Tour Divide record holder Robin Gemperle crushed Unbound XL
Read more: Unbound Gravel XL: Robin Gemperle claims victory in horrible conditions, forced to walk for 21km
Women's race
The five riders are still together in the lead group as they are going downhill, being blasted by the winds on the exposed road.
Coming up, Dd road followed byclimb of Kahola Lake and its headwind may force a selection.
Men's race - 15 miles to go
Würtz Schmidt just flew through Americus, and heading towards the win barring any major mechanicals.
His teammate Beers is solo in second, 6 minutes back. Kongstad, also solo, is a further 3 minutes down.
Johnston caught and dropped defending champion Jones for fourth spot.
Würtz Schmidt keeps looking back. The strain of the day is starting to show, as his shoulders are rocking and he stretches his back as he continues to pedal on.
After he gave his wheel to Würtz Schmidt, Swenson is now in a further chase group with Herzog, Havik, Koster and Soete. That group is around 7 minutes behind Jones.
Women's race
With 34.5 miles to go, the lead quintet made a sharp right turn, and a climb for the next three miles on Dd Avenue.
Riders were trying to cram into a smoothed-over lane in the gravel but there's not enough room for all of them.
Men's race
Würtz Schmidt keeps looking back. He took a right-hand turn very gingerly, it is unclear what is happening. Does he have a rear wheel puncture?
But everything looks back to normal as he goes over the I35 overpass.
The sun has come out, and so has the humidity after all the rain overnight and earlier in the day. Brutal conditions after hours of racing.
The Traka 360 winner, Würtz Schmidt, is dropping his head, suffering after such a long time solo.
He also made a right-hand turn that puts him on the same road as the Unbound 100 riders.
Seeing other riders on Road M, after being solo so long, seems to have energised Würtz Schmidt, as he stood up to pass the Unbound 100 riders.
Women's race
The lead group is down to four riders on the descent towards Kahola Lake, straight into a massive headwind.
Onweller seems to have been dropped again.
Men's race
Würtz Schmidt, looking as if he got a second wind, is on Burlingame Road, before making a right-hand turn for the last stretch of gravel, then a pedestrian tunnel to the campus of Emporia State University.
Beers is still about 6 minutes back, with Kongstad a further 3 minutes in arrears.
Women's race
The front group is keeping the pace steady as Onweller is dangling off the back, trying to bridge across the 12-second lead.
Men's race
European gravel champion Mads Würtz Schmidt (Specialized Off-road) wins the 20th edition of Unbound 200 with an unofficial time of 9:14:51
Beers takes second, five minutes back.
Tobias Mørch Kongstad (PAS Racing) takes third, 10 minutes after the winner.
Women's race - 25 miles to go
Five riders in the lead group - Gomez Villafañe, Klöser, Decker, Schreurs and Onweller who caught back on- are still together as they crested the Kahola Lake climb.
Everyone is still working together, putting in good pulls, in the lead group.
Will the attack come on Highland Hill?
Kröger is holding on to sixth, 15 minutes back. with De Crescenzo another minute behind.
Preen and Lange are together, battling for 8th place.
Men's race
Brendan Johnston (Giant) finished fourth. Keegan Swenson (Specialized Off-road) jumped from the chase to take fifth.
Daan Soete (Ridley Racing) took the sprint for sixth place ahead of Adne Koster, Emil Herzog, Piotr Havik (Castelli SOG x Colgnago) and Cameron Jones (Scott Sports USA - RCC).
Cyclingnews provides you with comprehensive coverage of the 2026 Unbound Gravel directly from the Flint Hills of Kansas. Subscribe today for unlimited access to all the breaking news, live reports, in-depth tech coverage, and analysis from the biggest gravel race of the season. Find out more.
Women's race - 15 miles to go
Five riders are still locked together as they head towards the finish line. They are on the last stretch of gravel arrives, then a pedestrian tunnel to the campus of Emporia State University.
Riders in the lead group are spread across the road, wind coming off their right-hand shoulder. They are still eating to make sure they can handle the upcoming sprint.
Pace has definitely decreased, as they get ready for the final accelerations.
Lead group takes the right-hand turn onto M Road, the last stretch of really tough cross-headwind. 7 miles to go.
Schreurs attacks, seconds after Gomez Villafañe was seen to be texting on her phone.
Klöser jumps on the wheel.
Klöser immediately goes to the front, pushing the pace with Schreurs on her wheel, but the rest of the group catches back on.
Klöser is stuck at the front of the group, keeps looking over her shoulder as Onweller mans the back of the quintet.
The lead group takes a right-hand turn onto Burlingame which should give a reprieve with the headwind. Klöser is still at the front, followed by Schreurs, Decker, Gomez Villafañe and Onweller.
Klöser seems comfortable at the front of the group. She has not tried to move aside, and is giving a draft to the riders behind her.
