Ivar Slik, Sofia Gomez Villafane win Garmin Unbound Gravel 200
Ivar Slik of the Netherlands earned a very narrow margin over Keegan Swenson of the U.S. in the iconic 200-mile gravel cycling race based in the Flint Hills region of east-central Kansas. Sofia Gomez Villafane of Argentina beat defending champion Lauren De Crescenzo of the U.S. by a margin of just over 10 minutes.
The iconic and wildly popular gravel race previously known as Dirty Kanza, or DK200, officially changed its name to Unbound Gravel. Often known as the World’s Premier Gravel Event, the race and its management has come under strong scrutiny earlier this year.
In April, a petition circulated urging the event to change its name. “Kanza” is a word used to refer to the Kaw Nation, a Native American tribe in Oklahoma and Kansas— so “Dirty Kanza” paints a harmful picture of an already oppressed people. Though the petition garnered over 1,300 signatures, organizer Life Time Fitness initially vetoed the idea. The organization released a statement in conjunction with the Kaw Nation of Oklahoma saying that both entities supported keeping the name as is.
By October 29, Life Time Fitness and the Kaw Nation had a change of mind. They released a statement announcing the change, and thanked members of the cycling community for their patience. According to the release, members of the Unbound Gravel events team visited Kaw Nation, Oklahoma to meet with members of the Tribal Council to openly discuss the renaming of the event and share other future plans, and race employees seem hopeful about the new start.
Unbound Gravel Marketing Manager Kristi Mohn said in the release that they aim “to embrace the history of the land on which we ride. We hope that each time riders touch the gravel roads in the Flint Hills, they take a moment to remember what has been.”
The race has grown immensely in the past 15 years to include several distances and attracts a field of 3,000. But the premier event remains the 200-miler and this year’s clash had its drama.
Pro men
The 200-mile riders departed downtown Emporia Kansas on a cloudy day, the course soaked from heavy rain storms early in the week, forcing race organizers to take a few impassable miles out of the southern sections. In the opening 20 miles, a large lead group formed including Freddy Ovett of Spain, Thomas Dekker of the Netherlands, Samuel Hunter Grove, Stefano Barberi, Brennan Wertz, Alexey Vermeulen, Lance Haidet and Keegan Swenson. At Mile 41, Logan Owen and Swenson made a surge to the front. By Mile 77 Owen and Swenson fell back in a larger pack of 20 men. By mile 90, Laurence Ten Dam and Dan Barberi took the lead. Two miles later, Paul Voss took his turn at the front, then Matta De Marchi pushed in front and joined Swenson leaving 13 riders in the chase group.
By Mile 147, Ivar Slik, Ian Boswell, Alexey Vermeulen, and Keegan Swenson, formed a pack of four at the front. By mile 176, Ten Dam passed Peter Stetina and Rob Britton and joined the top four at the front. They had survived grueling conditions with the route littered with mud and puddles at every pothole and now just 24 miles to go.
Slik was racing in a kit with big stars to pay homage to U.S. stunt performer Evel Knievel, and after 180 miles, his mud-streaked outfit was indeed heroic in his first appearance at age 29 in the Unbound Gravel 200.
As the top three sprinted to the finish, Ivar Slik hit the line in 9:22:04 with an 8-seconds margin on Keegan Swenson, and 23 seconds on Alexey Vermeulen. Laurens Ten Dam, who finished runner-up in a sprint to Ian Boswell at this race last year, took 4th.
“I was so happy [to win],” said Slik. “It was my big goal this year. So much can happen, you need a little bit of luck. I came here in the best condition. It is super cool to finish it off in a sprint of five.”
Pro women
Sofia Gomez Villafane rode solo for 80 miles to win the women’s Unbound Gravel presented by Craft. Defending champ Lauren de Crescenzo finished second, a little more than 10 seconds later. Gomez Villafane’s winning time of 10:27:41 was 93 minutes quicker than De Crescenzo’s 2021 winning mark. Gomez, used a smooth 30-seconds transition at the 77-mile checkpoint to take the lead, which she maintained to the end.
"I was here to definitely prove a point,” Gomez told Life Time Fitness media. “I wanted to show that mountain bikers can go fast and go long. I was going to be stoked to just to win a Life Time Grand Prix race, but to come out with the overall… it's a true testament to the hard work I have put in."
Other categories
Unbound XL
Pro Men
1. William Harrison USA 20:17:29
2. Marius Karteusch GER 20:22:28
3. Ernie Lechuga USA 20:35:08
Unbound 200
Pro Men
1. Ivar Slik 9:22:04
2.Keegan Swenson 9:22:12
3. Alexey Vermeulen 9:22:27
Pro Women
1. Sofia Gomez Villafane 10:27:41
2. Lauren De Crescenzo 10 minutes behind the winner.
Unbound Gravel 100
Pro Men
1. Ethan Overson USA 5:01:01
2. Canyon Emmott USA +04:47
3. Donoven Francis USA +08:37
4. Kenn Pike USA + 08:38
5. Will Surbaugh USA +08:39
6. Jonas Woodruff USA +08:46
7. Dillon McNeil USA +08:47
8. Joshua Lundgren USA +12:17
9. Nate Maddox USA +15:02
10. Chris Schroeder USA +15:03
Pro Women
1. Maria Boaz USA 5:23:16
2. Marjie Bemis USA +03:43
3. Karen Jachow USA +16:05
4. Raylyn Nuss USA +21:02
5. Allison Mrugal USA +25:02
6. Ava Sykes USA +41:21
7. Anastasia Yanchiina USA +43:34
