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![\"Sofia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DuxknKrzjTjuzy72bdhM5D.jpg\")
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(Image credit: Future l Ethan Glading) 2026-05-30T23:04:32.105Z<\/p>\n Mads W\u00fcrtz Schmidt (Specialized Off-Road) rode away to victory in the men’s Unbound Gravel 200, after escaping with teammate Keegan Swenson midway through a race battered by heavy rain, wind and mud.<\/p>\n Read more in our race report: European Champion Mads W\u00fcrtz Schmidt wins rainy, windy, muddy edition with epic solo<\/a><\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Ethan Glading\/Future) 2026-05-30T23:02:33.096Z<\/p>\n While the first half of Unbound Gravel 200 was defined by the mud, the weather conditions of blustery wind, heat and humidity were the factor in the second half.<\/p>\n Team tactics also came into play today. Mads W\u00fcrtz Schmidt got a wheel from his teammate Keegan Swenson following a puncture and went on to take a solo victory, while from the lead group, Sofia Gomez Villafa\u00f1e and teammate Geerike Schreurs adjusted their plan to match the scenario.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T23:01:29.093Z<\/p>\n Read more in our Unbound Gravel XL race report: Robin Gemperle claims victory in horrible conditions, forced to walk for 21km<\/a><\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Jackie Tyson\/Future)<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T22:53:57.273Z Position<\/p>\n Rider<\/p>\n Time<\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n Sofia Gomez Villafa\u00f1e (Specialized Off-road)<\/p>\n 10:31:37<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n Geerike Schreurs (Specialized Off-road)<\/p>\n +01<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n Cecily Decker (PAS Racing)\u00a0<\/p>\n Row 2 – Cell 2 <\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n Paige Onweller (Trek Driftless)<\/p>\n Row 3 – Cell 2 <\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n Rosa Kl\u00f6ser (Canyon-SRAM-MAAP)<\/p>\n +02<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T22:48:33.676Z<\/p>\n Let\u2019s hear from the Unbound Gravel 200 women\u2019s third-place Cecily Decker (PAS Racing)<\/p>\n \u201cI feel happy, but I also feel terrible because I just did Unbound.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI never like go into a race with full confidence, but I don’t know, I kind of feel like sometimes when I go in like with something to prove a little bit, I have a better race, but I felt really good right away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI kind of was very comfortable with my mud setup, and I had like a couple things I was using to clear mud that worked really well. I have like this mud scraper that I sort of made myself, and it’s like a putty scraper with like a U shape carved out of it, and so, as I’m riding, I’m reaching down, scooping the mud, and then fling it, and then once we were through that first mud section, my bike was like almost clean, and everyone else’s had just so much mud.\u201d<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T22:44:41.088Z<\/p>\n Let\u2019s hear from the Unbound Gravel 200 women\u2019s second-place Geerike Schreurs (Specialized Off-road)<\/p>\n \u201cWe decided that if it comes down to a sprint, we would go for Sofia. I think in the end, I should have maybe made it a little bit longer myself, but it was a little bit boxed in with Rosa [Kl\u00f6ser] and Page [Onweller], but I think bringing it home for specialized with one and two is truly amazing. And I\u2019m overall happy with how I raced, and on every point what was important in the race, I was up front, and I think it was me who made the move on that long stretch, and I’m very proud of how I raced, and of course, it’s my dream to win one day, but might never come true, but we never know,\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI crashed a couple of times, but I have no idea what happened after me behind me on that MMR road at kilometre 205. I had no idea what happened, but anyways, it was kind of fun in a weird way as well. Even that I crashed, and then after that, my shifter was the rest of the ride ready forward in which wasn’t ideal, so I had to be constantly on a drop, which isn’t my favourite position, but okay, that’s what it is. I mean, we all go through a lot of things, it’s a challenge, and yeah, I’m happy that I think I can be proud of how I raced.\u201d<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T22:37:47.789Z<\/p>\n Let\u2019s hear from the Unbound Gravel 200 women\u2019s winner Sofia Gomez Villafa\u00f1e (Specialized Off-road)<\/p>\n \u201cI had no pressure. I was kind of actually talking with my mechanic Brad about how I’m like, I don’t know if it’s just that I don’t care or that I’ve done it, and I know what to expect at this race, that like you could be the fittest, but it might not relate to a result on the result sheet. That being said, I think I probably had the smallest FTP , so me getting away was really not going to be a thing. The plan was for Gee [Geerike Schreurs] to try to go solo and put in attacks, and then I would help her in any way I could with that, but then if it came to the sprint, we were going all in on my sprint. To go one, two, is unreal.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI got tiny watts, but I do have a good kick, and I when I see that finish line, I go for it, and I’m really excited, I get to take time off.