After passing some of the age group athletes, the lead 5-rider group enters the tunnel, still Klöser at the front.
A quick left-hand turn after the tunnel will bring pavement and one mile to the finish. There is a short 7% climb of Highland Road and then a quick right, then left and 2 city blocks to the finish line on Commercial Street.
Schreurs and Gomez Villafañe are chatting, planning the attacks on the approach of Highland Hill.
Schreurs makes the first attack on top of the climb, Klöser closes it down. No counter, and now Schreurs is at the front.
Klöser is back at the front, followed by Schreurs and Gomez Villafañe. Decker is not giving up Schreurs' wheel.
Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-road) accelerates first after the turn on Commercial Road and takes the win. Her teammate Geerike Schreurs took second and Cecily Decker (PAS Racing) was third.
Paige Onweller (Trek Driftless) took fourth and Rosa Klöser (Canyon-SRAM-MAAP) was fifth in the five-rider sprint to the line.
Gomez Villafañe clocked - unofficially - 10:31:37 on the 207-mile course.
Lauren De Crescenzo (The Feed-Argonaut-Castelli-Maxxis) crosses the line about 15 minutes later for sixth place.
Hayley Preen (Factor Racing) takes 7th out of the chase sprint ahead of Cecile Lejeune (Trek Driftless), Danni Shrosbree (Rapha-Argon 18), Morgan Aguirre (PAS Racing-Orbea) and Sarah Lange.
Mieke Kröger (Rose Racing Circle), who chased solo for a long time, ultimately finished in 12th place.
‘Chase the race’ update: After starting last, Yuri Hauswauld, 2013 Unbound 200, has passed 1053 racers so far after 160.7 miles of racing.
Let’s hear from the Unbound Gravel 200 men winner Mads Würtz Schmidt (Specialized Off-road)
“The plan was to be aggressive on Texaco Hill. Maybe I got a little bit too excited, but me and Keegan got away with Cobe [Freeburn], I think, and we went for it. We sent it, and I was on a really good day, and it was quite a ride, but in the end, I couldn't have done it without Keegan. He's a champion.”
“I think we got up to eight plugs [trying to fix the puncture] and it still wouldn't, …., and then Keegan, he was quick to say that you need my wheel, because it was clear that I was the strongest, and the chance for a win between me and Keegan was with me, so he sacrificed his race and his grand prix and everything for for me, and yeah, incredible.”
“I felt like I was flying for an hour after that. It gave me some adrenaline, and it gave me a kick. And then I gotta say, the headwind on the way back, I think it took eight years out of my life. It was terrible, but the new Crux, it was flying, and new Crux 123, today. it's amazing.”
Nervous about the group catching you? “Yeah, because my legs, they started to hurt more and more, and I was slowing down more and more. And then, …. I didn't bring my phone, I had no time gap, so in the end, when I started to lose the pace, then of course I get nervous that they will come from behind.”
Unbound Gravel 200 men second place Matt Beers (Specialized Off-road),
“Texaco Hill was where we really wanted to push it. Obviously, the mud and stuff thinned a bunch out a lot in the beginning, and then it all kind of swelled back. My chain somehow jumped off, the only time in the whole day at the bottom of the hill, and I just saw Mads and them just hammering it, and I was like, ‘okay, there's nothing I can do’.”
“I just started jumping groups and had to do it tactically, because I'm obviously not wanting to bring my teammates back. So, about the whole day, just kind of when I felt the group dynamic was fading, went and just kept going, and eventually got in second. But it's really difficult because I want to pull through, but then I need to be very conscious of Mads, so I'm just constantly shouting at people for time gaps, and that way I can judge how much I need to pull, and how much I must have said.”
Unbound Gravel 200 men third place Tobias Mørch Kongstad (PAS Racing)
“After Texaco Hill, when the three guys attacked with Keegan and Mads, the team tactic started, but I'm pretty proud thatI just kept believing in it, and didn't give that much if about the team tactics, and I just wanted to do my best, because, of course, they need to do that, but I will also say that Matthew Pierce is also riding pretty well, super cool that even though he has mess out there, he still wanted to take the pulls at the end, so kudos to him. I think that was super, super cool.”
“Actually after Texaco Hill we were a pretty big group, but I really felt [I was] flying. There's like 22 kilometers with rolling hills, I think. If people have seen the videos and photos of me, I have pretty narrow shoulders. I have a kid's handlebar on, and I'm super, super old.I really, really feel good at that moment, but I might spend a little bit too much energy, but because I think a lot of people, they just wanted to ride on a little bit, but at that moment I kind of believed in it, but I also spent kind of too much in it there, but then yeah, the back door was opened entirely, and then we were 10, 9, 8 , 7, and then we were not that many guys left.”
