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 derail contenders for pro races, both Unbound Gravel 200 and Unbound XL.
Lachlan Morton (EF Education-EasyPost) was the first major casualty on Saturday at Unbound 200. He was off the bike just beyond the 50-mile mark and short of the Texaco Hill climb, sitting on the side of a dirt road due to an apparent crash. Details were not confirmed, but Morton pulled out of the race.
He was riding in 25th place at the front of a chase group at the 40-mile time check, just one minute behind the early lead group of 22 riders, which included defending champion Cameron Jones, Thomas De Gendt, Thomas Kongstad, Cobe Freeburn and all three Specialized Off-road riders Keegan Swenson, Mads Wurtz Schmidt and Matt Beers.
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At nearly the half-way point of the 200-mile race, Frenchman Romain Bardet (Factor Racing-RCC) withdrew. He 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.
Bardet had been near the front of the race, but stopped at Matfield Green, apparently no mechanical but perhaps a lack of enthusiasm for rain and muddy conditiions.
Morton won Unbound Gravel 200 in 2024, a year after finishing third. Last year, the Australian finished second in the longest distance of five routes, the 350-mile XL.
Opting to race the XL this year were Peter Stetina and Ted King, but their races ended in a hospital emergency room after separate crashes in a rainstorm overnight. King won Unbound Gravel 200 in 2018. He competed once before in the XL in 2023 and also recorded a DNF. Stetina, who has completed multiple 200-mile events with a second place in 2019 and third in 2021, started his first XL this year.
There was a selection of 10 men as they rolled into Eureka, 120 miles into the contest, and darkness was about to fall. Stetina said a few of the group decided to stop and resupply, which included himself, Robin Gemperle, Alex McCormack, and Traka 560 winner Victor Bosoni.
"Yeah, this rainstorm that came in changed our grouping," Stetina recounted on the Life Time livestream Saturday morning.
"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."
He was taken to the hospital by his mechanic, Wayne Smith, and when he got there got in line for stitches and bandaging with King, whom Stetina said had a big knee gash as well.
A total of 133 riders started Unbound Gravel 200 in the men's peloton and 67 riders in the women's peloton. Cyclingnews will provide updates throughout the weekend on other riders who could not complete rides in Kansas.
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