\u201d<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T22:26:48.195Z Position<\/p>\n Rider (Country) Team<\/p>\n Time Gap<\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n Mads W\u00fcrtz Schmidt (Den) Specialized Off-Road<\/p>\n 09:14:51<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n Matthew Beers (RSA) Specialized Off-Road<\/p>\n 00:05:03<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n Tobias Kongstad (Den) PAS Racing<\/p>\n 00:09:52<\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n Brendan Johnston (Aus) <\/p>\n 00:21:55<\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n Keegan Swenson (USA) Specialized Off-Road<\/p>\n Row 4 – Cell 2 <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T22:23:22.127Z<\/p>\n Unbound Gravel 200 men third place Tobias M\u00f8rch Kongstad (PAS Racing)<\/p>\n \u201cAfter Texaco Hill, when the three guys attacked with Keegan and Mads, the team tactic started, but I’m pretty proud thatI just kept believing in it, and didn’t give that much if about the team tactics, and I just wanted to do my best, because, of course, they need to do that, but I will also say that Matthew Pierce is also riding pretty well, super cool that even though he has mess out there, he still wanted to take the pulls at the end, so kudos to him. I think that was super, super cool.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cActually after Texaco Hill we were a pretty big group, but I really felt [I was] flying. There’s like 22 kilometers with rolling hills, I think. If people have seen the videos and photos of me, I have pretty narrow shoulders. I have a kid’s handlebar on, and I’m super, super old.I really, really feel good at that moment, but I might spend a little bit too much energy, but because I think a lot of people, they just wanted to ride on a little bit, but at that moment I kind of believed in it, but I also spent kind of too much in it there, but then yeah, the back door was opened entirely, and then we were 10, 9, 8 , 7, and then we were not that many guys left.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThose [last] 40 kilometers, they were long in the headwind, I was just alone, I didn’t have any motorbikes or anything, and I was cycling a little bit around here, Kansas, enjoying it, and so I, at one moment, I thought I didn’t even know if I was on a the right route, because I couldn’t see anything, but that I had my computer, but sometimes you don’t know, you’re just cycling a little bit around, but yeah, luckily there was nobody behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T22:17:00.567Z<\/p>\n Unbound Gravel 200 men second place Matt Beers (Specialized Off-road),<\/p>\n \u201cTexaco Hill was where we really wanted to push it. Obviously, the mud and stuff thinned a bunch out a lot in the beginning, and then it all kind of swelled back. My chain somehow jumped off, the only time in the whole day at the bottom of the hill, and I just saw Mads and them just hammering it, and I was like, \u2018okay, there’s nothing I can do\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI just started jumping groups and had to do it tactically, because I’m obviously not wanting to bring my teammates back. So, about the whole day, just kind of when I felt the group dynamic was fading, went and just kept going, and eventually got in second. But it’s really difficult because I want to pull through, but then I need to be very conscious of Mads, so I’m just constantly shouting at people for time gaps, and that way I can judge how much I need to pull, and how much I must have said.\u201d<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T22:11:47.841Z<\/p>\n Let\u2019s hear from the Unbound Gravel 200 men winner Mads W\u00fcrtz Schmidt (Specialized Off-road)<\/p>\n \u201cThe plan was to be aggressive on Texaco Hill. Maybe I got a little bit too excited, but me and Keegan got away with Cobe [Freeburn], I think, and we went for it. We sent it, and I was on a really good day, and it was quite a ride, but in the end, I couldn’t have done it without Keegan. He’s a champion.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think we got up to eight plugs [trying to fix the puncture] and it still wouldn’t, \u2026., and then Keegan, he was quick to say that you need my wheel, because it was clear that I was the strongest, and the chance for a win between me and Keegan was with me, so he sacrificed his race and his grand prix and everything for for me, and yeah, incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like I was flying for an hour after that. It gave me some adrenaline, and it gave me a kick. And then I gotta say, the headwind on the way back, I think it took eight years out of my life. It was terrible, but the new Crux, it was flying, and new Crux 123, today. it’s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n Nervous about the group catching you? \u201cYeah, because my legs, they started to hurt more and more, and I was slowing down more and more. And then, \u2026. I didn’t bring my phone, I had no time gap, so in the end, when I started to lose the pace, then of course I get nervous that they will come from behind.\u201d<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:59:46.833Z<\/p>\n \u2018Chase the race\u2019 update: After starting last, Yuri Hauswauld, 2013 Unbound 200, has passed 1053 racers so far after 160.7 miles of racing.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:59:31.861Z<\/p>\n Hayley Preen (Factor Racing) takes 7th out of the chase sprint ahead of Cecile Lejeune (Trek Driftless), Danni Shrosbree (Rapha-Argon 18), Morgan Aguirre (PAS Racing-Orbea) and Sarah Lange.<\/p>\n Mieke Kr\u00f6ger (Rose Racing Circle), who chased solo for a long time, ultimately finished in 12th place.