I love gravel riding and I know I will never make it to an event like Unbound, so I watch the videos from it.

GCN Presenter:


From watching videos from other years, I thought he did not have near enough water on his bike.

Contrast his video from another GCN rider who did it in 2018 (no muddy conditions, so no walking/running while carrying a bike):



An overall video of the 2023 Race/Ride:


The elite riders race each other and the clock, the good experienced riders race the sun (trying to finish while still daylight), the rest just try to finish.

And as it relates to the doomed sub discussion: The middle and high end bikes are carbon fiber but the elite bikes are titanium.

British guys only think they know what summer is. They have never cooked in the hot summer sun over 85° for 12 hours so they show up with not enough water and all black clothes and helmet. Mad respect for anyone that finishes the 200.

quote:

Originally posted by ibanda:
British guys only think they know what summer is. They have never cooked in the hot summer sun over 85° for 12 hours so they show up with not enough water and all black clothes and helmet. Mad respect for anyone that finishes the 200.

Yes, the heat and humidity did hit him but I think it was the mud that got him, along with not enough hydration. The girl in 2018 said at one point at the 45 mile mark she had not been off her bike yet. Walking and running through the mud carrying a bike finished a lot of the riders this year (like 30% were done after that bit, nothing left in the tank). The guy is a pretty good cyclist and has hit the "bonk-meter" a couple times on purpose in other videos to show how someone looks, acts, reacts, in that condition. Not enough water/hydration coupled with no calories or carbs going into the tank, gets you sicker faster.

That's insane.

I'll stick to triathlons and pavement. Been watching the Tour de France this week. A few gnarly crashes.

My business partner rode this year. His derailleurs got mangled by the mud at 11 miles in. He made it to a small town, then removed his electronic rear derailleur, installed a mechanical rear derailleur, set the limit screw so that the chain would stay in the 15 tooth cog, and then rode single speed for 155 miles.

Great stuff!!

Bruce Lin of the Pros Closet competed and wrote a very good analysis of his battles against multiple mechanical failures and peanut butter like mud for miles and miles.

It’s a very good read.

“Things Don't Always Go Your Way: My 2023 Unbound Gravel Recap
Gravel racing is supposed to be fun... right? Well sometimes it's not. This year, Unbound Gravel kicked my butt and sent me home early. I tell the tragic story of how my gravel racing dreams got mercilessly crushed.”

Link to Bruce’s Unbound race experience