Hey friends, like the others, I would like to share my Unbound 2024 experience. I lined up for the 200 mile event somewhat nervous. This year was my first time racing the event and the day was set to be my longest ever on the bike. I have done some big rides, some difficult gravel and road races, but nothing as ambitious as Unbound.
After watching many videos of last year's carnage, I decided Titanium would be a good choice and was not alone. I saw many Ti bikes on the course that day. I chose Maxxis Ramblers, 45mm in the rear and 40mm in the front, fitted tubeless with a generous amount of Silca sealant.
The race started with trouble pretty much right off the bat. About a mile in I dropped my chain. I pulled over and couldn't figure out what was going on, but there seemed to be not enough tension on the chain. I suspected there could be a problem with my derailleur. Spoiler, there wasn't… just a problem with me being an idiot.
Anyway, I got back on the bike and rode the best I could, with only the middle 6 gears of the 12 spd cassette working. Anything high or low would cause the drivetrain to skip or the chain to fall off. I was able to ride okay like this all the way to Aid station 1 in Alma. Because I was so wrapped up in what was going on with my bike, I breezed through the first 70 miles in a weird headspace. I was so worried about how the rest of the day was going to go.
Rumors before the race claimed the first sections were very chunky and difficult. I didn't find them to be that bad. Although I passed quite a few people who were fixing flats along the way. Tons of bottles ejected everywhere.
At Aid station 1, neutral mechanical support diagnosed my drivetrain problem pretty quick. The race day chain I had put on the night before was too long. I stupidly forgot to shorten it when I waxed it the week before. I was thankful they were able to quickly get me working again. My crew was ready to go, I spent about 4 mins with them, restocked and was on my way.
Mile 70 to 150 was hell. I was bonking hard and getting really dehydrated. I had been using SIS Beta Fuel drink mix for the whole race. I have used it in the past and had issues with nausea over 100 miles. I stubbornly thought I was the problem all those times. Well, 150 miles of gravel teaches you new things, like it was the mix and not me. I just couldn't take another sip of it without feeling sick, which made taking gels or anything else that much harder. I'm very happy that I'm decently fat adapted and was able to pedal weakly for a few hours to make it to Aid 2. This section was also the most difficult in my opinion. There were several nasty spots where people had wrecked. Chunky descents, chunky climbs. All filled with sharp, loose, baby head sized rocks.
At Aid 2, I swapped all the Beta Fuel out for water, listening to what my body was saying. I cooled off under the tent with some ice socks for about 15 minutes and drank a lot of water. I need a little recovery. I restocked on all the gels and headed out still feeling that a bag of hammered shit.
The next 30 miles were super tough. The road wasn't that bad, it was actually pretty wide open and flowing. I was just dead tired and feeling so sick. After every gel I took, I would spend 20 minutes trying not to puke. I stopped a few times feeling totally gassed. Eventually my stomach recovered enough for me to eat properly. All of a sudden I felt like a new man. I could eat, I could pedal, I could ride my normal pace. So I hopped on a group of three guys and together we rode the last 20 or so miles through the dark as fast as we could. I finished around 10 PM, around 15 hrs, 30 mins total
I learned a lot about how to screw up a race. I also learned that if you push through it, you can convince your body to do some amazing things. I'm thankful for all the work I had done in winter training and the spring. The bike worked great despite my goof up. I had no flats the whole time, which was amazing. Overall a great experience.
I made a video about my experience… it's basically what you've just read. But if you're interested, here it is.
by N_O_I_S_E