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:54:15.910Z<\/p>\n Lauren De Crescenzo (The Feed-Argonaut-Castelli-Maxxis) crosses the line about 15 minutes later for sixth place.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:53:14.687Z<\/p>\n Gomez Villafa\u00f1e clocked – unofficially – 10:31:37 on the 207-mile course.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:40:23.792Z<\/p>\n Paige Onweller (Trek Driftless) took fourth and Rosa Kl\u00f6ser (Canyon-SRAM-MAAP) was fifth in the five-rider sprint to the line.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:39:47.252Z<\/p>\n Sofia Gomez Villafa\u00f1e (Specialized Off-road) accelerates first after the turn on Commercial Road and takes the win. Her teammate Geerike Schreurs took second and Cecily Decker (PAS Racing) was third.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:36:15.961Z<\/p>\n Kl\u00f6ser is back at the front, followed by Schreurs and Gomez Villafa\u00f1e. Decker is not giving up Schreurs’ wheel.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:35:15.849Z<\/p>\n Schreurs makes the first attack on top of the climb, Kl\u00f6ser closes it down. No counter, and now Schreurs is at the front.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:34:07.862Z<\/p>\n Schreurs and Gomez Villafa\u00f1e are chatting, planning the attacks on the approach of Highland Hill.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:32:44.114Z<\/p>\n After passing some of the age group athletes, the lead 5-rider group enters the tunnel, still Kl\u00f6ser at the front.<\/p>\n A quick left-hand turn after the tunnel will bring pavement and one mile to the finish. There is a short 7% climb of Highland Road and then a quick right, then left and 2 city blocks to the finish line on Commercial Street.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:28:20.838Z<\/p>\n Kl\u00f6ser seems comfortable at the front of the group. She has not tried to move aside, and is giving a draft to the riders behind her.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:26:31.527Z<\/p>\n The lead group takes a right-hand turn onto Burlingame which should give a reprieve with the headwind. Kl\u00f6ser is still at the front, followed by Schreurs, Decker, Gomez Villafa\u00f1e and Onweller.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:21:50.366Z<\/p>\n Kl\u00f6ser is stuck at the front of the group, keeps looking over her shoulder as Onweller mans the back of the quintet.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:18:57.276Z<\/p>\n Kl\u00f6ser immediately goes to the front, pushing the pace with Schreurs on her wheel, but the rest of the group catches back on.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:17:54.730Z<\/p>\n Schreurs attacks, seconds after Gomez Villafa\u00f1e was seen to be texting on her phone.<\/p>\n Kl\u00f6ser jumps on the wheel.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:16:53.518Z<\/p>\n Lead group takes the right-hand turn onto M Road, the last stretch of really tough cross-headwind. 7 miles to go.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T21:09:31.255Z<\/p>\n Riders in the lead group are spread across the road, wind coming off their right-hand shoulder. They are still eating to make sure they can handle the upcoming sprint.<\/p>\n Pace has definitely decreased, as they get ready for the final accelerations.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T20:48:12.589Z Five riders are still locked together as they head towards the finish line. They are on the last stretch of gravel arrives, then a pedestrian tunnel to the campus of Emporia State University.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T20:38:40.660Z<\/p>\n Cyclingnews provides you with comprehensive coverage of the 2026 Unbound Gravel directly from the Flint Hills of Kansas. Subscribe today for unlimited access to all the breaking news, live reports, in-depth tech coverage, and analysis from the biggest gravel race of the season. Find out more.<\/a><\/p>\n 2026-05-30T20:33:46.131Z Brendan Johnston (Giant) finished fourth. Keegan Swenson (Specialized Off-road) jumped from the chase to take fifth.<\/p>\n Daan Soete (Ridley Racing) took the sprint for sixth place ahead of Adne Koster, Emil Herzog, Piotr Havik (Castelli SOG x Colgnago) and Cameron Jones (Scott Sports USA – RCC).<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T20:27:29.647Z<\/p>\n Kr\u00f6ger is holding on to sixth, 15 minutes back. with De Crescenzo another minute behind.<\/p>\n Preen and Lange are together, battling for 8th place.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T20:25:03.184Z<\/p>\n Everyone is still working together, putting in good pulls, in the lead group.<\/p>\n Will the attack come on Highland Hill?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T20:17:44.663Z Five riders in the lead group – Gomez Villafa\u00f1e, Kl\u00f6ser, Decker, Schreurs and Onweller who caught back on- are still together as they crested the Kahola Lake climb.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T20:15:23.168Z<\/p>\n Tobias M\u00f8rch Kongstad (PAS Racing) takes third, 10 minutes after the winner.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T20:10:34.503Z<\/p>\n Beers takes second, five minutes back.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T20:05:36.549Z European gravel champion Mads W\u00fcrtz Schmidt (Specialized Off-road) wins the 20th edition of Unbound 200 with an unofficial time of 9:14:51<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T20:01:57.477Z The front group is keeping the pace steady as Onweller is dangling off the back, trying to bridge across the 12-second lead.