2024 UNBOUND Gravel | RACE HIGHLIGHTS

Saddle up for extended highlights of the historic 2024 Life Time UNBOUND Gravel. This year’s race saw the deepest field in the history of gravel cycling as riders from around the world descended upon Emporia, KS, for the World’s Premiere Gravel Race.

Learn more about the Life Time Grand Prix: https://www.lifetimegrandprix.com

Learn more about Life Time UNBOUND Gravel: https://www.unboundgravel.com/

A film by 🎥 Cold Collaborative

Executive Producers: Kimo Seymour & Michelle Duffy Smith

Directed by Shannon Vandivier

Producers:
Zoe Andrikidis
Ryan Cross
Bowen Parrish
Rebekah Sands

Edited by Blake Campbell

Commentary Team:
Lea Davison
Bill Elliston
Janel Spilker
Kimo Seymour
Lauren Hall
Tim Johnson

Be sure to Subscribe @LifeTimeGrandPrix Don’t miss the action!

LTGP Athlete bios and more: https://www.lifetimegrandprix.com/ath…

Don’t forget to build your Fantasy Team: https://www.fantasizr.com/sport/fanta…

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today is the day the start to the 2024 lifetime Unbound gravel is rapidly approaching by all accounts it is the most competitive field for both the men and the [Applause] women if you went Unbound like in a way your career is made most athletes in the Elite field have raced the South course but only a handful have raced the door and that’s the thing like it’s race you never know making her move off the front of the women’s Pelon we have some big moves here in the men’s Elite race minutes I damn we got a race now you guys in a field this deep you really only get one move what we still have is lck Morton and Chad hagga off the front is it going to be a photo finish for this women’s Sprint at Unbound gravel I drove 20 hours to get out here and this is the place to be this is the number one gravel event in the world I’m already planning to come back next year I’ve been volunteering uh for 3 years I think it’s neat that uh something close by can become such a worldwide phenomenon pmor Kansas Unbound gravel second attempt for me um I say attempt because last year was a disaster it’s definitely the most intimidating it’s probably the one that people lose the most sleep over welcome to the 2024 lifetime Unbound gravel a race that thousands of cyclists from around the world put on their calendar in the hopes of getting to race alongside some of the best gravel cyclists in the world as you watch the Unbound 200 this year you’re going to hear us talking about the lifetime Grand Prix and the lifetime Grand Prix is actually a series of seven events the these Racers that we’ve hand selected 30 men and 30 women from around the world are all competing for their share of a $300,000 prize purse the largest in North America so these athletes are not only are they competing for that $300,000 prize purse but we’ve got some really bigname athletes that are not part of the Grand Prix we’ve got the current gravel world champion Monte mahic we’ve got last year’s Unbound 200 winner Caroline Schiff you got the Dutch Legend Nikki tsta fresh off the world tour and we’ve got Olympic champion Greg van Almont at lifetime we’re often looked at as event promoters but we really view ourselves as Community Builders this year we have individuals coming here from 50 states and over 40 countries to take on Unbound gravel Unbound started in the parking lot with 36 Riders was not a big National event lifetime coming on board with us in 2019 was a big game changer lifetime definitely believes in building community and healthy way of life and I think Unbound dovetails so nicely with that really just growing the number of emporians and area residents that now ride bikes it’s a unique experience to line up with 4,000 people for a bike race The Big Show biggest gravel race on the planet I want the Unbound title so bad the leaders of the 200 now coming in for a final Sprint if you went Unbound like in a way your career is made it’s an automatic ticket to the Hall of Fame last year was just crazy I finished first it was a big surprise for me I have two or three season gos so Unbound is definitely the biggest one so it’s very important for me I would definitely love to improve on the the second place from from last year and there is only one spot where I can improve I was thinking this is just a long race on really wide gravel roads the conditions are completely unexpected it’s so different to everything we do your whole training has to change your mentality definitely has to change there’s so many factors that are going into play here it’s like trying to take control over all of those factors and you just simply cannot and that’s the thing like this race you never know it’s just knowing that you’re prepared and able to deal with that and don’t give up it’s my longest ride ever I think so we will see but I hope to finish this first key Point that’s the only thing I’m worried about to travel that far and not finish the race I my impression was maybe because it was like the chunky stuff that everyone was talking about maybe it would drain better right that’s where it could better fit the American yeah I’ve done this before Paige Paige kept say and she’s like I don’t know that any of the euroes are going to do as well as they think because she’s she’s like gravel worlds last year like nothing like this yeah you know like just different just different gravel in general it’s like this is like a little bit different all right everyone it’s dark and early here in Emporia but the town is buzzing with energy because today is the day the start to the 2024 lifetime Unbound gravel is rapidly approaching and you can feel the nerves amongst all the Riders out here for the elite men and women we will once again feature separate starts and once they are all off the line we’ll get our Mass start athletes rolling as well if you’ve been tuning into to the last couple years of Unbound gravel coverage you’ll notice something different about this year’s race you can look at r want to look at it yeah that’s all the layers every couple of years the Unbound gravel course alternates routes in 2022 and 23 we sent our athletes South but this year it’s time to change it up so we’re headed north this route is highlighted by rougher terrain punchier climbs and the always unpredictable weather of the Flint Hills of Kansas we caught up with some of the athletes to get their thoughts for the lifetime Grand prix’s first venture into the Unbound Gravel North Course