The threats of overnight rain in eastern Kansas came as predicted and turned sections of the prairie roads into pools of water and mud, the kind that hide dangers from unsuspecting tyres, destroy derailleurs and also derail contenders across both Unbound Gravel 200 and Unbound XL.
Hopes were high when the day started, and conditions had seemed fine.
“We had our friend Jonathan go out to the first MMR [minimum maintenance road], and he was like, ‘It’s dry, it’s hero dirt’, and we’re like, ‘Yeah, let’s go’,” said eventual Unbound 200 winner Sofia Gomez Villafañe. “And then the stuff that you thought was going to be good just turned into craziness, you know. There was a lot of crashes, a lot of mechanicals, and yeah, it was just a day of perseverance.”
That day of chaos ultimately worked out just fine for the repeat Unbound Gravel 200 women’s winner, but not for many others.
Of the 117 riders that started the Unbound 200 elite men’s race, 37 didn’t make it to the end, while in the elite women’s race, of the 62 riders that started, 15 didn’t make it back to the Emporia finish line. The attrition rate was, perhaps not surprisingly, far higher in the Unbound XL, with just 60 of the 237 starters completing the 350-mile challenge.
The riders from the XL were the first to set off, rolling on the longest course on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. local time with calm skies and sunshine, but that did not last.
“Yeah, this rainstorm that came in changed everything,” Stetina recounted on the Life Time livestream Saturday morning.
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And that rain also set the scene for a tough Unbound 200 with the chaos beginning in the first hour of racing as a large water puddle gave way to a brutal muddy patch which saw most of the riders off the bike and reaching for the mud sticks. They were conditions that tested equipment, hid hazards and pushed riders to their limits. Many came unstuck.
Every year, we catalogue the mishaps and misadventures that tell the tales of why a favourite rider may not have made it to the end, dropped way further down the results sheet than expected or even ended up in a sought-after position despite having to overcome considerable difficulties along the way.
Here is the list for 2026, which is being added to as more tales of the race flow:
Unbound XL
Peter Stetina (DNF) – “Around 9pm in the dark, I crashed real hard; it was deep mud, too. I had a big hole [on a knee] from what I could see after peeling away some mud blobs, so I kind of knew if I ride another 10-plus hours, like this is a guaranteed infection. My day is done,” said Stetina. The rider who has completed multiple 200-mile events with a second place in 2019 and third in 2021, opted for the XL this year but it ended with him being taken to the hospital by his mechanic, Wayne Smith
Ted King (DNF) – When Stetina arrived at the hospital there was, unfortunately, another familiar face, with Unbound 200 2018 winner, King, being treated for a gash in his knee.
Rob Britton (DNF) – It not always a crash or equipment failure that ends a race as last year’s XL winner demonstrated.
“The bike was solid. All of my kit was dialed but my body, the most trusted asset I’ve had my whole career, failed and not long after that my mind followed,” said Britton in an Instagram post. “It sucks. To have won last year and be out after 6h this year…I never thought I’d be in that position but at this point I know how ever hard that call was to make, it was the right one.”
Heather Jackson (DNF) – It was a tough edition for the 2025 winners, with Jackson also on the results rollercoaster. “We tried. My mind was excited for this race but my body had nothing to give,” said Jackson on social media.
Unbound 200 Elite Women
Nicole Frain (DNF) – The Oceania Champion was in her second Unbound but unfortunately for Frain it was also another edition that started well but ended with a crash just when she looked in an ideal position. Frain had made it into the lead group but then came down hard, but despite the blood and bumps she initially straightened her handlebars and battled on, however finally had to pull the pin. “Unbound 2 : Nicole 0,” said the rider in an Instagram post. “Ahhh this race. It was going so good until it wasn’t.”
Cécile Lejeune (10th) – The French rider was well-positioned in the leading group when she took an unscheduled dip.
Morgan Aguirre (11th) – For Aguirre it was the rails that were derailing her adventure, with the PAS Racing rider twice stopped by trains, which in a social media post she said cost her 7 minutes and 53 seconds in waiting time. She certainly wasn’t alone in commenting on the train hold ups.
Karolina Migoń (DNF) – Last year’s women’s winner only made it through the second time check of the race at Mile 20, close to the front and trailing leaders by only 19 seconds. It was quite possible the early mud section caused mechanical issues, and an update will be confirmed.
Melisa Rollins (DNF) – The Liv Racing Collective rider was looking to make Unbound Gravel her comeback event of the season, last racing to second place at RADL GRVL in January. She took the start in Emporia Saturday morning, but only pedaled a few blocks and pulled out, as she did not have a doctor’s clearance yet to ride off-road due to recent surgeries. Yes, more than one.
Two and half months ago she had for a broken left elbow suffered on a ride prior to a start at Cape Epic. Then a day before Sea Otter Classic Gravel, she suffered another injury that required surgery.
“The day I was supposed to leave before Sea Otter I was on a hike, and fell. I landed on my arm that I had just broken and had surgery on, and I partially tore my tricep on that same arm, so trying to get back.”
Unbound 200 Elite Men
Lachlan Morton (DNF) – After opting to race the XL last year, and coming second, the 2024 winner was back at Unbound 200 for 2026 but it was the year Morton had been hoping for with the rider one of the early big name withdrawals in the first quarter of the race. “I had a big slam in one of the rocky sections. It was of my own doing but yeah, crashed pretty hard – had a big highside and landed on my hip quite hard which is pretty sore right now,” said Morton in a video shared by EF Procycling. “Otherwise I’m Ok, just a little disappointed. The race was going well but brutal conditions out there.”
Romain Bardet (DNF) – The Frenchman had told Cyclingnews he was just competing to “figure out” Unbound as he had heard so much about it, but was not contesting for the win as the trip to Kansas was part of a family holiday. It didn’t, however, turn out to be much of a holiday out there and Bardet pulled the pin. He said on social media: “Massive respect to all the finishers. Was truly epic. Couldn’t do it. Not a good resilience lesson today, fitness is one thing, managing your equipment over 9hrs is another. It was a day for the brave.”
Keegan Swenson (5th) – It wasn’t exactly Swenson’s mishap, but more the ultimate act of team loyalty, that set back the 2023 winner as when he was out front with Specialized Off-road teammate Mads Würtz Schmidt disaster struck for the European champion. The rider who was fresh from a win at The Traka 360 had a gash to his rear tyre. Calculating the best chance of a team win Swenson handed over his wheel, fixed the damaged one and even then managed to clinch fifth place.
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