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:59:43.681Z W\u00fcrtz Schmidt, looking as if he got a second wind, is on Burlingame Road, before making a right-hand turn for the last stretch of gravel, then a pedestrian tunnel to the campus of Emporia State University.<\/p>\n Beers is still about 6 minutes back, with Kongstad a further 3 minutes in arrears.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:55:08.207Z The lead group is down to four riders on the descent towards Kahola Lake, straight into a massive headwind.<\/p>\n Onweller seems to have been dropped again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:51:51.842Z<\/p>\n Seeing other riders on Road M, after being solo so long, seems to have energised W\u00fcrtz Schmidt, as he stood up to pass the Unbound 100 riders.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:49:55.699Z<\/p>\n The Traka 360 winner, W\u00fcrtz Schmidt, is dropping his head, suffering after such a long time solo.<\/p>\n He also made a right-hand turn that puts him on the same road as the Unbound 100 riders.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:46:44.663Z<\/p>\n The sun has come out, and so has the humidity after all the rain overnight and earlier in the day. Brutal conditions after hours of racing.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:45:00.809Z W\u00fcrtz Schmidt keeps looking back. He took a right-hand turn very gingerly, it is unclear what is happening. Does he have a rear wheel puncture?<\/p>\n But everything looks back to normal as he goes over the I35 overpass.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:41:42.327Z With 34.5 miles to go, the lead quintet made a sharp right turn, and a climb for the next three miles on Dd Avenue.<\/p>\n Riders were trying to cram into a smoothed-over lane in the gravel but there’s not enough room for all of them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:36:34.569Z<\/p>\n After he gave his wheel to W\u00fcrtz Schmidt, Swenson is now in a further chase group with Herzog, Havik, Koster and Soete. That group is around 7 minutes behind Jones.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:32:58.731Z<\/p>\n W\u00fcrtz Schmidt keeps looking back. The strain of the day is starting to show, as his shoulders are rocking and he stretches his back as he continues to pedal on.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:30:40.336Z W\u00fcrtz Schmidt just flew through Americus, and heading towards the win barring any major mechanicals.<\/p>\n His teammate Beers is solo in second, 6 minutes back. Kongstad, also solo, is a further 3 minutes down.<\/p>\n Johnston caught and dropped defending champion Jones for fourth spot.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:21:48.826Z The five riders are still together in the lead group as they are going downhill, being blasted by the winds on the exposed road.<\/p>\n Coming up, Dd road followed byclimb of Kahola Lake and its headwind may force a selection.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:15:11.690Z<\/p>\n Tour Divide record holder Robin Gemperle crushed Unbound XL<\/p>\n Read more: Unbound Gravel XL: Robin Gemperle claims victory in horrible conditions, forced to walk for 21km<\/a><\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Jackie Tyson\/Future) 2026-05-30T19:10:56.743Z<\/p>\n Kr\u00f6ger is chasing solo, 10 minutes back. <\/p>\n Also solo in seventh spot, De Crescenzo is a further five minutes.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:09:54.500Z<\/p>\n After 160 miles, and almost eight hours of racing, the five in the lead group have averaged around 20mph.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:08:51.939Z Women’s lead group are on Flint Hill trails, a respite before the 3-mile climb on Dd Avenue.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:03:50.747Z<\/p>\n W\u00fcrtz Schmidt is heading back to Emporia with about one hour left of racing. The finishing stretch from Lake Kahola back to the finish line is the same as past years, almost dead flat to town with a finale push up short climb of Highland Road.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T19:01:15.398Z<\/p>\n Yowza. Gusts of 35mph wind on Kahola Lake.<\/p>\n Beers is now solo in the chase group.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:57:17.761Z<\/p>\n Kongstad and Beers are still together in the chase group.<\/p>\n If the race ended right now, Beers would take the lead in the LifeTime Grand Prix which explains why is pulling through in the chase group even though his teammate is solo up the road. And of course, W\u00fcrtz Schmidt has a commanding lead of over 6 minutes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:55:42.469Z<\/p>\n W\u00fcrtz Schmidt is fighting a headwind as races on Lake Kahola making the long open stretch past the dam a foe for tired legs.<\/p>\n He has averaged 22.71mph over 180 miles, in almost 8 hours of racing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:47:47.506Z<\/p>\n Update on ‘Chase the Race’: 2013 Unbound 200 winner Yuri Hauswauld has now passed 1041 racers over 115 miles of racing.<\/p>\n Hauswauld made his annual pilgrimage to Emporia for a 13th edition of the race this year, this time lining up at the back of the field for Life Time Foundation’s ‘Chase the Race’, raising funds for a bike skills park for a local Emporia youth mountain bike team.