Unbound 100 - Lauren Stephens and Elliott Baring victorious in Emporia

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US gravel national champion Lauren Stephens (Cynisca) won the women’s division of the Life Time Unbound Gravel 100 while Elliott Baring (Baring Performance) outdueled four other riders to take the men’s victory in Emporia, Kansas.

Stephens crossed the line on Commercial Street in downtown Emporia with a time of 5:06:40, good for the women’s title and placing ninth overall in the full 100-mile field. 

Flavia Oliveira Parks (Specialized) was second for the women in Unbound 100 ,15:54 back. Laura King (Cannondale) third another 10 minutes back.

The top women’s contenders were mixed with the front group of men for the first 20 miles, the divisions having a combined mass start for the 100-mile race. By the mid-way point, Stephens remained with the men’s front group and eased away from the rest of the women.

"It was a last-minute deal, we decided after Nationals that I was going to do the 100. This is the gravel that I love, you're just trying to survive and get good training in and have a good day," Stephens told Cyclingnews at the finish, celebrating her third victory in the 100-mile gravel race.

"Unfortunately I had to stop and put air in my tire at 100k (40 miles to go), it was in a headwind on the road section. It seemed like the group was going slow and then that enticed someone to attack. So I didn't make it back to the front group. We ended up with a nice group of five or six who worked all together."

Five men were together at the front on the final paved ascent of the race on Highland Hill. Baring launched his sprint fourth wheel in the group in the final long stretch on Commercial Street to edge Alexis Cartier (Cycles Region-360 Agency), who was second. Baring’s teammate Jim Snitzer was third.

Stefano Barberi (Orbea-Flow Formulas-Kask) and Spencer Miller (Team Speed) completed the five-rider podium for men while Amy Gammelgard and Sophie Vitzthum Von Eckstaedt rounded out the women’s top five.

Riders in the 100-mile race, actually 108.5 miles (175km) this year, across the Flint Hills of Kansas started at 7:30 a.m. CDT, around an hour-and-a-half after the elite riders began the headline 200-mile race. The north course, which used part of the 200 event route, started and finished in Emporia and included 3,651 feet (1,113m) of elevation gain.

How it unfolded

Saturday’s 100-mile event for Unbound Gravel, now in its fifth edition, came in at 108.5 miles with 3,651 feet of elevation gain. The route followed much of the same relentless climbing and rough, rocky roads as the signature 200-mile event, this year switching back to a northbound route after two years of using a south course.

The men’s field did not see any significant moves for the first 20 miles, a mass of 112 riders leading the charge, the pace set mainly by USA’s Beckam Drake and Stefano Barbero, Valtteri Bottas of Monaco and Theo De Groote of Canada.

US gravel national champion Lauren Stephens, fresh off a road race win at the Pan American Championships in Brazil one week ago, set the pace at the front of the women’s division after the first 20 miles. Giving chase were Flavia Oliveira Parks, Caroline Mani and Sophie Vitzthum Von Eckstaedt, Kaya Musgrave and Laura King, all the lead women still mixed with the men.

The lone checkpoint, for rider support, on the 100-mile course was at mile 54 in Council Grove. Leading the front of the race at the halfway point were Spencer Miller, Alexis Cartier and Lauren Stephens, who was first in the women’s division at this point and third overall. Her husband Mat Stephens was also part of the mix.

A group of six men broke away at the front once the race passed the reservoir at mile 80 - Cartier, Barberi, Jim Snitzer, Spencer Miller, Elliott Baring and Sam Brown. Lauren Stephens was six minutes of the main group, but more than nine minutes ahead of Parks, riding second overall for women.

Passing the ‘water oasis’ at mile 92 in Americus, five riders drove the pace at the front - Barberi, Baring, Cartier, Snitzer and Miller. Cartier began to yo-yo off the back but regained form for the final charge back to Emporia.

Lauren Stephens still had a solid margin in the women’s division, riding with four men, all 9:24 off the best time, and held steady to her third title at Unbound 100.