‘I two-quads, one-hamstringed my way around Kansas’ – Taylor Phinney spends 130km only clipped into one pedal amid eventful return to Unbound Gravel

“The chain wouldn’t even stay on the chainring – so much mud in the cassette. [This is] like 30km in by the way. I just kind of figured if I keep the chain line straight, basically single speed it,” a bemused Phinney, his face still caked in mud, said in his ‘(F)Unbound’ social media post after the epic race on Saturday.

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After washing his bike at Feed Zone #1, 71 kilometres in, Phinney then “beasted the gap” over the next 38 kilometres to connect to a group by the next Feed Zone.

“And then the sky opened up, [and it] turned into a damn puddle cycle,” Phinney said, tongue out. “Just inhaling mud, not great for morale.”

Another challenge hit, as the US rider battled a slow leak on his rear wheel, taking out his air compressor three times to try and fix it.

“I couldn’t find a hole. Every time I would stop, I would not be able to get my cleats into my pedals,” he said with a chuckle.

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“There was a final time that I had to unclip at kilometre 205, and that was the last time I was able to clip in with my left foot. I did the last 130 Ks with the right foot clipped in and the left foot not. I two quads, one hamstringed my way around Kansas after that.”

During this time, the lead five-rider group of the elite women’s field, which had started 10 minutes after the men, caught up with him.

“I didn’t feel like I wanted to be that guy that gets passed by the ladies and then has to pass them back because we all know that guy,” he said. “But I just enjoyed my time back there and watched the ladies rip until we got to Feed Zone 3.”

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After a rear wheel change, Phinney still had 92 kilometres left to race, and took off to reach another group from the elite men’s race.