<\/p>\n Read more: ‘Tectonic shift’ with technology, horsepower of WorldTour riders a game-changer at Unbound Gravel 200 for 2015 champion Yuri Hauswald<\/a><\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Future l Jackie Tyson) 2026-05-30T18:44:25.098Z<\/p>\n W\u00fcrtz Schmidt is on the 2.6-mile descent to Lake Kahola. There is some pavement along the lake and a return to gravel marks a big climb about to come at Kahola Dam, and threats of high winds. There is a steep climb right after the dam, and about 25.8 miles to go.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:42:17.056Z From earlier in the race. Keegan Swenson gave his back wheel to send Mads Wurtz Schmidt on his solo lead<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:40:06.177Z Women’s chase group now goes through the feedzone Lange also had to turn to grab her bottles. These riders had to stop at a level crossing as a massive freight train passes them.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:38:03.815Z W\u00fcrtz Schmidt is on DD Avenue, a rolling, rocky section with goat heads.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:36:04.123Z<\/p>\n 2 miles north of the exit of the Feed Zone, the course begins a turn to the northeast, headed for Council Grove. That is the third Checkpoint for age-group riders. There are approximately 10 miles of paved roads in this area, which will be a nice respite for the riders.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:35:37.962Z<\/p>\n After a small split was created when Kl\u00f6ser had to go back to grab a bottle, Gomez Villafa\u00f1e drilled it at the front right after the feedzone, with Schreurs on her wheel.<\/p>\n Kl\u00f6ser chases back on and Decker also manages to connect back onto the group.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:30:37.131Z<\/p>\n Women are now going through third feedzone. Onweller stops, gets what she needs and up and going fairly quickly. As the other riders grabbed bottles and musette bags on the fly.<\/p>\n Kl\u00f6ser had to turn back after dropping a bottle, making a small split.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:27:27.626Z<\/p>\n Mieke Kr\u00f6ger is chasing solo, is more than 7 minutes back.<\/p>\n Behind her, Lauren De Crescenzo is another further 7 minutes, then Hayley Preen and Sarah Lange together.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:21:42.624Z<\/p>\n At mile 140 out of 200, the women\u2019s lead group was averaging 20.10mph<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:20:46.173Z<\/p>\n Women see 63 miles to go, and on their way to the third feedzone which is on a road between farms, not in a town.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:18:11.649Z<\/p>\n Interesting combination in the lead group as team tactics will come into play with teammates Gomez Villafa\u00f1e and Schreurs vs solo riders.<\/p>\n Reminder that the group also includes two previous winners Kl\u00f6ser (2024) and Gomez Villafa\u00f1e (2022).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:11:25.505Z<\/p>\n Report that winds are impacting the race with strong headwind.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:10:48.323Z<\/p>\n Onweller catches back onto the lead group, after being dropped on W road. Again. Back to five riders in the lead group.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:06:51.240Z<\/p>\n Kl\u00f6ser is back with the front group with Onweller 11 seconds back after 140 miles.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:05:41.261Z<\/p>\n Mile 136 is beyond the Preserve and the course bends back to the west to the third and final Feed Zone for pros – at approximately mile 149.6 – approximately 57 miles to go.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:03:22.360Z<\/p>\n The course passes to the east of the famous Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, established in 1996 to protect a significant remnant of the once vast tallgrass prairie ecosystem – many rare plants and rare species of birds and other animals. Tallgrass prairie once covered 170 million acres of North America in what is now the US and Canada, but now only 4% remains.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:03:06.989Z After 128 miles, three riders in the lead group: Gomez Villafa\u00f1e, Schreurs, Decker<\/p>\n Kl\u00f6ser was 20 seconds back, a few seconds ahead of Onweller<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kroger is 7 minutes behind.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T18:00:18.043Z<\/p>\n Jones has lost one minute in one kilometre. No visible mechanical issue to be seen,<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T17:58:06.700Z<\/p>\n Chase duo is going through Council Grove, the northernmost section of this year’s course<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T17:52:15.123Z<\/p>\n Jones has drifted off of the chase group, doesn\u2019t seem to be a mechanical.<\/p>\n Chase group is now down to 2 riders: Beers and Kongstad<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T17:47:48.835Z<\/p>\n W\u00fcrtz Schmidt is crossing Council Grove, racing on approximately 10 miles of paved roads in this area.<\/p>\n He is heading towards Flint Hill trails which is may provide 5 miles of recovery.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T17:42:41.718Z After 151 miles of racing, W\u00fcrtz Schmidt has around 7 minutes on chase group of Jones, Kongstad and Beers.<\/p>\n Johnston is a further 2 minutes back<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T17:38:40.674Z Coming out W Road, Gomez Villafa\u00f1e and Decker pulled briefly away but Kl\u00f6ser was able to catch back on while Onweller is chasing.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T17:29:32.929Z Gimperle says he was throwing up in the night and ran\/walked roughly a half marathon due to the mud.