the North Course has steeper climbs more Relentless rollers um and chunkier rock more consistently I think it will be like kind of a a fast start and a bit of a Sprint for that rough section well everyone say in the North Coast was like a lot harder a lot hiler it will be all about tirus and punctus I think when it’s a mud year a lot of it is just picking good lines getting off the road some sometimes riding in the grass getting off and running putting the bike on your shoulder if you have to it’s just a it’s survival really there’s way more climbing so it looks like a very demanding uh demanding parkour for a strong field at the start line so that will very will be very exciting Carnage is going to happen but overall it’s going to feel predominantly like a road race with the tactics and you know lead group sort of pelaton I feel prepared I feel excited for the race and uh yeah I’m I’m ready I feel ready okay Emporia we are just moments away from the start once again we will have Kimo and Janelle following the action from the heli we will also get to see Tim Johnson and Lauren Hall out there following the action on the ground and as always our production team is staged all over the course ready to capture today’s excitement I’m Bill Elliston and I’ll be right here relaying the time splits and updates from the field to keep you informed on all the happenings in today’s race and now I can hear the heli buzzing overhead and we all know what that means seconds remain until the men cross the line Kemo and Janelle Have Eyes on the start let’s kick it out to them to watch the men head out of town and make their way North Kimo Janelle how’s it looking up there good morning Janelle here we are at the 2024 lifetime Unbound gravel about to kick it Off 2 [Music] [Applause] 1 they’re off here Janelle here they go by all accounts it is the most competitive field for both the men and the women this year 145 Elite men and about 61 Elite women lining up this is the World Series or the Super Bowl of gravel so uh All Eyes around the world the cycling world really focused on what’s Happening Here in impor Kansas today Janelle and there they go our Elite men are underway so now of course it’s time to turn our attention back here to the start line as we count the women in looking at the start line of our Elite women we’re seeing a lot of former champ champions of Unbound gravel last year’s winner Caroline Schiff is taking to the start line along with 2022 winner Sophia Gomez bishan and the women are off for Lifetime Unbound gravel 2024 it’s a historic race here this year at Unbound having a elite only women’s start um is super unique because this way uh we women can really be strategic we can battle each other we can actually race together um and also have completely different Dynamics um which allows us to be more strategic uh and make the racing way more exciting I L we had our own start with a good time time gap between the the elite men and also the amateurs men it’s just uh just amazing yeah and there you have it in Poria our Elite men and our Elite women women are charging forth making their way into the north course you know we heard from the athletes just a moment ago as they mentally prepared for this route which is new to a lot of them most athletes in the Elite field have raced the South course but only a handful have raced the north for a more in-depth look at the twists and turns of the north course here’s race co-director Christy moan to break it down for us the North Course is punchier and chunkier it still has mud but because it’s rockier it tends to shed the water faster and dry up a little quicker this year the Riders are going to be lining up facing north heading north on Commercial Street to get out of town the first 25 miles of the course smooth gravel there’s not a lot to break it up so we know that that race is going to be super fast leading out and then at Mile 25 they’ll hit car Reserve Road there are only one to two good lines through that section so that should start to break things up it’s over 10,000 ft of climbing in this 200 mile course and it’s legit climb after climb after climb after climb after they pass through the town of Eskridge they will immediately encounter one of the hardest sections of the course divide Road the first checkpoint is in the city of Alma 70 mi into the race as they start to head back South the wind is going to become a factor around mile 100 the Riders will face a couple steep climbs before turning onto Little Egypt Road it is a formidable stretch featuring more rugged Rock double Track Road and Punchy climbs that has the potential to blow the race apart the second and final aid station is at Mile 149 in Council Grove like once you get to Council Grove the hay is in the barn and you’ve done most of the hard work you’ve just got one last significant Hill Climb at Lake Kola once you do all of that you’re just on your way back to Emporia to the Finish Line If there’s a group still together then they’re going to work to the finish and we’ll see a big Sprint for sure I am excited about the road closures that we have we get the whole street and this year the 200 MERS will have their own finishing Lane it’s going to free those athletes up to have a clear shot at the finish line so um it’ll be really special to watch it this year okay thank you Christie let’s check back in with our heli crew Kimo and Janelle how’s it going out there thanks Bill here in the helicopter all connected across this this kind of remote course with with Garmin devices allowing for constant tracking and communication of our athletes it’s the first time we’ve been able to have eyes on all of our lead Vehicles so we have a we can spot the athletes we can we know where they are we know the where the action is happening it’s all thanks to Garmin let’s go rejoin our men’s Elite field hey thanks Janelle thanks Kimo mile 25 this is K Reserve Road the rocks are bigger the gravel is sharper so we have some early breakway Riders Kad from Denmark who is the first one to go followed by Chase war in a in a tanky the Russian Rider who’s well known to the US gravel scene and Adam Roar who is really kind of a joker in this situation because he does have the legs to make it 200 and so he’s decided he’s not going to wait around for Keegan Swenson Monte Morris Greg V aot and all the rest of the Grand Prix Riders so this is a really good move I’m interested to see how long they’re going to be