Lachlan Morton and Chad Haga escaped the group of favorites and were able to maintain a gap until the very end.(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
The Elite Men's 200 field heading north out of Emporia on a gloomy morning at dawn.(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
A crash in the men's Elite 200 field at mile 39.1 ended at least one riders day.(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
Lachlan Morton working at the front of the group(Image credit: Life Time)
Innokenty Zavyalov was part of a group of four riders that attacked the men's field early on and gained a significant advantage in the first half of the race.(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
UCI Gravel World Champion Matej Mohorič at the front of the group before the rider with a flat and cracked rim pulled the pin(Image credit: Life Time)
World Champion Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorius) broke a wheel and flatted twice before pulling himself from the race at checkpoint 2 in Council Grove.(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
By the 138 mile mark, the men's race had changed dramatically. The group of four had been caught, and two riders were off the front with a group of 20 chasing.(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
A thinning group(Image credit: Life Time)
Workers on the railway to the north of the crossing in Volland caused the arms to lower giving riders an extra obstacle on an obstacle filled day.(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
Morton on his way to victory(Image credit: Life Time)
Chad Haga out the front in the break of two(Image credit: Life Time)
Lachlan Morton celebrates his win in the 2024 Unbound Gravel(Image credit: Snowy Mountain Photography)
Lachlan Morton bested Chad Haga in a sprint to the line.(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
Greg Van Avermaet finished 7th place in his first every Unbound Gravel.(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
Lachlan Morton (EF Education-EasyPost) delivered a thrilling victory at Unbound Gravel 200, crossing the Emporia finish line ahead of Chad Haga in the elite men's race.
Tobias Mørch Kongstad (MAAP) came third in the 203-mile (327km) battle through the Flint Hills of Kansas.
“It was very fast. After Little Egypt [mid-point of race] it came down to a small group. It started to get negative, no one wanted to take the [lead]," Morton said. "Then Chad went away, and I said, ‘That’s the guy I want to be with’.
“I managed to get to him. We both took off and didn’t say too many words, we were both on the same wavelength, committed to the finish. Once we got back into town, it was always going to be technical. I think that I was lucky because I’ve done this a couple of times now. I think I made the mistakes in the past years that helped me win today," said Morton, who finished third last year and fourth in 2019.
“We were very evenly matched there, as you saw. I just managed to play a slightly better-timed sprint.”
The Australian-US duo broke away from the lead group with 77 miles to go. It was a fifth attempt for a victory in Unbound 200 for Morton, while Haga made his debut Saturday.
Kongstad also made his debut Saturday at Unbound and said he was stoked to have his teammate finish second. "I just wanted to do a good race. I really wanted to make the front and not get any punctures or mechanical issues. And I know I'm pretty good at being at the front. I'm not the best guy uphill, I am from Denmark, I was just happy after the climbs that the peloton caught us. That was the plan. It was rolling hills all the time. I am super, super tired now," the Dane told Cyclingnews and Cycling Weekly after the race.
The Dane took an early flyer at the first section of gravel and led a four-rider breakaway until mile 112. Then Kongstad's teammate Haga launched his attack, and with Morton tagging on, the two were never seen again.
Last year's winner Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles) said he "just didn't have the legs" and rode behind two chase groups for 14th, 8:51 off the pace. However, he maintained his place at the top of the Life Time Grand Prix leaderboard with 59 points. Now one point behind Swenson in the series overall was Payson McElveen, after he finished eighth in Emporia. South African Matthew Beers (Specialized Off-road) retained third place in the overall standings (56 points) following a 13th place finish at Unbound 200.
How it unfolded
Unbound Gravel 200 is the signature event on the expansive global gravel calendar, a slightly modified north course making a return for a third time since the event started in 2006. For the first time in two years, conditions were nearly perfect, with the men starting at 5:50 a.m. CDT under overcast skies, light winds and cool temperatures in the low 60s Fahrenheit.
The rain had not fallen in the area for several days, so there was no fear of turbulence in mud, only 2,000 additional feet of elevation gain from the year before, now amped up to 11,849 feet total.
In the opening five miles on pavement, Kongstad attacked for a solo lead. On the first section of gravel just outside Emporia, he was joined by Jonas Orset and the duo had a one-minute gap, Innokenty Zavyalov and Chase Wark giving chase.
By mile 32, the lead duo had 30 seconds over Zavyalov and Wark. The second chase group of 50 riders was heavy on top contenders including John Borstelmann, defending champion Keegan Swenson, Jan Bakelants, gravel world champion Matej Mohorič, Niki Terpstra, Greg Van Avermaet, Peter Stetina, Russell Finsterwald, Lachlan Morton, Alex Howes, Petr Vakoc, Laurens ten Dam and Nathan Haas.
After covering 40 miles and the speeds still extremely high across the lumpy path of Kaw Reserve Road, Zavyalov and Wark joined Kongstad and Orset and pushed their lead to 5:49.
The first of two checkpoints, in Alma, marked 70 miles completed, the foursome's lead down to 4:12 and some of the new climbing areas looming ahead. Once on Divide Road, Morton gave it a go in pursuit of the leaders and across the next 10 miles, as the route began to wind its way back to the south, he had taken back one minute. The large chase pack now had 63 riders and was 1:20 behind the Australian, the pace being set by Boswell, Swenson and Beers.
Some of the contenders dropping back were Howes, Howard Grotts and Brennan Wertz and former Olympic road champion Van Avermaet, who suffered a couple of flats.
Under the skies a vivid blue dotted with small clouds there was no serenity under the wheels as they headed to Little Egypt, one of the roughest roads of the entire journey with technical descents and lots of loose gravel. This year the riders tackled the section from a different direction. In 2019, this is where Colin Strickland attacked and rode away from WorldTour pros for his win. The leaders held a two-minute gap to chasers, with Morton back in the fold, having missed a turn, and Swenson was now leading the chase.
An optional 'water oasis' was next at mile 112 in Alta Vista and as riders rushed past, averaging 21.6 mph, the breakaway had been absorbed back into the main group that now numbered 20, Haga leading the way. Zavyalov was slightly back further, 21 seconds back in a group of 12.
The rainbow jersey of Mohorič was now well off the front, part of a group of riders scattered in a loose group 14 minutes off the best pace with under 100 miles to ride, including Boswell, Terpstra, Thomas Dekker and Michael Garrison.
Across the next dozen miles, a pack of chasers rejoined the front, including Van Avermaet, to make it 31, but no massive move from Mohorič who trailed by 16 minutes.
At mile 125, Haga, Morton and Thijs Zonneveld attacked and created separation. Through the second checkpoint at Council Grove with 54 miles to go, Haga and Morton set off without Zonneveld extended their lead to 2:15 ahead of 21 riders, Sebastian Schönberger at the front with Stetina, Swenson, Finsterwald and Van Avermaet.
Not passing through Council Grove, but pulling out of the race was Mohorič, who had issues with a puncture.
Morton and Haga worked together as they headed to the final dirt climb, passing a private reservoir and dam with 27 miles to go, carrying a 1:55 advantage.
The duo extended their lead to 2:46 on the fast, flat path homeward bound to Commercial Street in Emporia.
Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast). Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France), and some mtb rides in Park City, Utah (USA).
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