Unbound XL 2025

Unbound XL, 358 miles of Kansas Gravel. This was my third time riding this event, and I had set some goals. Have fun, finish, less than 24 hours, PR power. I only managed to complete two of these goals.

I was nervous before the race. It had been raining in the days before and I was worried about peanut butter mud. The mud in Kansas is clay, it sticks to everything and is nearly impossible to ride through. 

On race day, the sun was out and it was warm. I lined up in the front third. A friend pulled up next to me and another was in front. We chatted and talked about riding together. There were a lot of accomplished racers in the field. This was going to be a fast year, and there were a lot of people watching. 

There was a helicopter overhead filming. The streets were lined with spectators and they cheered us on as we had a neutral roll out at 3:00pm. As we turned on to the first gravel road, the neutralization ended, and the race was on.

I was pushing hard and wanted to stick on to the front pack as long as possible. Those guys are unbelievably strong. The front began to split, and I was in the chase group. It was hot and I began to drop, I pushed back on a few times. After 45 minutes I decided to dial it back to a more sustainable pace.

I was on my own. My options were to keep on the gas and catch others dropping from the chase, or slow up and get caught. I kept pushing on my own. I was getting hot, and unfortunately didn't find a group to work with.

By the time I was caught by the riders behind me I wasn't feeling well and had a hard time sticking on. This wasn't ideal but the terrain was very rough and going at my own pace was a safer choice. 

Divide road was rough. It was chunky, there were deep ruts, and mud. My Nerds gummies bounced out of my bag. I left them behind, a tax to the spirit of gravel. A van was stuck in the ditch and a truck was attempting to recover it. We slowed and had to squeeze between the van and truck. Shortly after I came across a rider sitting in the middle of the road. I stopped to check in with him, he had broken his collarbone and couldn't move. He had already called for help and said he was okay to wait on his own. This was a reminder to be very careful.

I was starting to feel very nauseous, and wasn't eating as I should. My pace started dropping and I was working hard to not throw up. I would get passed, try to catch on, and drop to ride on my own.

I had planned to ride to mile 108 before stopping, but stopped at mile 68 to get more cold water, and a Reeses candy bar. I refilled my backpack with 200 grams of Skratch, ice, and water and got back on the road.

I kept rolling but was quickly running out of gas. I still wasn't eating enough. I would eat, or drink then get nauseous. The next stop was only 40 miles away.

I was looking forward to the stop at 108. I bought water, 2 redbulls and another candy bar. I rolled out with a group and managed to hang on and even take a turn on the front. In the days before the event the route had been changed to avoid a flooded water crossing. When we got to the detour the group split. Some riders stuck to the original course and went to the river crossing. One other rider and I took the detour.

We rode together for a long time without seeing anyone else. We rode side by side and chatted to pass the time. I worried about my headlight dying so I would turn it down on the uphills and back up while going down hill. My stomach started to feel better, but my back was hurting.

I had hurt my back two weeks before the race. It wasn't too bad but it was sore, I wasn't comfortable sitting in the aero bars for long, and some of the bumps hurt. But, I kept at it. The night was cool and conditions were good. I didn't fall asleep.

The next gas station was at mile 200. It was just before sunrise. The birds were chirping and the sky was getting lighter. I rolled onto a rail trail, leaned into the aero bars and pushed it for a few miles. I rolled into the gas station and it was busy with riders. A few riders had had a rough night and were dropping and getting picked up. 

 I stocked up on snacks, Poptarts, reeses bar, Mountain Dew, Redbull and water. I mixed up my drinks, Skratch High carb and mountain dew is a good combo. I got back at it behind a couple guys and quickly passed them. I was feeling pretty good.

New day, new ride. That didn't last long, I was in a massive calorie deficit and wasn't able to keep up with the fueling. I ate enough to keep moving but my pacing was slow. The sun was up and the temperature was climbing. There isn't much shade.

I still had 150 miles to go and I was struggling. The combination of heat and low energy made it tough to keep at it. I had an extra bottle of water in my pocket to dump on myself to stay cool and that helped a lot. The next stop was at mile 277 and I drank all my water before getting there.

The 277 stop was an aid station put up by some nice locals. They were very nice and tried. They didn't have any experience in running an aid station and their choices were less than optimal, but they were very nice and tried their best. They had water, coke, mini Gatorade, goulash, 100 calorie oreo packets, chips, and a little lemonade. I stuffed ice in my kit, refilled my waters, mixed my Skratch, drank a coke, took a few Oreos, hosed myself down and got back at it.

It was hot. There wasn't much shade. I would periodically stop at the shade trees and dump a little water on myself. The hills aren't tall but they are endless false peak rollers. We rode through some open range with cows. There were water crossing and the splashes were cool and felt good. I stopped in one and stood in the water for a minute. I didn't care that there was cow run-off in the water.

At about mile 300 I passed through the last minimum maintenance road. Last year it was muddy and I walked a few miles. This year it was dry and rideable. I only had to walk through one short section, probably 50 feet. I was out of cooling water and was moving through my skratch quickly. 

At mile 315 there was a guy with a cooler handing out water and Sprite. I took the last Sprite and chugged it. I filled a bottle with water and started to get back on the bike. The gentleman offered another bottle of water and I told him to save it for the next guy, but he insisted and said he would go get more. I put the cold bottle in my pocket and got moving.

At mile 330 the course overlaps with the other distances. I was happy to ride with the 100 and 200 riders as they are relatively fresh. There was another unofficial aid station and I refilled cold plain wet water again. I was moving well and passing many riders. At the base of the second to last hill was a pickle station. It was well stocked and well staffed. I asked for a coke and was given orange and watermelon while I drank my coke. I ate a pickle. I don't like pickles but it worked for me. Another rider stopped and asked for GU but they didn't have any and he left before I could speak up.

I got on the bike and caught him on Koala hill. I handed him the two GU that I had. He was thankful he needed the fuel. Finally felt good and pushed it up the hill. my pace was picking up and I wanted to get it done. 

My last stop was at mile 345, I stopped and wet my head. I was passed by a fast 200 rider and I asked if I could ride his wheel. He said yes and was impressed that an XL rider was moving that fast. We were getting up over 21mph. I felt good enough to take a turn and unintentionally opened a gap. I slowed up and let him catch on. I apologized and he told me I could go ahead if I wanted. I didn't.  We took turns and managed to pass a group of XL riders. I kept on the gas but the 200 mile rider pushed harder than I could. 

The last hill is Hot Dog hill. The Gravel Worlds gang hangs out on top, hands out hot dogs, and cheers on the riders. I smashed this hill. 517 watts average for 39 seconds, not crazy numbers. but hard after 350 miles. After this hill is just one mile to the finish. My final sprint peaked at 1027 watts and I crossed the finish line at almost 30mph. 

At the end I got my mug and metal, chugged a water, and took a Dr. pepper. Bree got me a towel with ice and I had to sit down. I sat in the grass and collected myself while Bree got me so much needed food. She returned with a quesadilla, tacos, and a fried potato taco thing. 

It was a very challenging ride. I suffered more than any other ride. I dug deep and stuck with it. I didn't hit my pace or power goals, but I finished, and I had fun. Thank you everyone for your messages and encouragement. I needed it. Thank you Bree for supporting me.  

Any questions?