How did the 48s fair out there?
1 Like
The running out of water is a big deal IMO and I donât know all the details. Some say there was a leak. Some say riders were washing their bikes. idk lifetime really should explain that.
I think them dangling the re-route option and then not using it is very annoying. No idea what conditions they were looking for to utilize the re-route since outside of the pro field very few amateurs rode much of the mud section.
I think also if theyâre leaning hard into the âthis is an epic hard event and you just have to deal with these challengesâ then why even have or mention the re-route. There was no safety issue with the mud section.
Their initial responses have been pretty unprofessional. But maybe thatâs what they think gravel riders respond to.
7 Likes
They did exceptionally well. I have been training on them for the past 3 months. During my ride, no flats or punctures. I did ride uber low pressures and there is some luck involved. They hooked up and floated through the roughest of gravel.
A recommendation if you can run them. Helped my confidence went bombing down some sketchy places as well.
Happy Riding!
2 Likes
I may be in the minority but I think I was more annoyed by the empty slow moving passenger train crossing right after the start.
Imagine if that train hit a few minutes early and split the Elite Menâs field and someone who made it across the crossing won??? Now that would be some sort of fireworksâŚ
2 Likes
They have a fun channel. They are local and have ridden with them quite a bit. Their van build is quite nice.
2 Likes
âSome say there was a leak. Some say riders were washing their bikes.â
When I got there it was both. Two out of three tanks empty and one with maybe 1/4 left that had a leak. A volunteer was trying to stem the leak but was only slowing it down.
2 Likes
I think the inclusion of the mud sections has been amplified too much as a negative.
Re-reading some of my own posts above, I realize I contributed to that, as I talked about the small number of negatives with my experience instead of the more numerous positives.
A more accurate assessment of my overall experience is that I enjoyed the challenge of the race, and the overall course. And I was in good spirits for 99%+ of the ride (other than some sections in the mud that I misguidedly tried to ride 
). And I feel a sense of accomplishment in finishing a ride that took me almost 17 hrs to complete.
Having read various reports before the race about the course and the challenging gravel quality, I was honestly surprised by how good most of the course is. Much of it is either hero gravel, or very mild double track. Yes, there are some chunky sections where you need to be alert to line choice and bike weighting - but completely manageable with the right attention and skills.
The length of the course, and the potential for adverse weather conditions - heat, rain, wind - is what makes the course epic. It was unfortunate that they felt they needed to include the first mud section to make the course hard. Wasnât necessary.
Unbound was a bucket list event for me. Iâm glad I rode it. It helps raise the bar on what I know Iâm capable of riding. That 200 mile bike packing route Iâm hoping to do in the fall doesnât look as daunting anymore.
8 Likes
Wow, lots of great discussion since I last caught up on this thread.
I spent today cleaning up and unpacking, and yet again I have some significant component replacing to do as a consequence of the mud. I will need to replace my BB, chain, pulley wheels, and service my front and rear hubs and pedals at a minimum. Thankfully I have no frame damage as I rode a Ti bike for the XL this year. Seeing the crazy carbon damage that other XL folks have posted, I am very happy with this decision. I was on a carbon bike for the 200 last year and had significant carbon damage from the mud so didnât want to do that again.
I agree with comments earlier in this thread that Unbound should likely reconsider the whole gas station approach to the XL. For the entry fee that they charge for the race, pawning off all of the support to random gas station workers who have no real clue what they are in for is pretty lame. Not to mention the mess and garbage that is left for gas station workers to clean up. The single menâs restroom at gas station 2, with folks tracking in all sorts of mud all night, was just disgusting. As a whole I think the optics of normal people who are unfamiliar with the race seeing countless cyclists leaving trash everywhere and storming the gas stations is probably not great for the sport.
No reason that they couldnât set up neutral aid stations with water and food, while keeping 99.9% of the same self supported vibe that make the race fun.
12 Likes
Hereâs my thoughts on this race using two others as reference points.
Reference #1: Trans Iowa. This is the OG gravel race and itâs an epic one too. The RD was inducted into the first class of the gravel cycling hall of fame because this was the race that started it all. It was fully self-supported, no course marking nor GPS (cue sheets only, given out just before the start), and the course purposely included B roads and long hike-a-bike sections happened if the weather was bad. That said, the RD was clear with folks that it was meant to be a challenge for anyone to finish. The fields were (small 50-125 riders) and entry was free. Two years nobody finished by the cutoff time, so there was no winner. There was no hype nor aid. You only rode the race for the personal determination.
Reference #2: Iceman Cometh. 29 miles of single and double track. This is the biggest MTB race in the country. ~4000 riders. Pricey, but itâs a whole experience and expo and after-race party, plus the RD makes a profit. Weather is a huge variable since itâs raced in November in northern Michigan. Both pros and amateurs race. The last time I raced it the whole course was mud. My 1x chain with narrow wide chainring was dropping the chain because the mud was lifting it off the teeth. I could barely hammer it back on with my fist. Practically every rider had to replace their entire drivetrain and brakes afterwards. But almost nobody blamed the RD. We knew what we were getting into. And crucially the RD commiserated with the riders about how the weather was cruel. Itâs similar with Barry Roubaix, which is probably the second largest gravel race in the world.
