We Noticed: Unbound Carnage, Race Results from Around the World

Downpours leading up to this year’s 20th anniversary Unbound Gravel race wreaked havoc on the racing – it took just 11 miles before things started going awry for many of the competitors. Thick mud at that point took last year’s women’s champion, Karolina Migoń out of the picture.

By 32 miles into the 200-mile flagship race a group of four women had got clear including Sofia Gómez Villafañe, Cecily Decker, Paige Onweller and Geerike Schreurs, with Rosa Klöser eventually joining the group after mechanical issues. In the end the race turned into a five-up sprint, which Gómez Villafañe took in impressive style, being the first to go once the finish line came in sight.

“That was a day of perseverance,” Gómez Villafañe said after the race. “I would say that Geerike had the cleanest race of the five of us, with Cecily hitting ground, Rosa flatting, and Paige dropping off and getting back on continuously. Heading into Unbound Gravel, you could be the fittest athlete, but it might not mean a result for you. I think I had the smallest FTP out of us [in the lead group], so getting away solo wasn’t going to be an option. The plan was for Gee [Geerike] to try to go solo, but when it came to the sprint, we were going all in on me, so to get a one-two is unreal.”

Swenson Gives Up Wheel

That same patch of mud caused chaos in the men’s race, with a group of 15 riders going clear at that 11-mile point, with Mads Würtz Schmidt, Keegan Swenson and fellow American Cobe Freeburn eventually pulling to a six-minute lead on the chase group that included defending champ Cameron Jones (AUS) and Matthew Beers.

Freeburn would get dropped at mile 110, leaving Swenson and Würtz Schmidt alone at the front, seemingly on track to duke it out for the win. Then, at mile 150, Würtz Schmidt flatted and Swenson gave up his wheel to ensure that one of the two Specialized riders would continue out front. Würtz Schmidt did just that, maintaining the lead all the way to the line. Beers would break clear of the group in the closing miles to take second, ahead of Tobias Kongstad and Brendan Johnston. Swenson would regroup and work his way to an impressive fifth-place finish.

“The plan today was to be aggressive on Texaco Hill, and I probably got too excited, but Keegan, Cobe, and I got away, and we sent it,” Würtz Schmidt said after the race. “I was on a really good day, but I couldn’t have done it without Keegan – he is a champion. He sacrificed his race and Grand Prix for me, which was incredible, and it gave me extra motivation for the final hours.”

1. Mads Würtz Schmidt (DEN) – 9hr 14min 51sec
2. Matthew Beers (RSA) – 9hr 19min 54sec
3. Tobias Kongstad (DEN) – 9hr 24min 43sec
4. Brendan Johnston (AUS) – 9hr 36min 46sec 
5. Keegan Swenson (USA) – 9hr 39min 19sec

Gemperle Covers Half Marathon on Way to Unbound XL Win

Riding on Scott’s RC Gravel 32″ prototype bike, Switzerland’s Robin Gemperle took the win in the Unbound XL race (356 miles). Finishing in 21 hours and 16 minutes, Gemperle was almost an hour up on second-place finisher Max Agut (FRA). Thanks to the brutal conditions, Gemperle was forced to walk 21 km along the way.

“The course was everything I expected and more,” Gemperle said. “The weather made it something else entirely. But I’ve been in those dark places before, and I knew if I kept moving, I could get through it.”

Svenja Betz Takes Second Title

Germany’s Svenja Betz took the women’s XL race in 27:11:32, just over 34-minutes up on Maddie Nutt (GBR). As with the men, the women were forced to hike for quite a while during the race.

“As soon as we hit the mud … that hiking really took power out of me at about 130 km,” Nutt told cyclingnews.com after the race.

