When Brendan Johnston (Giant) crossed the line in Emporia in fourth place with a small fist pump in celebration, a tough day out was written all over his face, as while Unbound 200 may be known for being gruelling, even by its own standards, this had been one brutal ride.
"Unbound Gravel is never a straightforward race, and this year’s edition delivered some of the most challenging conditions I’ve experienced," said Johnston in a statement from his team, Giant, with the rider having taken on the race on a Giant Revolt prototype.
Right from the start of his Unbound journey, Johnston has gone into the race with a determination to shoot toward a top result. The challenges of the terrain and style of race play well to his diverse experience, and the distance suits the physiology of a rider who, even before he contemplated going to the United States to race gravel, had a record of excelling over long distances.
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The first year he raced, the 'peanut butter' mud edition of 2023, turned out to be a learning experience, as his race effectively ended at 11 miles in when he fell prey to the equipment-destroying mud. He then stepped up to 15th in 2024 when he made the lead group before suffering three punctures.
The meticulous preparation and growing experience paid off in 2025 when the multidiscipline rider, who is now all in on gravel, clinched fifth. The win, of course, remains the ultimate prize but in 2026 there was more progress along the way, even in an edition where the mud was laid on thick, and storms raged along the way.
"One better than 2025 and a significantly more savage day out," said Johnston in an Instagram post, having joked in another interview: "I might have to come back three more times and who knows."
It wasn't just the conditions that proved challenging for Johnston, as he had to tackle other obstacles along the way as well, but both the physical and mental resilience built up over the editions and through the preparation paid off.
"Everyone has their issues out there, I had some decent ones at a few very opportune moments in the race. I fought back each time and kept my head in it," he said.
"Sure, you need good legs for Unbound, but you need an eternally positive and powerful mind. I was ultimately left alone after a mechanical with 120km to go and a 20-mile-an-hour Kansas headwind to get home. I was calculated, and I made it. Super proud with that ride."
What's more, not only was Johnston fourth in the race, but the effort also shifted him up to fourth on the Life Time Grand Prix leaderboard after two events, setting him up well for the rest of the six-race series, where he finished ninth overall in 2025.