Unbound seems to want to have it both ways. On one hand Lifetime wants to have the big production, pro riders, profit and the media attention (like, but exceeding, Iceman). On the other hand they also seem to be OK with a large ratio of DNF, like Trans Iowa. But Iâm sure they wouldnât want nobody to finish, the sponsors need that hype. Thatâs a fine line to walk.
Whatâs clear is that Lifetime (and many other gravel RDs) need to be very clear about what riders should expect regarding: terrain, aid, course marking, race rules, and how the RD will handle things like mud and bad weather.
Lifetime bought Unbound because it was the gravel race with the most hype. They know that will attract all types of riders and not everyone has the same idea of what a gravel race is. The keys are good communication, setting expectations and respecting your customers. Lifetime failed on all three.
13 Likes
Yeah, I think this reflects how I feel. At its worst, the terrain wasnât very difficult aside from the mud. I guess Iâm just disappointed in the way they have responded to criticism.
3 Likes
Good points. The want to be a âBoston Marathonâ of the gravel world but also a Spartan race?
If you want to grow and make profit DNFs are bad for business. People pay a lot of money (not talking entry fees here but travel, hotel, gear, etc.) to do this race. Walking your bike is not racing in my opinion. It is a gimmick that is going to lose customers. But it seems like they are ok with that⌠Ultimately if you have issue just donât do the race. Money talks. If their numbers dwindle due to poor course design (course markings, support, included in that) then they will change or the race will fail.
On another note, I found it interesting that Keegan posted on Facebook something along the lines that âeveryone did their share of the work and the were no games.â Keegan is the favorite and superior rider. If you arenât making him work more than you, you donât have a shot. Maybe itâs time the field starts to play some games?
2 Likes
After last yearâs UCI gravel worlds many (here) left snarky (and for me often arrogant) comments on the course. Now weâve just had the ârealâ gravel worlds and the course was for many too difficult. I guess itâs hard to please everyone.
Iâve ridden XCM races for over 20 years. Over here XCM is very similar to gravel, courses are often not too technical. Many could be ridden with gravel bikes. I had races with 12hours of rain just above freezing (they actually took me out of the race 10k before the finish: hypothermia) or many hours in the mud. Everytime I âfailedâ or sufferd beyond the the endurance component was due to wrong preparation. Not dressing up properly, equipment choices and so. And there are many races with significant hiking sections.I hated these and this is why I did not start there anymore. Should all hiking be banned from races? Not my call, I decide for myself with my participation.
Seeing the pictures from last week-end I can make out a lot of shiny aero race gravel equipment and the latest gravel racer style kit. Many were simply not prepared (mentally) for this. And having to deal with this in the first few miles can break you. However, for me this is what off-road cycling is all about. Dealing with the adversaries weather and course throw at you. Iâve found it highly interesting to read all the race reports from folks succeeding or failing. More interesting than how the elite race went. The struggles of the common man.
Will bookmark this thread for after this yearâs UCI gravel worlds âŚ
4 Likes
Agree, I think there were many who werenât well prepared for an event like that. I understand getting stuck in the mud sucks, and if Iâd been in it, I wouldnât have been happy either at that moment. But on the other hand, 3 unrideable miles out of 200 (1.5%) doesnât sound too crazy to me for an off road event. Iâve definitely done races with much more. Iâve also been in races where riders decided that a section was too stupid and re-routed the course themselves.
That doesnât excuse the weird and insulting posts from the organisers. Not a company Iâd want to give my money.
2 Likes
Not UCI sanctioned race, so not real Worlds no matter what.
And gravel is not off-road, itâs on road (gravel road, you see), mtb is off-road (been xco/xcm racer myself too) 
2 Likes
The pictures are available from https://marathonphotos.live/
I find the process of working with searching on a uploaded picture very cluncky. I can only find pictures of me at the finish line⌠Since after sundown I removed my glasses you can see my face. Everthing else is with big glasses onâŚ
Searching on number does not work since itâs unreadable because of the mudâŚ
How are tour experiences?
I think the south routes terrain are considered a bit tamer compared to north routes
I think that is a bit of a false comparisonâŚ.first, you have to make sure it is the same people making the complaints if you are gonna drop the hypocrisy charge. Just saying some âhereâ isnât necessarily fair. The board is not a monolith.
BUT, as one who was unimpressed with the gravel worlds race and also critical of the Unbound organizers, I also donât see it as being hypocritical anyway. Both issues can be true without being contradictory.
5 Likes
The Marji Gesick 
would disagree as it sells out in minutes every year. When I did it in 2019 it had like a 46% completion rate.
3 Likes
Yeah, I donât think DNFâs are necessarily bad for business. Many people will sign up just to see if they can be the person who DOESNâT DNF. On the other hand, shitting on your patrons is a completely different story. Sure, some people love it when they see someone be mean to someone else, and there are always folks who love to follow the bully, but if youâre not careful, youâll develop a reputation as someone who doesnât deserve peopleâs time and money, and over time that can be devastating to any business.
2 Likes
Outside of mechanicals itâs hard to say the first mud section caused people to DNF. of course it was a factor putting many way behind schedule. There was a bad storm later that about blew me off the bike so I needed to get off the bike for a bit. And there was another mud section after the second water oasis. I suspect maybe it was rideable for earlier riders but when I got there the mud would immediately clog up your bike.
The organizers response has been childish. Dangling the re-route option out there and basically telling riders to HTFU when they complain about it is a bit of a joke
7 Likes