Hirsch and Biagioli Take IRONMAN Brazil

Germany’s Wilhelm Hirsch was part of a fast-moving lead bike group that led to some quick times in Florianopolos on the weekend, running his way to the win in an impressive 7:32:21. Dutch athlete Youri Keulen made his IRONMAN debut in style, breaking away over the final 40 km of the bike with Hirsch to set up a dramatic marathon duel for the win. Keulen, moving up from T100 and 70.3 races, pushed the pace through more than the first half marathon, with Hirsch finally moving ahead shortly after the 25 km point. Keulen would keep the German honest right to the line, finishing second in 7:33:21, enough for a Kona slot after posting the day’s fastest bike split. France’s Arnaud Guilloux rounded out the podium and the Kona qualification just under five minutes behind Keulen.

In the women’s race American Rachel Olson led the way out of the water, just ahead of France’s Julie Iemmolo and Brazil’s Pamella Oliveira. Iemmlo quickly charged to the front of the race on the bike, posting the day’s fastest bike split to lead into T2, over nine minutes up on Ireland’s Fiona Moriarty, just under 11 minutes up on Oliveira, with Biagioli hitting T2 in fifth almost 12-minutes down.

Out on the run Moriarty would steadily drop back and eventually pull out, while Biagioli was charging through the field and had moved into second starting the second half of the marathon. With 10 km to go the Argentine was in the lead and Oliveira had her sites set on Iemmolo.

Biagioli would run her way to the win, just over a minute up on Oliveira, with Iemmolo rounding out the podium and grabbing the final Kona slot.

Kleiser and Osterholt Crack Kraichgau

Germany’s Daniela Kleiser had yet another stellar run to take the win at IRONMAN 70.3 Kraichgau, overcoming a huge deficit and the heat to run her way past swim and bike leader Lena Meissner for the win. Meissner hit T1 with a 2:21 lead on Katharina Krüger, with Kleiser trailing by over six minutes. By the end of the ride Meissner had been joined by Solenne Billouin at the front of the race, with Daniela Bleymehl next into T2, but over four minutes down. Kleiser was 6:15 behind as she entered T2.

Out on the run Billouin would drop out of the race after a few miles, but Miessner was still under pressure as Kleiser moved into second before the end of the first of three laps. The lead was down to 1:13 at the end of the second lap, and by 17 km the German speedster (who we profiled last year – see below) was on her way to the win. Meissner hung on to second until very close to the finish – with less than 2 km to go she was still ahead of Loanne Duvoisin by about 30 seconds, but the Swiss athlete would fly by to take second, leaving Meissner to round out the podium.

In the men’s race Germany’s Fabian Kraft would lead the way out of the water with countryman Cedric Osterholt on his feet, and those two were joined by Janne Böttel, who led off the bike. Kraft would initially take the lead on the run course, but Osterholt would take control during the second of three laps on the run (Kraft would eventually drop out) and cruise away for the win. Joran Driesen was 3:27 down entering T2, but used the day’s fastest run split to move to second ahead of Böttel.

Pohle and Funk Star in St. Pölten

After a big win at the Challenge Championship the weekend before, Germany’s Caroline Pohle blasted to new bike and course records as she led from start to finish to win her third Challenge Family race of the year in St. Pölten. The Netherlands’ Diede Diederiks was over three minutes back after the swim and would eventually cross the line over seven minutes behind in second, but was well clear of Minttu Hukka (FIN), who rounded out the podium.

It’s been a while since Germany’s Frederik Funk has been on top of a podium (Challenge Samarkand in 2023), but the German star bounced back from a seventh-place finish at the Championship to post the day’s fastest bike split and the win in St. Pölten. Hannes Butters (GER) led the way out of the water, but Funk, Brit Simon Davis and Germany’s Jonas Wechsler would join him at the front during the ride.

Funk would put together a solid run to hold on for an 84-second win over Davis, but it was a fast-running Mattia Ceccarelli from Italy who would create the excitement for the final spot on the podium, as he passed Wechsler in the closing metres of the race. Charging from behind with the day’s fastest run, Slovakia’s Ondrej Kubo would end up just seven seconds off the podium and three seconds back of Wechsler, adding to the podium drama.

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