able to last for the thing about this race especially this year because How deep the field is and how many fast Riders there are is that things are so tense in the first 40 miles Kimo this is an incredible shot of our men’s field Adam RAR cresting two hills in front of the elite men’s pelaton and this is also a great way to see how this course can be death by a th000 cut one steep roller at a time so those first 28 miles I would say everyone’s focused on trying to save energy Not Crash but as we approach that 28 mile whole shot the pace just gradually gets going more and more out there in the men’s field we have Jonas orid and Tobias kongstad in front inoen zavo and Chase War behind them Adam Rober is solo and then the rest of them grouped up there giving Chase we’ve hit the North End of This East car Reserve road we’ve been talking about how chunky and Technical it’s going to start to get up here and you can see they’re uh they’ve started to string it out there’s races within the race and the races within the race are fighting for position into these technical Rocky sections where you know people are going to have Mechanicals there’s going to be crashes and because it’s narrower The Field’s going to get really strung out it looks like it might be John Borman there on the front but sitting on second wheel riding a smart race uh barin Victorious is mate mahor our current gravel world champion second wheel just try to survive the first part come to checkpoints try to fix the punctures and then yeah um if we are there in the select group in the and then we can we can start racing so Janelle we’re following Jordan schle here who has missed this front selection it looks like he’s chasing back on I don’t know if he had a flat or some technical uh issues but he is with Team ammani first time in the grand PR and he’s done a number of our events over the last couple years but you can see Jordan really working hard to try and Bridge back up our team over at Cole collab our production team was able to spend some time with Jordan let’s see what he had to say this week I’m by name of j s and I come from Uganda team Amani is a team in East Africa around a place called [Music] Ean that’s where the team lives and we have lots of athletes uh from Ethiopia Uganda Kenya Randa as well in DRC Kong teani it give them opportunity to access International races and to showcase on what they can do on the bike we want to be the best athletes back home but still we want to compete with the best as well so that we get to know where we are when I heard about the lifetime Grand preer it was pretty exciting stuff you know if you come to the States you know the competition is really high you know you get to meet like cool new people in the C and you need to really train more so that things work out at the end my goals this yet Unbound to finish strong you know I only need to finish strong healthy as well you know get good results and try to score more points you know and see if things will go well at the end that’s the only way I can show people back home you know if you do something really good in a right way things will suddenly change you know so I do right for Change and that really puts me in a position of like push push push push every time and represent my family in my country as well you the mission of Team ammani they’re doing just a phenomenal job and you know now here we got we got you know Jordan schle with Team ammani over here on the world stage it’s pretty cool to see this happening coming out of East Africa thank you Kimo and Janelle and Tim for that look at the men’s field as they continue north towards checkpoint one let’s swoop back and check in with the elite women Lauren Hall is on the ground riding alongside Lauren how’s the early race shaking out for the women all right guys we are here within our first hour of racing of our Elite women here in Unbound and we’ve already seen a crash uh didn’t look like anything too dangerous everyone has gotten back in the group but that’s just this racing right here as you get a little bit of a lull and something like that happens when you’re not expecting it Janelle we’re back with the lead Elite women and is a pretty good group working together same crew near the front that we saw when we left a little bit earlier I see Lauren D crescenzo sitting there on the left left hand side when you don’t know where the move will happen you are constantly making decisions because every time you chase a move you’re burning a match that you’re not going to get back the front of the women’s pelaton making her move you know chemo Emily has a strong history in time trial and you can see from her pedaling style she is committed to this move and in 200 miles the amount of matches you have compared to that distance it doesn’t match up you have to be super intentional with your energy Laur crescenzo out of the saddle pulling the women’s field back to our lone leader Emily Nome 20 Riders back Sophia Gomez visha with Haley Smith sitting just off to her leftand side I have to look around with so many other Riders like what are they going to do is that tactic but you also don’t want to waste all your energy in the beginning because you know what’s still coming and they have reeled in Emily Nome just as car Reserve Road starts to get rough these women are ready for the decisive sections of this course it’s imperative to be at the front and that’s what they’re doing paig onweller and Danny shasby on the front lot uh European girls come over and I know from the last races that they are pretty strong know Janelle pretty cool to see Danny shy come over here from the UK UK gravel National Champion was working a full-time job and you know flying back and forth all last year for the uh for the Grand Prix sounds like she’s got enough support to be able to be over here and race fulltime this year one of the greatest things about Unbound gravel is how it really is a HomeTown race and Danny has such a cool story about her host house family from last year and you know they have a 14-year-old daughter who Dany after meeting last year has mentored uh through her Nika mountain bike program and and the 14-year-old bente is racing Unbound 100 today last year basically me being the unorganized Brit and not really aware of how busy Unbound gets two weeks before message the lifetime team like guys I’ve not got any accommodation they were like oh like you’re going to struggle and then back come reached