Unbound 100, mud year

Yesterday I rode the 2026 Unbound 100 gravel bike race. This was my second time at the race, which has a lottery for entry, and the first time doing a southern route.

It was also a mud year, which I learned is a thing.

Before race day I went for a shakeout ride with my friend Ben who I met at UnPAved, then to the expo. I dropped off my bike at the Canyon tent for a pre-race tune up. I ran into some friends including Staci and a friend from Boulder. Also saw luminaries like Willie the dog.

My plans for tire choice, nutrition, and hydration were based on a bet that it would dry out on race day, and based on the sunny, warm conditions the day before, I was feeling positive about the weather.

So of course it rained. I missed my goals by a mile, my plan imploded, I over-hydrated in the cool temps requiring multiple bathroom breaks, tires were wrong for mud, I rode through a couple of massive thunderstorms, hiked my bike through 4 inches of mud and rode or walked through a few creeks and field runoff.

And it was very fun.

The sun came out with about 20 miles left so the finish was fast, with the tires finally matching conditions.

Chip time: 7:46:25. Results: 510/1585 overall, 428/1249 men, 43/206 in my age group.