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T17:28:36.959Z The chasers have been caught at a level crossing as a train passes them. Absolutely massive freight train.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T17:26:26.131Z W\u00fcrtz Schmidt has stopped in the third and final aid station and is now riding again after getting a new back wheel. He has 7’00” on Jones, Beers, Johnston and Kongstad.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T17:25:12.209Z The two Specialized rider make it through the first ford crossing but everyone else comes down in the water and are now struggling to get going again.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T17:23:42.662Z The leaders head onto the brand new MMR section of W Road. It is a 1 mile mess, really. Just grass and rocks, not gravel at all as Schreurs goes to the front.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T17:22:22.675Z Robin Gemperle has crossed the line and wins the 2026 Unbound XL in 21 hours and 16 minutes. He set off at 3pm yesterday. Incredible ride in awful conditions.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T17:08:28.410Z Swenson is finally back riding again. That took a huge amount of time and has wrecked his race.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T17:04:45.508Z Swenson has been caught and passed by the chase group as he still tries to sort things. He finally gets riding again.<\/p>\n The chasers of Beers, Herzog, Jones, Freeburn, Johnston and Kongstad fly by with Swenson stopping again! He has lost some key parts from his cassette. Absolute nightmare for the man who was a certainty for at least second and now won’t even get a top seven.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T17:00:21.252Z Romain Bardet abandons the race after being in the chase group. Meanwhile, Keegan Swenson is STILL working on this punctured wheel.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T16:56:01.908Z This is a very long change for W\u00fcrtz Schmidt and Swenson but now the Dane is on his way after losing about half the gap with Swenson waving bye to the motorbike camera.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T16:54:53.627Z Puncture<\/p>\n Mads W\u00fcrtz Schmidt with a major impact puncture and it is taking a long time to get it sorted. Swenson has stopped with him as the gap will be coming down but they are being very calm about this.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Swenson is giving his wheel to W\u00fcrtz Schmidt. This is major drama. The Specialized squad clearly have W\u00fcrtz Schmidt as the leader with Swenson struggling.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T16:52:04.221Z Onweller was briefly gapped and the leaders pushed hard to try and drop her but she has made it back on again.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T16:46:09.426Z<\/p>\n The leaders in the men’s race have 72 miles to go whereas the women’s leading group of five have 93 miles to go.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T16:43:32.302Z<\/p>\n Some biggest names crashed out of the 200 and the XL with rainstorms causing havoc in the various pelotons…<\/p>\n >>> ‘Rainstorm came in and changed everything’ – Peter Stetina and Ted King crash out of Unbound XL while Lachlan Morton is the first casualty in 200-mile race<\/a><\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Future l Ethan Glading) 2026-05-30T16:38:36.884Z Swenson and W\u00fcrtz Schmidt have 9’00” on the chase group that have now caught Freeburn. They have a huge gap.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T16:37:08.027Z<\/p>\n Take a look at what happened earlier on in the day with the riders facing difficult thick and gloopy mud that caused various crashes as well as completely clogging up the bikes.<\/p>\n >>> The mud mayhem arrives again early at Unbound 200 with fields shattered early<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T16:29:52.390Z The five leaders had a gap of over six minutes and it is still growing.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T16:27:51.723Z Onweller is now working with the other four leaders after a period briefly on the back.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T16:22:27.537Z Leaders<\/p>\n Paige Onweller <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T16:18:04.921Z Onweller is about to catch the leading group of four riders. An absolutely superb ride by her as the rider from Arkansas is about to make the bridge.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T16:11:03.612Z<\/p>\n It looks as though the rain may have eased or even stopped for both lead groups in the men’s and women’s races. However, they are all absolutely caked in mud at the front from the top of their helmet to the bottom of their shoes.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T16:09:58.659Z<\/p>\n Men’s average speed so far is at 23mph and the women are at 20.5mph. They are flying considering the brutal conditions.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T16:07:27.861Z Paige Onweller was said to be at 30″ at the last time check and got so close to bridging but may now be fading again.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T16:06:04.620Z W\u00fcrtz Schmidt and Swenson have a little chat and a fist bump. The European champion had been drilling a tough pace and his Specialized teammate Swenson looked to be hurting so they may be easing things as they have the winning gap at the moment.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T15:59:08.318Z Freeburn now almost five minutes off W\u00fcrtz Schmidt and Swenson. He’s either sat up or is having an issue.