out to me and was like oh there’s a family from the local cycling team they’ll host you they welcomed me in with open arms I think I remember her coming up the driveway and I was like she’s here she’s here she’s here we instantly all got on didn’t we the girls made amazing like sign on the driveway for me they’re chiropractors so like every day they’re like do you want your body readjusting and then every morning they’re like do you want pancakes and I was like whoa I’ve done well here this is the dream the Young daughter did the 100 miles last year and she was 14 years old I think back when I was 14 I didn’t think I could do 100 miles especially on gravel we not only get to bond over like silly things like nails but she also can help me like figure out my plan for cycling it’s just always really fun getting to work with her yes I remember that they were like you have to stay with us every year that you come to Unbound so yeah I’m back with them this year I think you’re even better preps this year in the race you can just think about pacing it don’t go off too hard I just like to offer them as much insight as I can but at the same time they’re so young just do what she feels most proud of for herself enjoy Sport and then you’ll probably love it more so as our women continue working their way North the lead men are about 30 m or so from the first first checkpoint Tim Johnson is on the ground with the men how’s it looking out there Tim a little bit of an update from here on the ground Lots going on in the race we got our fourman Breakaway still with a big big lead the lead of the peleton has been moving back and forth lots of attacks they went through the first water station in ESD no one stopped for water everyone was prepared to keep on the gap G all the way through there when the field is so deep there will be more people in the front group deeper into the race it’s just hard for the elastic to actually snap really the first part of the race that we’ve seen trouble hit multiple Riders at the same time putting our young Slovenian from Bahrain Meridia teammates amte moric so he just lost one teammate in his been to help him win up out gravel I am honestly not scared but I have a huge respect for no I’m actually also a little bit scared to be honest like I have huge respect for a ride that is almost 10,000 K like my biggest ride this far was 6,000 calories so this will be like almost double traditionally at a race like Unbound the course is so hard that the course takes care of the selection with a field this deep it’s the front Riders they have to force the race they have to force the splits the terrain alone won’t do it anymore so the word on the street is that on the other side of divide road we have a lead group of four behind them we have another small group that has split off and then about a minute behind them is the rest of the men’s pelaton our lead men have survived the Divide they’re at M 61 and they’re about 9 miles away from our first official checkpoint of the day you know seeing Lin come to the front like this he’s been known to take a flyer here there he’s never afraid to race aggressively you use the hills or you use the rough sections or you try and use the wind to thin the group out and get it to a more manageable size rarely are you going to see him sit in the entire day he’ll he loves to go to the front and animate the race on this side of me thanks dude where’s my bag Dude where’s my bag where’s my Feed Bag dude out you I just wanted use let’s go baby kill him bring that give me that Red Bull next time yeah yeah I love you guys love you baby get it ice cream just gel’s ice cream Red Bull ice creams are melted right here Matt fine yeah it feels hard you have to feel hard in race mode of course but they were in and out of here fast [Music] so there you saw it our men’s field has cleared checkpoint one we saw those flyers early on they have since joined up to create a lead group of four that’s Tobias kongstad Jonas oret inoen zaveloff and Chase War about four minutes behind them you have Sebastian shanberg Yan balance Ty zoval Connie lucer and John Borman and after that there’s everybody else Tobin Orton blad has been in that front group all day keeg Lin vacx Brendan Johnson Chad haga Pete STNA Pac just to name a few now let’s turn our attention back to the women’s field as they make their approach into checkpoint one Lauren Hall is out there how’s it looking Lauren we are right here on course mile 63 headed towards checkpoint one in Alma all together all back together we’ve had Sophia with her front flat Chase back on with a group of seven we’ve a couple dangling right off the bat but for the most part the gang’s all here that’s always uh a hard decision to find the right balance between supporting a group because it’s always good for yourself to have a group and to go faster Carolyn really loves racing over here she owns a bike shop in in Germany and and still works full-time so uh cool to see her come back this year she’s made a name for herself since retiring from the and putting all of her energy into gravel but always you always need to look for yourself to save energy and to not invest too much and uh really made a name for herself winning last year sitting on her wheel right behind her another past winner Lauren D crescenzo won two years ago out here and then just uh not too far in front of her is a winner from from just two years ago Sophia Gomez vishaan so we’ve got the three most recent past champions all in this lead group I’m I think I’m not too selfish so I always look also at others that they are having a good life in the race Kemo in the history of Unbound I can’t ever remember a group of women this big rolling into the first checkpoint together you know it’s cuz it’s never happened we’re really hoping with this separation that it creates a positive environment for the women to have their own race [Music] are we good looking fast man they came in here in a hurry that was crazy so there you have it the women’s field having a proper women’s race as they pulled into Alma you have Hannah utto leading the charge Heather Jackson Sarah Sturm Miner minagawa paig onweller girri is shrew Danny shury Rosa closer Caroline Ren Anna Hicks carollyn Schiff Sophia Haley Alexis LDC they’re all in there that’s a lot of Firepower in the women’s lead group now we’re going to stick with the women for a moment as Lauren follows them out of checkpoint one what you got