Peter Stetina (Canyon) is making his fifth look at Unbound Gravel 200 this yr. Throughout his 4 finishes at Unbound Gravel 200, the US rider, who comes into Kansas this yr with an total title at Belgian Waffle Journey Tripel Crown, has seen the race speeds enhance, the depth enhance, each associated to the amplification within the high quality of the sphere.
The final solo victory for the elite males was in 2019 when Colin Strickland received on the north course 9 minutes forward of Stetina, who was one other 11 minutes higher than Alex Howes. The following three races concerned sprints determined by seconds, the 2023 competitors having Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles) hammer house forward of Petr Vakoc, with Stetina the ultimate rider within the seven-rider bunch and simply eight seconds separating him from the win.
“I believe there’s been a variety of riders who’re very stunned how briskly and the way intense the racing is now, which has simply modified instantly. I believe dash finishes are simply increasingly commonplace, and issues get extra aggressive, which I am all for. You already know, it is a new self-discipline, and it is nice to see that it permits riders one other alternative to be knowledgeable racer,” Stetina advised Cyclingnews and different media throughout a digital press convention forward of Unbound Gravel final week.
“I used to be one of many early guys to leap from street to gravel, and I’ve seen a variety of mates and ex-road colleagues observe alongside and, and also you’re seeing various levels of success in that. I believe there are some riders who are available, like [Petr] Vakoc, who’re performing instantly. They know easy methods to do the logistics, the privateer hustle we name it. And different riders have sort of missed the mark just a little bit. Simply being an excellent street bicycle owner doesn’t essentially translate to an excellent gravel racer.
“I do not assume you may essentially even notice which rider coming from the street shall be an excellent gravel racer. I do not need it to simply be street racing off-road, although. I imply, I would like that magic recipe which made gravel increase within the first place. Not less than I adhere to that – I’ve to do it my means. And know why I got here to this house.”
The primary winner of the 200-mile race was Dan Hughes, who completed 11 occasions, and his first effort in 2006 was accomplished in 12 hours, 58 minutes. When he received for a 3rd time in 2011, his time was nonetheless comparable, averaging 15.2 mph.
In 2018, Ted King received Unbound (then referred to as Soiled Kanza) by just a little greater than 10 minutes over Joshua Barry, and in 2016, King averaged 17.4 mph and completed in 11:50:13, 42 minutes forward of Michael Sencenbaugh. The one elite males’s dash end on report between 2006 and 2021 was in 2015, when Yuri Hauswald edged Sencenbaugh by one second.
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Whereas the programs do range barely and have completely different course situations with the weather, the quickest time up to now throughout 200 miles within the Flint Hills was in 2022 when Ivar Slik averaged 21.3 mph, profitable in 9:22:04. That was only one second forward of Swenson and Ian Boswell, and Laurens ten Dam one other six seconds again.
“I believe one of many foremost causes that makes it going quicker, quicker are extra good high riders within the subject. Certainly, the speeds are getting excessive and loopy,” Ten Dam advised Cyclingnews after Gravel Locos, noting the racing now begins at mile one and by no means relents.
“Again within the days, you may win Unbound with time finishes possibly one hour or 90 minutes slower than we do now, as a result of he [the winner] was alone for almost all of the race. Now it’s extra of a pack race. I believe it’s good to see the extent greater, though I’m getting older, so I don’t understand how for much longer I can match up.”
It’s not simply Unbound Gravel that sees super-charged fields and quicker race occasions. Up to now three years, Swenson has set course data, most noticeable on the high-elevation endurance take a look at Leadville Path 100 MTB. He crushed his 2022 report time, which had been 6:00:01, by not seconds, however quarter-hour. In 2022, he completed 11:25 quicker than in 2021.
This yr on the Sea Otter Traditional Fuego XL, Swenson received in 4:00:15. That was 3:26 quicker than simply the yr earlier than on the identical course and in comparable situations, with a tempo amped up from 15.7 mph in 2023 to 16.7 mph in 2024 over the 67-mile race.
Like Ten Dam and Stetina, Lachlan Morton (EF Training-EasyPost) is a part of the Life Time Grand Prix collection and has noticed huge modifications in a handful of years. He was second to Swenson at Leadville Path 100 in 2021, eight minutes off the profitable tempo. Two years later, Morton knocked three minutes off that point, however eight riders had been even quicker, together with Swenson.
Morton improved his total time at Fuego XL by nearly six full minutes from 2023 to this yr, upping his common velocity from 14.94 mph to 16.03 mph however solely duplicated a seventeenth place end. He agreed that quicker performances in off-road racing don’t translate to higher placings, because the fields proceed to develop stronger.
“Gravel racing is now on the level of the place street racing was once I left. It’s not as loopy because the WorldTour is now, however it’s taking place that route,” Morton stated in an interview after Fuego XL with Rouleur.
“I do not really feel dangerous about that and I believe it’s wanted, however my place in it’s like, OK, what am I attempting to realize right here? I really like getting on the market and racing, however there’s solely to this point I am prepared to go down the rabbit gap, as a result of I have been down the rabbit gap earlier than and I do not wish to return to that place, ever.”
Morton, Ten Dam and Stetina are all former WorldTour street professionals and are thought-about pioneers for privateering on long-distance off-road races. They admire the appeal of gravel for the adventures, not simply the racing, which many individuals encapsulate as ‘the spirit of gravel’.
So will dash finishes proceed after 200 miles of racing at Unbound? Stetina stated sure, giving perception to the course itself.
“So far as the extent of competitors now and the dash finishes, the final three Unbounds have been dash finishes. The factor about Emporia is all of the hills are fairly far-off, so that you’re just about assured the ultimate hour of racing is kind of pan flat. And with the elevated competitors, you actually have gotten to go from a protracted, great distance away if you wish to end solo at this level. In order that’ll be actually attention-grabbing.”
Other than Life Time calling within the “spike-shale street crews to make a brand new D street within the final 5 miles of Unbound for some spice”, just like how some communities have unfold contemporary rocks “only for enjoyable” when a motorbike race passes on their roads, he went again into severe mode and stated ‘quick’ is simply how Unbound performs out now. And it’s not a nasty factor.
