I’m out, but that was the objective in some way wasn’t it. To have a year of high DNF to show that this isn’t some run of the mill gravel race. That this was “the ultimate test” just like Leadville is the ultimate test for MTB?
Next two years are norther route, so the two roads from this year won’t be available menu options, but that’s fine. I think I’m done with Lifetime events. Lots of great local & independent events that don’t require flights to the middle of the country, keeping eyes peeled for entries, hotels, dorms, etc. Not to say they don’t all have some logistical challenges, but Rock Cobbler was still FUN despite the 2 mile mud climb.
Local organizers and communities will be happy to have us. Unbound has changed Emporia, and not 100% for the better.
Congrats to him finishing. Technically, shouldn’t he be DQed for getting that water bottle from a rider.
I will agree with him that the first mud section sapped a lot of energy out of you. He didn’t seem prepared for the “heat” (it wasn’t that hot), being from the UK. I also don’t know why he was wearing that garbage bag.
I’m out for 2024. I look forward to the “why is last 40mi into a head wind” comments next year.
While narrow tires could have helped through the mud sections, that still leaves over 200 miles of road where a 33mm would not have been ideal. Also, if you weren’t near the very front it would have been very hard to ride as there were so many people walking.
As more details trickle out, it sounds like Keegan’s unreleased Santa Cruz had a ton of clearance and he rode 38s, so this likely was a factor in him being able to ride so much of the course, although it sounded like he did eventually clog up too.
On the flip side Logan Casper won the 350 XL on a drop bar mountain bike with mountain bike tires. The additional clearance likely helped but reportedly he was able to ride the 12 mile mud section in the 350 XL course that the majority of others had to walk.
I didn’t seem any drop bar mountain bikes during the 200, but I bet there were some. Be interesting to hear how they made out. I did see one guy on a fat tire mountain bike and he didn’t look too worse for the wear after the mud section but I don’t know if he actually was able to ride it.
Clearance was key from what I saw. The mud affected everyone, but I think good clearance made it possible to ride some sections others couldn’t. I found some sections could be ridden even though you were picking up mud as long as you were riding fast enough to sling it off as it gathered on the tires. A messy affair, but able to keep moving. For the folks running with minimal clearance, the mud seemed to stop them in their tracks as soon as anything got on the tires. Whatever the factors, clearly there were big differences between setups. You’d see people riding long stretches with no issues while a person right next to them would be stopped immediately. I really only loaded up bad with mud 2-3 times (requiring cleanout to move again), but I was also quick to shoulder my bike when I had concerns. I think you might have had a shot to ride the entire thing on a MTB rolling 40’s. Maybe…
Another datapoint on the importance of clearance - Dylan Johnson pointed to clearance as the key factor for him falling so far back during the mud section. Pretty good video as well.
I just watched also. I like his videos. He’s pretty objective about things and backwards hat brings in some humor.
His comment about clearance was interesting. I had 47s on my bike, with about 5-6mm of clearance at all pinch points on the frame. If I had run 38s, I wonder if I could have ridden more of the mud sections. I’m not sure though, as at my point in the race, there were no riders successfully riding the mud. Everyone was walking. Maybe you need a combination of clearance and power to keep moving at sufficient speed through the mud to shed it. So even if I had the clearance, I may not have had the necessary power to move fast enough.
I like they way he breaks his race down…He owns his mistakes… MTBer in him likes wide tires
I think he is the first pro to layout his issues…Well one of the pro’s Paul Voss did so but he doesn’t have break it down as DJ did plus he scratched
My question is How did Keegan get thru that mud section I dont recall hearing anything on it expect that he and a small group made a selection from the pack…I did see a short video where he was motoring thru as Finsterwald was running…
After listening to DJ I suspect the water point ran out because people were using drinking water to clean their bikes… …
I think it was a combination of them being out longer so they needed more water, plus people washing their bikes, plus some leaks with the setup they had to distribute water.
His new Santa Cruz reportedly has clearance for 50mm tires and he ran 38’s…so he had plenty of clearance. Combined with the fact that he was in the lead group, those were likely the reasons why.
I didn’t know he ran 38s. I had 45s on my Seigla which does have tons of clearance. Regretting not running something like 40s at least on the rear. That mud just stuck together and built up quickly.
It sounded like the pros at the front were able to ride at least some of the grass by the fence. Not sure how much.
Very well done race, but I’ve never been able to eat more than 3 donuts on the course. Choking down a donut in the hot sun when your are trying to race a bike sucks. The donut eating is the worst part in my opinion
Hope all you racers are still doing alright after the mud. This was about the time last year that I realized that the real gift that keeps on giving after Unbound wasn’t finding mud in places I’ve cleaned 5x already… it was the giardia
MTBer in him likes wide tires 
is part of the course.