Lauren mile 74 Anna Auto pushing the pace leading the way wanted to be up front for the MMR Road section it was real greasy muddy and who was on her wheel Sarah firm they get up and over the climb Sarah wants to push the pace Hannah’s not too keen on it and Whitney Allison closing the Gap and who’s on her wheel Hern ship last year’s winner you have to use the course to Advantage and especially a course like this it can be challenging because the speed is already so high and at some point the speeds start to feel maxed out which means you have to use things like technical terrain corners and the climbs but it’s also helpful to know what’s coming up and where and how challenging the next climb is going to be okay Lauren thank you can’t wait to see how that race plays out now I believe Kemo and Janelle are back on with the men as they are about halfway through today’s race Kimo and Janelle take it away we are rejoining the men’s field as they come through the famed area Little Egypt climbing up they’ve got three or four more sections of little Egypt here that are going to be really treacherous to get through without any kind of damage to their bikes it’s a constant game of analysis on what’s Happening and how how guys are looking and body language and who you think might be playing a poker face going through Little Egypt Keegan not being shy about his purpose here today swallowing up that lead group of four knowing your competitors at this point knowing their strengths and weaknesses is and also knowing about what you think they will do based on their actions in the past sounds like that lead group those four guys that were five minutes at at the first checkpoint have been caught and now the men’s field is all together in one group P Melvin great to see him up here taking a pull Pete STNA right on his wheel this one’s going to be a little more interesting that we have you know such an influx of high Cali European Pros changes the dynamic completely they’re about to make a leftand turn they they’ made it through Little Egypt fairly safely that mate moric flatted in the really tough Creek Crossing of little Egypt he did not Crest the hill with that League group we might have lost our gravel world champion but we’ve got a really heavy hitting group here in the front about 24 riders in this lead group of men earlier it was Adam roer this looks like Dylan Johnson with the super arrow move on the handlebars making his move off the front of the group looks like Chad hog on his wheel he’s Another World Tour Rider that made the switch over to gravel and has come back to give a shot at get lifetime Unbound gravel Lin Morton also finding his way to the front of this group what we’re seeing is that the front end of this field maybe there’s six Riders who are doing the work right but you can’t drift to far back cuz even if you see the move happening you’ll be too far back to actually go with it our Garmin Baja tread XL race Edition is informing me that our men’s field is approaching the water Oasis at Mile 113 looks like they’re going to roll right by the water stop and keep on going they’re they’re going to be content to wait till they get to their crews out at uh Council Grove from the water Oasis at Mile 112 we’re heading back out on course to find our lead women mile 90 we’ve just gone through this beautiful Creek Crossing LDC Lauren de cenzo is off the front with over a minute Gap uh Pelon is charging and Chase with Heather Jackson leading followed by Sophia viaan and right behind her we have all the hitters everyone lined out ready to go looking around seeing how everybody’s feeling my past experience with patience is it’s it’s something I’ve always been working on I just have to remind myself constantly like just wait wait Lauren I race sometimes too much with my heart and there she is Lauren decenzo our solo leader cresting volun Hill great to see this returning champion of the Unbound 200 off the front solo so Lauren is uh you know our 2021 winner here at at lifetime Unbound gravel and uh she’s coming back from a traumatic brain injury about seven eight years ago we’re going to do a little piece a little bit of story on her from our friends over at Cole collaborative and I think I see a smile I actually think I see a crack of a smile on Lauren’s face and a big celebration at the Finish Line I am Lauren de cenzo also known as LDC around these parts your Unbound 200 winner Lauren de cenzo takes the win for 2021 that was the biggest one in my career and it was really cool it allowed me to return to professional [Music] cycling in 2016 I suffered a nearly fatal traumatic brain injury at a road race where you know I had to be take ayed to the ICU woke up in a rehabilitation center I thought I was done with cycling I told myself I don’t ever want to see a bike again but once I was discharged that feeling didn’t last for very long because I I really love riding my bike so when I did get back on the bike and I had the opportunity to race I now see a huge difference between pain and suffering over the next two years I used cycling more as like a measuring stick throughout my recovery I really just wanted to return to where I was before the crash and I was able to do that and then get even better and better and better senzel right now currently sitting second still out out on course the recovery from the traumatic brain injury was like the hardest thing I’ve done in my entire life so now though like on my bike when like it starts to hurt I have to remind myself that this isn’t suffering it’s temporary some people like to think that I’ve lost my pain receptors it’s a rumor going around the pelaton that’s helpful here at Unbound in 2022 I raced Unbound for a third time got second place the field keeps getting deeper and deeper every year and it’s getting faster and faster sorry I’m like that’s okay this a long day last year I came back again but it didn’t go so well Lauren cenzo she’s in 37th right now so this year after everything I’ve been through to return to the North Course where I literally got my life back it means everything and I’m here for my sweet sweet redemption if I could go back in time and not be in that crash I don’t know if I would I think it made me the person that I am [Music] today and damn we got a race now you guys we’ve got 11 chasing LDC still we’ve had Sophia with another puncture we’ve had Rosa closer with a crash and she’s made it back we have got a race you guys Hannah