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T15:48:50.212Z Swenson and W\u00fcrtz Schmidt have 1’24” on Freeburn and 8’14” on the 12 man chase group.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T15:47:30.713Z The four riders clear, G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e, Schreurs, Kl\u00f6ser, and Decker are riding together well. No gap given as of yet.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T15:37:08.526Z<\/p>\n The weather has really descended on the riders with the rain so heavy and the clouds so thick that they can hardly see 100 metres up the road.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T15:36:08.181Z<\/p>\n The men are 114 miles into the day with the women just under 100 miles in. The four leaders in the women’s race look to be getting further clear of the chase as the two Specialized riders of W\u00fcrtz Schmidt and Swenson go further and further clear of Freeburn in the men’s race.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T15:34:20.545Z<\/p>\n The tracks are now extremely wet and the riders are getting coated in mud. Horrible conditions for the riders.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T15:28:48.601Z W\u00fcrtz Schmidt and Swenson now have a gigantic gap on the chasing group of well over seven minutes. Freeburn is fading fast and was 30″ down at the first check.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T15:22:25.477Z Specialized duo of Swenson and W\u00fcrtz Schmidt have dropped Freeburn on a little drag.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T15:18:29.735Z<\/p>\n The weather has closed in again after a sunny spell but now it is very dark with heavy rain, thunder and lightning. The men’s race have just over 100 miles to go as they pass the halfway point. The women have just left the second aid station and are settling back into the pace after slowing to work together as they go clear.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T15:15:56.593Z Frain spent a long time in the aid station to clean her wounds and get her bike sorted as well as taking on new fuel. Her teammate Schrosbree joined her and they both rode off together. Possibly the difference between them finishing and not.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T15:08:20.675Z Kl\u00f6ser stops in the second aid station for a chain clean with G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e getting a mussette. The Specialized duo of Schreurs and Decker both missed their feed grabs and Schreurs looked very frustrated. Potentially vital for later in the race.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T15:03:11.897Z Attack<\/p>\n G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e <\/p>\n They go clear of the lead group and are gaining a good gap with the second aid station.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T14:57:26.887Z Leaders:<\/p>\n Onweller <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T14:51:33.060Z Chase group<\/p>\n Bardet <\/p>\n They are at 3’15” from the leading trio.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T14:49:27.400Z W\u00fcrtz Schmidt and Swenson riding for Specialized as well as Freeburn for Trek have over three minutes on the chasing group.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T14:48:11.934Z The 11 rider lead group are rolling along at a decent tempo but nothing is really pushing as the race seems to be in a bit of a settled point.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T14:34:11.877Z<\/p>\n The sun is out for the men but it is raining on the women’s race.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T14:29:55.260Z The leading trio have over two minutes on the chase group led by Bardet who has rejoined that group.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T14:27:31.025Z Second service zone<\/p>\n W\u00fcrtz Schmidt, Swenson and Freeburn all stop for technical support, fuel and a pressure wash to get the mud off.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T14:14:41.712Z W\u00fcrtz Schmidt, Swenson and Freeburn have dragged out their lead to 1’45” on the chasing group.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T14:13:21.566Z<\/p>\n In the Unbound XL men’s race the leader, Robin Gemperle has covered 297 miles with Alex McCormack close behind him.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T14:10:47.370Z<\/p>\n Winning Unbound 200 last year may have set the rider from New Zealand up for a career in gravel but “there’s lots to gain by getting another one”.<\/p>\n >>> Proof, prototypes and dreams of mud \u2013 The makings of an Unbound Gravel title defence for Cameron Jones<\/a><\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Life Time) 2026-05-30T14:03:32.444Z Lejeune makes it back to the front group with former WorldTour rider Mieke Kroger also in this group.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T14:02:04.970Z<\/p>\n Keegan Swenson told Cyclingnews at Specialized product launch on Thursday:<\/p>\n “It’s kind of been the trend every year. It seems like it gets faster and faster, and guys are more willing to gamble on early attacks and early moves and breakaways, and yeah, no one really. I think we’ve learned we can push hard all day, you know, and no one really respects a distance anymore. We just ride flat out from the start, so yeah, we’ll see how it goes.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:55:02.694Z Attack<\/p>\n W\u00fcrtz Schmidt <\/p>\n They have 25″ on the chasing group of about 16 riders.