“Those [last] 40 kilometers, they were long in the headwind, I was just alone, I didn't have any motorbikes or anything, and I was cycling a little bit around here, Kansas, enjoying it, and so I, at one moment, I thought I didn't even know if I was on a the right route, because I couldn't see anything, but that I had my computer, but sometimes you don't know, you're just cycling a little bit around, but yeah, luckily there was nobody behind me.”
Position | Rider (Country) Team | Time Gap |
|---|---|---|
1 | Mads Würtz Schmidt (Den) Specialized Off-Road | 09:14:51 |
2 | Matthew Beers (RSA) Specialized Off-Road | 00:05:03 |
3 | Tobias Kongstad (Den) PAS Racing | 00:09:52 |
4 | Brendan Johnston (Aus) | 00:21:55 |
5 | Keegan Swenson (USA) Specialized Off-Road | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
Let’s hear from the Unbound Gravel 200 women’s winner Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-road)
“I had no pressure. I was kind of actually talking with my mechanic Brad about how I'm like, I don't know if it's just that I don't care or that I've done it, and I know what to expect at this race, that like you could be the fittest, but it might not relate to a result on the result sheet. That being said, I think I probably had the smallest FTP , so me getting away was really not going to be a thing. The plan was for Gee [Geerike Schreurs] to try to go solo and put in attacks, and then I would help her in any way I could with that, but then if it came to the sprint, we were going all in on my sprint. To go one, two, is unreal.”
“I got tiny watts, but I do have a good kick, and I when I see that finish line, I go for it, and I'm really excited, I get to take time off.”
Let’s hear from the Unbound Gravel 200 women’s second-place Geerike Schreurs (Specialized Off-road)
“We decided that if it comes down to a sprint, we would go for Sofia. I think in the end, I should have maybe made it a little bit longer myself, but it was a little bit boxed in with Rosa [Klöser] and Page [Onweller], but I think bringing it home for specialized with one and two is truly amazing. And I’m overall happy with how I raced, and on every point what was important in the race, I was up front, and I think it was me who made the move on that long stretch, and I'm very proud of how I raced, and of course, it's my dream to win one day, but might never come true, but we never know,”
“I crashed a couple of times, but I have no idea what happened after me behind me on that MMR road at kilometre 205. I had no idea what happened, but anyways, it was kind of fun in a weird way as well. Even that I crashed, and then after that, my shifter was the rest of the ride ready forward in which wasn't ideal, so I had to be constantly on a drop, which isn't my favourite position, but okay, that's what it is. I mean, we all go through a lot of things, it's a challenge, and yeah, I'm happy that I think I can be proud of how I raced.”
Let’s hear from the Unbound Gravel 200 women’s third-place Cecily Decker (PAS Racing)
“I feel happy, but I also feel terrible because I just did Unbound.”
“I never like go into a race with full confidence, but I don't know, I kind of feel like sometimes when I go in like with something to prove a little bit, I have a better race, but I felt really good right away.”
“I kind of was very comfortable with my mud setup, and I had like a couple things I was using to clear mud that worked really well. I have like this mud scraper that I sort of made myself, and it's like a putty scraper with like a U shape carved out of it, and so, as I'm riding, I'm reaching down, scooping the mud, and then fling it, and then once we were through that first mud section, my bike was like almost clean, and everyone else's had just so much mud.”
Position | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
1 | Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-road) | 10:31:37 |
2 | Geerike Schreurs (Specialized Off-road) | +01 |
3 | Cecily Decker (PAS Racing) | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Paige Onweller (Trek Driftless) | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | Rosa Klöser (Canyon-SRAM-MAAP) | +02 |
Read more in our Unbound Gravel XL race report: Robin Gemperle claims victory in horrible conditions, forced to walk for 21km
While the first half of Unbound Gravel 200 was defined by the mud, the weather conditions of blustery wind, heat and humidity were the factor in the second half.
Team tactics also came into play today. Mads Würtz Schmidt got a wheel from his teammate Keegan Swenson following a puncture and went on to take a solo victory, while from the lead group, Sofia Gomez Villafañe and teammate Geerike Schreurs adjusted their plan to match the scenario.
Mads Würtz Schmidt (Specialized Off-Road) rode away to victory in the men's Unbound Gravel 200, after escaping with teammate Keegan Swenson midway through a race battered by heavy rain, wind and mud.
Read more in our race report: European Champion Mads Würtz Schmidt wins rainy, windy, muddy edition with epic solo
Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-road) claimed her second victory at Unbound Gravel 200, emerging victorious from a muddy elite women's race after topping her rivals in a five-way sprint.
Read more in our race report: Sofia Gomez Villafañe emerges from the mud to win gruelling 20th anniversary edition from five-way sprint
Thanks for joining us, for a thrilling day of racing at Unbound Gravel!