Auto in second wheel Jenna Reinhardt Haley Smith and herica shoters looks like right on her whe we still got Sarah Sturm and uh that might be that looks like Alexis scarta sitting on stery Wheel right now and behind her is um Caroline Caroline shift Heather Jackson coming through man if we ever got a star studded field here as we head up this hill and get ready to make the turn to drop down into that Infamous Little Egypt climb jel one of the best things we’re seeing here today we’re seeing a women’s race when a former winner goes off the front it is dangerous you want to ideally eliminate them from the final selection and one of the ways you can do that is to Tire them out just let them cook out front Give Them Enough hope that they can do it that they keep pushing but keep them within reach that you know within the group anytime we want to catch them we will we know all about her capabilities and that she is a very strong solar Rider Lauren cenzo climbing out a little Egypt grinding through some of the roughest Flint gravel that we’ve seen today if someone asked me if that was a good idea to take a flyer with 130 miles to go I would say that’s a terrible idea but if I ask myself that question I would say yeah go for it might be a little early to be taking this kind of flyer she could win this thing on 110 mile Breakaway that would be pretty epic but you got to think that this strong group of women that we’ve got such an Elite field they’ve got a pretty good chance to bring her back at some point turns out I’m actually kind of crazy [Laughter] we have some big moves here in the men’s Elite race it looks like our twom man Breakaway Chad hagga tyon zelt have been joined bridging across a gap that was probably sitting about 45 seconds is the lockin [Music] Morton I’m looking back and I don’t see that group anywhere so looks like a really good mood from Lin it’s a bit early about 100K to go 60 miles but if anyone can keep on and hang all the way to the line it’s going to be lock to do a move by yourself is incredibly difficult uh because there’s just high speed you know and if you have someone else with you um that makes a really big difference so the hardest part of making a move like that is is creating the initial separation Breakaway of three is really working well together we are still pretty far out from the Finish but the thing that’s going to make the difference is whether or not they work well together we just saw Lan Morton handing a gel to taal but I think if you’re trying to to win you have to make moves like that and that Gap is now well over a minute maybe even two at this point so great start to this break away the bigger the group gets the the less cohesion there is it’s extremely challenging to to be in a situation like that where there is so much infighting within the the chase group um and there’s so little cooperation but it is road racing 101 that Breakaway of three zille flatted leaving just Lin and chadaga but right now they have a minute 45 second lead over Chase group of a about 15 16 Riders you can see that some people it gets into their mind that oh now not everybody’s working together and I think it is super super frustrating for a lot of people these guys are working together nicely and really look smooth Chad haga a longtime road racer on 12 grand Tours he’s a two-time second place at the US TT Nationals and definitely a a dark horse considering he has not done much gravel race seen there are some strong guys back there that can chase him I wouldn’t ride off the likes of Keegan and Matt beers and finy and that crew back there they’ve got a strong group Matt beers hitting the win for what could be the first time always eager to throw down beers takes one of many strong pulls at the front of the chase group here at Mile 140 we can see the power file shared from his Garmin on this climb he’s sitting at 500 plus Watts causing some separation to shbg the rider in white with red helmet Keegan Swenson digging deep on the wheel but ready to immediately take over the Chase he is a he is an absolute diesel engine and he’s a guy that in a race like Unbound this fits him really well we mentioned earlier he won Cape epic this year came over a couple weeks later got third at Sea oted and U we’re really happy to see see Matt back here racing with us this year I mean when you mark like that it’s just whatever you do the eyes are on you from all the competitors you just constantly have guys ready to just jump on your wheel but yeah that’s cool I’m appreciative that people think I’m good enough thank you my friend yeah no worries it’s a tricky one this race it takes a lot out of you the training for it you know you kind of have to do 7 to 9 hour rides with efforts and stuff rides that kind of replicated I was out in Tucson with Keegan and Russell sopia and no better place to kind of train than out there in the desert in like 100° every day so as the men are closing in on checkpoint two Matt beers and Keegan and the rest of that deep group of riders only have about 50 mil left to chase down llan and Chad [Applause] hagga the front of our men’s field has reached checkpoint two at Council Grove and with that we’re going to take a look at the overall leaderboard of course Lan and Chad hagga are in front behind them it’s the big group including sha Berger Adam robar Pete STNA Keegan Greg van Aid is in there finy kongstad Toby road pacon is hanging in the Johnson’s Dylan and Brendan Matt beers Lance heit Jonas onet and Zack Calton the next pack of elite men is about a minute or so behind them [Music] now let’s turn our attention back to the women last we saw it was a big pack chasing a solo leader in Lauren de crescenzo Lauren Hall is out there to catch us up on whether or not that is still the case what’s the latest out there Lauren got 11 Chasers still chasing LDC about a 1 minute Gap the hit Stars here we go uh when you do bring back a flyer it demotivates the group um to sometimes take another fly after it because the group is now aware that it’s strong enough to close down this flyer it’s all back together they’ve called LDC and they’ve dropped one they’ve dropped Jenna Reinhardt from the group it’s just attrition at this point and there’s so much left to race we just caught back up with the lead women and uh looks like we’ve got a good group together here look who’s sitting last wheel Lauren de crescenzo see Lauren uh pretty labored there trying to stay on the back of