Looks like a lot of rain fell last night.
Will be curious to see how much can dry out over the next 48 hours…
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Will need sun & wind to be perfect.
TLDR prepare for the MMRs to be tacky at a minimum, but they shouldn’t be non stop bogs.
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I did a short shake out group ride this morning near town. None of the roads had any issues, just wet and sloppy in places. Lots of rain around emporia last night, but it looks like the north part of the course got much less. I’m sure there is still plenty of slop up there on any MMR, but we have a couple days to dry. I expect maybe a few walking sections saturday, but nothing extreme if we don’t get any more rain. Should have a much better idea tomorrow afternoon.
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With the race reports and the suggestion of mud at all, I have chickened out on my sketchy race king setup that only afforded 3 mm clearance. They have worked on dry stuff here in Phoenix, and on pavement. But just seems like too much of a gamble at this point, especially for someone just trying to beat the sun.
Leaning toward Tufo thundero 48s. I ran them in 44 last go around with zero issues. They give me about 8 mm in the most critical spot.
My other option is the conti terra speed in 45. A little concerned they may be more puncture-prone according to BRR.
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Enough clearance to be able to remove any sticking mud with a stick or a finger. Go for the Thunderos (if the HD version)
There’s a straight version of that seatpost, might offer you a little more flexibility.
Yeah, ideally I’d have the zero offset version, but a teammate was unloading this one and it just barely works for my fit (I’m right at the rear limit mark on the saddle rails, but no need to go further forward). The bonus is that the offset version does provide a little more compliance vs. the zero offset. Honestly, there is so much compliance that I’m still getting used to it and it feels a little weird, but I haven’t decided if that’s good or bad yet. Bike is basically brand new to me, built it ~3 weeks ago and have only done one race prior to Unbound. Feels like riding a sofa and that was fast at Rule of 3, but Unbound is the real test.
I find it funny that everyone was quick to heap on criticism for UCI Gravel Worlds, but when this race becomes a walking race, it’s brushed off as “that’s part of racing gravel” or “that’s Unbound”.
Anyways, good luck to the competitors in this thread. Hopefully the organizers don’t make themselves look foolish again.
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That excuse doesn’t work IMO. In 2023 when they said in the pre-race meeting that they would route us around obvious sections of mud - and riders made tire choices based on that - it’s not just a case of “that’s Unbound”. Thats the race organizers deciding day-of, or evening-before, how much to bait-and-switch vs. expectations they have set.
This is very different from Leadville (for example) where everyone knows objectively the challenges when they go into it.
I think they have learned from their screw-up in 2023, and would expect this year (if there’s significant stretches of mud) to route riders around those sections.
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No one really mentions unbound without mentioning mud (or the possibility) so I think everyone knows the potential challenges going into it..
24 hours out, make sure to rest
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MMR at mile 172ish has some standing water/mud still, but by the time most people get there it’ll probably dry and/or completely blown out by the pros going through.
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Last 20 miles of the 100 were flawless this morning. Other than my 5/3/1 openers, I stuck in Z2 and averaged 19.5 mph riding solo.
Still haven’t heard any update on the 100 whether there are any bad muddy sections left to dry out.
As I was getting dropped off for the ride, a gentleman on a road grader that lived nearby hopped out and spoke with my wife and I for a good 20+ minutes. Can’t believe how friendly and supportive people are here. After hearing about the steamboat community, I’ve never had a real drive to go somewhere where it sounds like the community isn’t welcoming.
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I rode the first few miles of Kaw Reserve Rd and Divide road this afternoon. There were a few muddy/sloppy sections, but everything was rideable (not peanut butter mud). There was some decent rutting on Kaw Reserve and extreme rutting on Divide Rd. Very dangerous stuff early in the race when people are still fighting hard for position. There will be lots of wrecks on Divide, be careful. The XL field was coming through when I was pre-riding and I saw a guy in a sling getting a ride out in a jeep on Divide. I’m assuming collar bone.
Also, I ran into this (pic below) about a mile into Divide Rd. Sprinter dude is having a bad day, I have no idea how they are going to get that thing out without tearing it up. What you can’t see in this pic is that the wrecker is buried to the axle up front. Will be interesting to see if that sprinter is still there when the race rolls through tomorrow. They may need it to dry out a bit before they can get the right equipment in to remove it.
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Respect to all the riders. What a grueling event even if conditions are good. Hope yall enjoy!
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Live coverage has been great. Awesome to be able to check in and see how the race is going. But man… how much dirt did Cam Jones and the leaders have to eat riding behind the pace car all day. 
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Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking. They’re breathing all that dust in. Killing the leaders.
Yeah I saw the big mud flaps on the ATV, they probably should’ve been watering it down too to keep the dust down. 
Yeah the dusting was awful and seemed mostly unnecessary. I would have been pissed if I was those riders.
Also poor Decker in that interview. Just the way she was speaking she was obviously hurting so bad. That was hard to watch.
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