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:48:53.762Z<\/p>\n The sun is out on the riders for the moment but the rain is falling at the finish as the junior 50 mile race sets off.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:46:38.878Z Around nine riders out front after the race broke down on a muddier section.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:43:17.601Z Frain is back racing but has blood pouring down her left leg, her fingers and left shoulder. She looks in a heck of a lot of pain.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:42:27.518Z Lachlan Morton is rumoured to have abandoned the race at about mile 50. Not confirmed yet, though.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Future l Ethan Glading)<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:41:02.180Z<\/p>\n Haley Smith, 2022 LTGP overall women’s winner, told Cyclingnews in the Unbound Expo this week:<\/p>\n “This has been a good year so far. I have raced far less, and I wasn’t able to race Sea Otter just with the parasite I picked up from Cape Epic, but that’s all resolved now. I had like a season and a half that were quite a bit tougher dealing with the repercussions of long COVID, and I was pretty ill for a while. So I’m through that, and I’m feeling strong and healthy, and just enjoying the racing opportunities I have had, so I’m looking forward to the weekend.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:40:02.274Z Crash<\/p>\n Nicole Frain goes down. The former Australian national road champion looks like she is in a lot of pain and is struggling to straighten her bars.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:38:37.568Z On Texaco Hill the lead group is getting split up with mud beginning to be an issue as Matt Beers coming back from a problem. Vermeulen and Pellaud also working hard to come back too.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:24:16.838Z The men’s group sits up and the chasers regain contact with a group of about 25 to 30 riders now lead the race with just inside 150 miles left to go.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:22:05.075Z Cecille Lejeune goes down in the deep ford crossing and is now off the back of the chase group.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:17:40.498Z Mock sits up as the group behind him looks as if it is splitting up.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:11:42.575Z Kl\u00f6ser is riding hard to try and get back on. She has passed a few dropped riders from the lead group and is riding well.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:09:04.524Z Mock is flying here and has 30″ on the peloton as he flies through a very rough and rocky section.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:04:16.148Z Attack<\/p>\n Daxton Mock<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He has about 5″ on 21 rider strong group.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:03:27.842Z<\/p>\n Simon Pellaud said on the event pre-race show The Leadout<\/p>\n “My season started not the way I would have like it to because I’ve been injured for more than two months. I hit my knee against a car door and, yeah, it’s been pretty rough. I had to skip a couple of races and I’m still not quite 100 percent recovered now so it’s also still pretty rough mentally. I didn’t have the preparation that I would have loved to so yeah, its a bit messed up but I trust the process and I know that at some point everything will just stick and roll further.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Teams impact<\/p>\n “It will depend on the weather forecast too I would say because if at mile 15 we already are all running around its going to be a different situation but I’m quite sure that its going to be the first real different Unbound this year with so many teams around and ready to help each other to reach the victory.”<\/p>\n “Even if the weather is not so good, there are not so many really muddy section and still if we have 20km lets say of mud, its still 315km of fast riding so for sure there will be some team tactics.”<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T13:01:18.213Z Various issues for the men going through a deep ford of water before a steep climb with a crash and a few mechanicals.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T12:55:31.402Z Kl\u00f6ser has been distanced by the leaders. Unsure what happened but she is fighting to get back in.<\/p>\n 2026-05-30T12:54:45.122Z
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\nSwipe to scroll horizontallyUnbound Gravel 200 – women top 5<\/p>\n
\nSwipe to scroll horizontallyUnbound Gravel 200 men’s – Top 5<\/p>\n
\nWomen’s race – 15 miles to go<\/p>\n
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\nWomen’s race – 79 miles to go<\/p>\n
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\nMen’s race (75 miles to go)<\/p>\n
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Sofia G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e
Rosa Kl\u00f6ser
Cecily Decker
Geerike Schreurs<\/p>\n
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Schreurs
Kl\u00f6ser
Decker<\/p>\n
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Schreurs
Kl\u00f6ser
Decker
Schiff
Preen
G\u00f3mez Villafa\u00f1e
Lange
Laing
Lejeune<\/p>\n
\nMen’s race<\/p>\n
Kongstad
Beers
Taylor
Johnston
Botcher
Soete
Havik
Wild
Koster
Herzog
Jones
R\u00f8ed
Vo\u00df<\/p>\n
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\nMen’s race (130 miles to go)<\/p>\n![\"Cameron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/EBGN29hQUxB9B44CcVLiXS.jpg\")
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Swenson
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