this group when the group catches you it’s demoralizing because you know how much more energy you spent than they just did rolling up to you in a big group you just got to park yourself at the back of that group this kind of racing that we’re able to see this is just such a joy and a thrill to be able to watch the women race like this today Kimo look at this Rosa closer looking like she is nursing a pretty significant front flat at the moment just 5 miles out from the second checkpoint at Council Grove see if she can make it in lip it in on that flat tire and get a quick quick wheel chain there we go Sarah Sarah G Sarah Sarah SAR SAR you need chain m t table table two bottles and food thank you you want nice can I put in your put in my back put in my back thank [Music] you and now our women have cleared checkpoint two as you saw it’s still one big group out in front we’ve got paig onweller Geck is shors Hannah utto Haley Smith Carolyn Schiff Sarah Sturm Heather Jackson Sarah Lang Alexis scarta LDC and Rosa closer in that lead group of 11 about four minutes back we have Jenna Reinhardt then Danny shury and Tiffany Cromwell are minute behind Jenna Sophia Gomez vishaan is back in 16th Place about 11 minutes off the leaders and now before we join back with the men Kimo and Janelle have a quick message for us so Janelle you can see our new partners out here at the top of cola Hill kinetic keton working with us yeah I can’t get over how refreshing this kinetic is yeah it’s science based flavor forward just learned that it has they’ve got three patents on this it’s a great product so open it’s going to take us through to 202 miles to the Finish Line in Emporia a lot of work in this helicopter today we got to get our ketones in that’s right Cheers Cheers loin more than welln to the lifetime Grand Prix followers 32 years old an Australian living in Northern California best known for riding the entire tour to France route including the gaps between the start finishes of each stage by himself 5,000 kilometers he’s one of those riders that everyone knows L Morton in his bright pink EF easy post outfit at the front but unknown his comp Patriot on the front is the American Rider 35 years old Chad hagga he just retired from a 12-year career as a world tour Rider it’s ridden 18 grand Tours that’s tour to France Tour of Italy tour of Spain this first Unbound he’s been racing some of the European gravel races but takes an American to do well over there and show them how to get this gravel thing together but it would take an incredible bike rider to ride that distance to the finish line by themselves sure someone could do it but I don’t have that ability I needed someone Lin Morton and Chad haga that’s been close to 30 miles they’ve been off the front just under 20 miles to the Finish I mean the work they’re doing the work lock is doing sitting on the front is just unreal they must have put in a pretty hard effort to break away from those guys and uh it’s been pretty impressive to see them stay away good on for these guys for having this be potentially the race defining move I wonder how they’re going to play this out are they going to work together till the very last minute and then have a Sprint or are we going to start to see a little bit more of that should I go now big bomb attack try and go early and just get some separation this is really incredible they are 2 minutes 30 down right now okay how am I going to actually try and win this thing the rider who you know you’ve been sharing work with and essentially has been a teammate switches to being okay this is now the enemy Toby Reed pulling through Greg van aat now on his wheel we’re hearing that Matt beers and Keegan Swinson have been dropped from the chase group Kemo we have found Keegan swon he has about 3 minutes and 20 seconds to make up on the chase group he does not look very good right now like he’s rocking around on the bike doesn’t look like he’s going that fast and so I think he must uh you know maybe he’s got some nutritional maybe some cramping or or he might have just had a mechanical and he’s just trying to claw his way back these are some strong performances that we’re witnessing today and it’s going to be an exciting finish I always find it hard to break that stal mate you know like you kind of ruining the Friendship whoever first attacks L Morton just get the smallest separation and an attack from Chad haga sensing his moment Chad hagga has opened a small grab but llan is not giving up is not panicking in anyway on the bike but look at the speed from Chad haga he showed his cars he showed didn’t want to wait for a Sprint Lin Morton now he knows exactly what he’s dealing with Chad hog is getting a little bit more tactical he’s trying to get Lockwood back to the front but the person who attacks first immediately changes the tone closing that Gap can be a huge confidence booster cuz you realize you have the legs and in a situation where they’ve caught you by surprise you know so essentially you’ve had to make a bigger effort you match that effort I don’t want to get shocked your surprised by the guy coming around you and you definitely want to be the one coming from behind but look at Chad looking over his right shoulder he keeps looking he keeps looking how is this going to go who’s going to go first it’s going to be a Counterattack or is it going to be in the last couple hundred yards and we actually get a fullon Sprint Highland Hill Lin out of the saddle and here he goes up the right hand side of the road Chad hega looking to close that Gap as quickly as possible ‘s got a nice little Gap going here haga is is not giving up Lin Morton out of the saddle Chad haga closing down that Gap to llin Morton comes on to terms and it is going to be a tight Sprint to the finish here in Emporia Kansas Lin out of the Lin out of the saddle coming around Chad here he is final Sprint looks like Lin’s going to break away from him he’s going to get the win and it looks like it is llin your 2020 before Lifetime Unbound gravel Champion roin [Applause] Chad hogga realizing at 50 m it just wasn’t to be we’ve got a big chase group they were only about 2 and a half minutes behind tobia con Peter havoc and Matteo de Marie you know how the the finish line is and when you turn left into the boulevard you just want to start sprinting but you know please wait a wait a little bit and you can see them coming and then be like wait a little bit and then you try