Epic Muddy conditions on the 2022 UNBOUND Gravel Course

The course was thick with mud on sections, leaving riders exhausted and struggling to stay upright. Amazing bike handling skills required just to keep going

It was a rainy day in Emporia, Kansas, this year as 4,000 racers took to the Garmin Unbound Gravel course, racing distances ranging from 50 to 350 miles. The 200-mile event is the best-known distance from the original race, Unbound is the second race in the Life Time Grand Prix series, the racing was predictably intense.

Some riders had to walk 3 miles for well over an hour in thick mud to get back on their bikes.

Unbound XL Winners

In the Unbound XL race, William Harrison of Charlotte, N.C., crushed Unbound Gravel's 350-mile grinder with a winning time of 20:17:29, Harrison maintained a 17.25 mph pace. Five minutes behind was Marius Karteusch of Plettenberg, Germany, he came in with a time of 20:22:28 for second place. Ernie Lechuga of Springdale, Ariz., claimed third place with a time of 20:35:08. Chris Mehlman of Manchester, Mass., finished in fourth with a time of 20:36:08.

Cynthia Frazier of Lexington, V.A., was the first woman to roll through the finish with a time of 22:27. Scotti Lechuga of Bentonville, Ark., came in second with a time of 23:26 and Andrea Dvorak of Longmont, Colo., took third with a time of 25:42. Betsy Welch of Boulder, Colo., was fourth with a time of 26:33.

Unbound 200 Winners

Dutchman Ivar Slik won a four-up sprint to win Unbound Gravel 200, beating defending champion Ian Boswell, Keegan Swenson, and Laurens ten Dam. Slik, 29, is an elite-level beach racer, races on the road for UCI continental team ABLOC, and on gravel for the Wilier Triestina factory team.

Keegan Swenson of Heber City, Utah was just behind Slik with a time of 9:22:05. Ian Boswell of Barnet, V.T., took third with a time of 9:22:05, behind Swenson. Laurens ten Dam, who was the runner-up last year to Boswell in a two-up sprint, rolled across the line in fourth, seven seconds behind this year’s photo finish for the final two podium spots.

In the women's race, Sofia Gomez Villafane took the win, soloing home in a time of 10:27:41. Less than 10 minutes behind, the second place finisher was former champion Lauren De Crescenzo who nearly got hit by a dear out on course, in third place was Emily Newsom.

In fourth place was BikeSport's Whitney Allison co-founder of the Foco FondoFest and Gravel Gracelands gravel rides in Colorado.

Gomez, who won the eight-day Cape Epic with teammate Haley Batten, used a smooth and super-quick 30-second transition at the first checkpoint 77 miles into the 200-mile event to take the lead in the women’s category.

Gomez said on social media, "I was here to definitely prove a point. I wanted to show that mountain bikers can go fast and go long, I was going to be stoked to just to win a Life Time Grand Prix race, but to come out with the overall, it's a true testament to the hard work I have put in."

Men’s Unbound 200 Top 10

1 Ivar Slik, 9:22:04
2 Keegan Swenson, 9:22:05
3 Ian Boswell, at s.t.
4 Laurens Ten Dam, 9:22:12
5 Alexey Vermeulen, 9:22:27
6 Rob Britton, 9:24:26
7 Russell Finsterwald, 9:28:22
8 Peter Stetina, 9:31:00
9 Payson McElveen, 9:31:15
10 Adam Roberge, 9:32:28

Women’s Unbound 200 Top 10

1 Sofia Gomez Villafañe, Specialized, 10:27:41
2 Lauren De Crescenzo, Cinch, 10:36:50
3 Emily Newsom, EF Education-Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank, 10:49:44
4 Whitney Allison, Bike Sports, 10:57:24
5 Haley Smith, 11:07:18
6 Sarah Sturm, Specialized, 11:14:50
7 Kristen Legan, 11:17:10
8 Sarah Max, Argonaut, 11:19:06
9 Hannah Shell, 11:20:58
10 Angela Naeth, 11:27:02

Unbound 100 Winners

The 100-mile men’s winner was Ethan Overson with a time of 5:01:01, followed by Canyon Emmot and Ben Delaney. In the women’s 100 race, Marisa Boaz took the win in 5:23:16, followed by Marije Bemis and Jess Cerra.

Professional's Daniel Oss and teammate Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) finished 12th and 13th, 54 minutes behind winner Overson.

Men’s Unbound 100 Top 13

1 Ethan Overson (USA) 5:01:01
2 Canyon Emmott (USA) 0:04:47
3 Donoven Francis (USA) 0:08:37
4 Kenn Pike (USA) 0:08:38
5 Will Surbaugh (USA) 0:08:39
6 Jonas Woodruff (USA) 0:08:46
7 Dillon McNeill (USA) 0:08:47
8 Joshua Lundgren (USA) 0:12:17
9 Nate Maddox (USA) 0:15:02
10 Chris Schroeder (USA) 0:15:03
11 Jacob Peterson (USA) 0:21:41
12 Daniel Oss (Ita) TotalEnergies 0:54:17
13 Peter Sagan (Svk) TotalEnergies

Women’s Unbound 100 Top 7

1 Marisa Boaz (USA) 5:23:16
2 Marjie Bemis (USA) 0:03:43
3 Karen Jarchow (USA) 0:16:05
4 Raylyn Nuss (USA) 0:21:02
5 Allison Mrugal (USA) 0:25:02
6 Ava Sykes (USA) 0:41:21
7 Anastasia Yanchilina (USA) 0:43:34

Click here for the full results: https://www.athlinks.com/event/174195/results/Event/1011764/Results

VIDEO: Muddy Madness At 2022 UNBOUND Gravel!

Colorado Cyclist Died after a Fatal Crash Training

A Colorado man, Gregory Bachman died following a fatal vehicle collision northwest of Emporia on Friday evening.

The Kansas Highway Patrol announced Gregory Bachman, 61, of Frisco Co was struck by a 2021 Chevy Silverado at an intersection driven by a local man from Emporia. Troopers said Bachman was pronounced dead on the scene after the collision. He was wearing a helmet and was registered in the UNBOUND Gravel 200-mile race on Saturday.

UNBOUND spokesperson Jordan Titus stated "our thoughts and prayers are with Bachman’s family."

There were some complaints online by local residents arguing registered riders in the race were ignoring intersection stop signs around the town.