Lachlan Morton extinguished Keegan Swenson’s vice grip on the American gravel scene by winning the 200 mile Unbound Gravel in a two-up sprint against Chad Haga. Though a handful of Europeans bolstered the top 10, Morton’s performance was more proof that North Americans (or simply those who have lived and raced in the US gravel scene for a long time, as Morton has) have a unique advantage racing Unbound, with much-hyped favorite Matej Mohoric flatting out of the race due to the route’s rough conditions.
In contrast, the women’s race was won by Rosa Klöser in a reduced bunch sprint, the second year in a row that the Unbound women’s field was won by a European rider.
Both races were tactical affairs, far more so than the race would see even a few years ago. The front groups are getting stronger, the tech is getting better (and better understood), and this race looks like it will only keep getting faster.
Men’s Unbound report
The men set off first from Commercial Street in Emporia for 200 miles through Kansas’ flint hills. It was a cagey affair, almost road race like, with multiple early (and doomed) moves moving off the front in the early hours of the race. This year’s course traveled north and was said to have more technical, chunky rock sections as well as punchier climbs compared to the southbound courses. Despite the rough route, it was the fastest edition in Unbound history and saw two WorldTour-caliber riders sprinting for the win.
- Tobias Kongstad flew off the front early in the day, with Jonas Orset bridging across. Chase Wark and Innokenty Zavyalov bridged and eventually made it across to make a group of four as the riders passed through Divide Road.
- Back in the bunch, Mohoric pulled turns at the front with Swenson and Pete Stetina keeping a close eye on the World Champion. An additional group, including Konny Looser and John Borstellman, attempted to bridge but didn’t make much headway.
- Morton first set out to bridge after the first checkpoint around mile 80, but he missed a turn and regrouped with the bunch. Around this time, Niki Terpstra popped off the bunch.
- Swenson helped the group keep the pace high, and then the marquee technical section Little Egypt split the group in half down to about 25 riders. Stetina, Swenson, and Payson McElveen were first to exit the section. Little Egypt claimed Mohoric’s rear wheel and he dropped out of the race along with his Bahrain teammates.
- After the halfway mark, Morton set off again along with Chad Haga and Thijs Zonneveld, gaining a 1:35 gap. Last year’s second place Petr Vakoc flatted out of the lead group at mile 130, and Zonneveld would flat out of the break as well.
- Stetina, Sebastian Schönberger, Mattia De Marchi, Piotr Havik, and Simen Nordahl Svendsen formed a chase group of five behind, but Stetina would drop from the group.
- There were reports of various chase groups gaining time on the leaders, but nobody could reel them back in. Haga took a flyer just a couple miles out from the line, but Morton easily brought him back and stuck on his wheel. The final pavement punch did nothing to separate the riders, and Morton got clear air to win the world’s most important gravel race in a time of 9:11:47.
- Kongstad sprinted for third, followed by Havik and De Marchi.
Brief Results:
| 1 | Lachlan Morton | 9:11:47 |
| 2 | Chad Haga | 0:00:01 |
| 3 | Tobias Kongstad | 0:03:36 |
| 4 | Piotr Havik | 0:03:37 |
| 5 | Mattia De Marchi | 0:03:41 |
| 6 | Simen Nordahl Svendsen | 0:04:41 |
| 7 | Greg Van Avermaet | 0:04:47 |
| 8 | Payson McElveen | 0:04:48 |
| 9 | Sebastian Schönberger | 0:04:48 |
Women’s Unbound report
The elite women began 15 minutes after the men and 25 minutes ahead of the amateur fields in an effort to minimize mingling co-ed drafting. Many pro women riders, including the outspoken Sofia Gomez Villafane, have called for separate starts in gravel races to allow women to have their own race free from the influence of men’s groups on the road.
- The women’s peloton stayed together through the opening miles. A small crash caught out Kristen Legan, last year’s winner of the 350-mile Unbound XL ultra-endurance race. Emily Newsom also flatted early on.
- The group continued to stay together through checkpoint one and included the likes of Hannah Otto, ultrarunner/cyclist combo Heather Jackson, Sarah Sturm, and last year’s winner Carolin Schiff.
- Previous winner Lauren De Crescenzo attacked and gained 3 minutes heading into Little Egypt, which halved the main group of chasers to about 10. Life Time Grand Prix series leader Gomez Villafane was 5 minutes off the back by the time Little Egypt was over – it appeared she had a mechanical issue.
- De Crescenzo was caught on Des Moines road, and stayed with the chasers, who also included Geerike Schreurs, Paige Onweller, Haley Smith, Alexa Skarda, and Klöser.
- The group remained together until Emporia, working relatively well together though there were still some riders who liked the weather better in the back of the group.
- As with the men’s race, the final hill didn’t cause any separations, and eight women came barreling into the finish straight. Ultimately it was the Danish Klöser who found the legs to power away from the others after more than 10 hours of racing.
Brief Results:
| 1 | Rosa Klöser | 10:26:02 |
| 2 | Geerike Schreurs | 10:26:03 |
| 3 | Paige Onweller | “ |
| 4 | Haley Smith | “ |
| 5 | Heather Jackson | “ |
Analysis
- Kongstad’s attack early in the men’s race was a sign that team tactics have finally cemented themselves at Unbound. Kongstad is Pas Normal teammates with Haga.
- Morton has previous experience with the finale of Unbound. He put in a late flyer last year to ultimately place third.
- Though the top 10 was stuffed with Europeans, Payson McElveen and Dylan Johnson both had standout rides in 8th and 10th respectively.
- Unlike last year, mud did not cause much distress or impact the race, though there were a few small wet sections on course.
- Swenson has been beaten before, but it was unexpected for the winner of the last two Life Time Grand Prix overall titles to only be good enough for 14th on the day.
- The large group of women who stayed together contrasted with previous years when the women’s race shattered and saw solo winners. Unbound is getting more cagey with each year.
- Last year, Schiff was a relatively unknown rider, with many wondering who had just won the race. Klöser is in the same boat with not much name recognition on the American scene.
- Haley Smith had a great ride after struggling with this race last year.
- There is growing demand for complete live coverage of Unbound, though the current Instagram strategy from race organizers gives a fuller picture of the race than just a couple years ago.
- If Lachlan Morton can win Unbound, the Spirit of Gravel™ is probably doing just fine.
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