again here they comes in a full on Sprint for third [Music] place Tobias Kad he’s going to walk away with a well-earned third place Peter havoc in fourth and Matia Dem Mari in fifth it looks like our Rio Olympic gold medalist in seventh Greg and aont and Cas M Elvin with a phenomenal ride I got to Sprint to the line with Greg vmont today he’s won Perry R and won the Olympics like I’m literally living my dream what a spectacular finish to the men’s race but it’s not over yet last we heard that lead group of women was holding strong after checkpoint two if that holds we’re in for another exciting finish here at Unbound gravel let’s send it back out to Lauren Hall to get the latest from the women’s field all right mile 178 we’ve just come over CA climb where Paige onwell set a blistering Pace dropped Alexa Scara and Sarah L rosaer has made it back to the group this is the group we’re taking to the Finish Line what are we going to have here today is Sprint finished with 15 miles to go though our lead group of women is still nine Riders strong when you’re in a big group it can get quite challenging to get away solo after you already experience that the group is willing to chase you’re looking at everyone else trying to convince yourself that you’re the strongest looking for any moments of weakness the LDC taking a gel right now and um think they’re all preparing for uh what’s what’s to come there comes a point in the race when everyone realizes it’s going to be a Sprint finish and then the playing starts what’s everyone going to do is someone trying to make a final attack sometimes it can also be the strategy to just ride the hills really fast and and to try to get rid of people one by one they’ve just turned onto the pavement this could be the first ever Bunch Sprint to decide who is going to be crowned the queen of gravel here in Emporia Kansas happening G and Carolyn are trying to get Lauren to work and she’s not she and they’re basically saying everybody else is working except you don’t be as big sorry found there is so much tension that is built we’ve all been working through together 10 hours but at some point that camaraderie ends and all of a sudden you realize it’s every woman for themselves my plan was to be in the back of the pack cuz you never want to leave for a Sprint Sarah Sturm taking that rightand b in first wheel Carolyn shiff on her Wheels hery shures still in great position doesn’t want to get pinched off in this upcoming left-hander [Music] just narrowly taking that line in front of hercke shes 500 met to go Rosa closer out on the outside as Carolyn shift starts to come up on the left hand side Sarah Sturm still holding an advantage Unbound grappling andoria this is a nine of Sprint nine of Sprint who will take it to the finish line it looks like Rosa closer takes this win edging out G shers in second place paage awell with an incredible comeback ride with an incredible come back ride in a Podium finish travel oh my God I can’t believe it I honestly thought my race was over I had like a flat tire but I had an insert so I was going 30k on the insert but it was so dangerous at one point that I had to stop with our top three Riders of the day oh I can’t think of a better way to wrap up our women’s professional 200 mile event a very deserving winner here today Rosa closers edging out G shers and Paige onweller in third place congratulations to all of these Elite [Applause] women I’m 12 weeks post anle surgery yesterday I’m super jazzed with where my fitness is at right now and really set me up well for the second half of the Season what I really appreciate is the separate St from the men because then you can actually say the strongest uh woman one today and your lifetime Unbound gravel Champion Rosa closer the entire program event and schedule around it make it such a valuable and insightful event that I definitely want to back that was feeling really good out there bang hit a rock and it’s drama from there H it’s really disappointing the level has increased I’m getting older I honestly didn’t have the self-belief that I could do this it’s yeah it’s really satisfying my first Unbound the field was stacked and it was just super Punchy the first half the race and then lockin came across so we just went pull for pull the rest of the day had a by PR at the end well there you have it stop two of the lifetime Grand Prix is officially in the books in the overall standings there’s been some changes in the top three for the men Keegan is still in that top spot with 59 points but now Pac has moved up to second with 58 points and Matt beers hangs on to third with 56 points on the women side we have a new leader as Haley Smith takes the top spot with 62 points Hannah Otto in second with 58 and Sophia rounds out our top three with 55 [Music] points I know dude I asked him mid- race I was like dude it looks like you have good legs today he’s like n not really I wasn’t lying I wasn’t lying that’s the that get was with the 2024 Unbound gravel in the books it is now time to look ahead to the next stop in the lifetime Grand Prix here’s Kimo Seymour once again with a look at what’s to [Music] come two races down five more to go so far we’ve seen our athletes push themselves at a Breakneck Pace at sea otter and suffer through the ruthless toil of 200 Mi at Unbound gravel next up we’re headed to the tusher mountains outside Beaver Utah for race number three Crusher in the tusher said to be the toughest 69.9 Mi on the planet this race is not for the faint of heart the July sun will be hammering down the altitude makes the air thin and the climbs are Relentless mile for mile Crusher packs in more suffering than any other race in the Grand Prix those who heed the tusher call will need to be ready okay that’s going to do it for us here at Unbound gravel for Kimo Seymour and Janelle Spiller in the heli Tim Johnson and Lauren Hall on the ground and our entire cold collaborative production team I’m Bill Elliston signing off thank you for tuning in and we can’t wait to see you next time in Beaver Utah for the next installment of the lifetime Grand Prix presented by Mazda into the sea oh barely able to think it when it’s over me I see an arm in the darkness I can’t take more than 50 lashes could you please just open the door I can’t take more than 50 lashes could you please just open the door [Music] when it’s too late to sell my goal too late to be in control oh barely able to pull my t it over