Eagle County cyclists tackle iconic Unbound Gravel races

Eight Eagle County cyclists took on Kansas’ legendary Flint Hills at Unbound Gravel last Saturday.

Dubbed “The World’s Premier Gravel Grinder,” the event attracts around 5,000 riders annually with its options of 100, 200 and 350 miles. The 200-mile flagship race is part of the Lifetime Grand Prix, an off-road cycling series featuring 50 top professionals fighting for a $380,000 prize purse over the course of six stops.

Minturn’s Haley Dumke arrived in Emporia, Kansas, hoping to secure one of three wildcard spots for the rest of the series after placing 32nd at the Sea Otter Classic in April. Despite battling illness leading up to the race, the 32-year-old completed her debut on the 200-mile course in 11 hours, 31 minutes and 22 seconds to finish 39th overall and 20th out of the elite women. Her combined finishes from both events put her third in the wildcard standings.

“I’m still taking that all in,” Dumke said of making the Lifetime Grand Prix cut.

Dumke avoided multiple early-race crashes before hooking onto a group for roughly 100 miles. As late-afternoon temperatures soared into the upper 80s, her crew — fellow locals Charlie Brown and Sergio Sandoval — dumped water on her back and constantly cleaned a drive train caked with remnants of the notoriously muddy course. Dumke faded around mile 168 as her stomach rebelled after 9 straight hours of race nutrition.

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“I covered the last 35 miles alone, trying to sip water and working methodically towards the finish,” she said.

Edwards Winona Sandoval (16:47:20) and Vail’s Lawrence Moss (12:53:19) also completed the 200-mile event.

Dumke’s Mountain Pedaler teammate, Sam Brown, came into the 100-mile race hoping to improve upon his sixth-place finish from a year ago. Unfortunately, his build-up was riddled with illness, too.

“Recovering took a little longer than I wanted it to,” Brown said. “After a good base season this past winter, I wasn’t worried about not having the legs, but it would have been nice to do some long endurance rides in the two weeks before.”

Brown got caught in an early pileup and had to stop to straighten his handlebars. After rejoining the leaders, he managed to avoid five more crashes before the halfway point feed. With about 38 miles left, deteriorating road conditions split the lead peloton. Brown lost touch and joined a small chase pack. Up one of the longer climbs, that group came apart and the 25-year-old found himself alone.

“In the last 15 miles, a group from behind caught me,” Brown said. “I stayed with them until 5 miles to go, when myself and another rider were popped off the back.”

Brown gapped the rider going over Highline Hill to finish 10th in the elite category in 4:55:30. Vail orthopedic surgeon Erik Dorf was about 15 minutes back, finishing 40th out of 1,447 cyclists and first out of 324 in the men’s 50-59 age category.

“I had never done Unbound, so this was a bucket list item for me,” stated Dorf, who came into the race with zero expectations. “With our shorter season and my very full-time job, I didn’t think I could find the time for the training necessary to do the 200-mile event; 108 miles was plenty for me.”

Dorf stayed with the lead group through 50 miles before getting caught behind a crash.

“That course is abusive to both riders and equipment. I was so happy to stay on my bike and avoid a mechanical or a flat. The number of crashes was insane,” he said. “I tried to chase back on, but the riders I was with were not interested in the pursuit.”

Avon’s Matt Razo (5:33:14) and May Jackson (7:01:12) also finished the 100-mile race.

Two Eagle County riders — Ben Boese and Jace Stout — took on the longest race of the weekend. Boese, a veteran of five 100-mile running races, found out about the “ludicrous” distance of the XL from Basalt buddy Zach Russell.

“After talking to him about it, I realized I had to build up a bike and experience it for myself,” said Boese, who constructed a steel Crust Bombora with help from Venture Sports experts Mike Brumbaugh and Zach Cole. Boese completed the distance in 25:59:48 to finish 38th out of 116 athletes.

“I had a smile on my face for most of the race. I would for sure do it again,” he said. “The race and course was incredible and is a gravel mecca, but the people I met and rode most of the race with was what made it most memorable.”

Stout was inspired to try Unbound Gravel after shooting photos there the last couple of years.

“There’s something awesome about starting in the afternoon and riding into the sunset on a self-supported vision quest, only to join the other distances later the following day,” he said of the XL. “It takes a different breed of person, and I like that.”

Stout, who moved to Minturn from the Front Range in 2021 and works part-time in the automotive industry as well, invested hours into his hard-tail gear setup going into the event.

“I’m happy to report that it paid off,” he said. The 36-year-old adopted a conservative pacing strategy, joyfully pedaling around the “rewarding and engaging” north loop into the sunset. In the middle of the night, however, his stomach turned for the worse.

“I switched to plain water in hopes that I could continue to get fluids on board,” he said. “The reality is I just kept drinking less and less and eating less and less — not good.”

He attempted a power nap at a park around the 165-mile mark, but for whatever reason, it was “the noisiest town in America at 5:30 a.m.” Some coffee and donuts got him back in the saddle and gas station pizza and Coke propelled him past the double century mark.

“I kept rolling and got to mile 220 or so when the monotony got to me,” Stout stated. “I was at a literal crossroads.”

Instead of taking the additional 100-mile loop, Stout opted to ride back into Emporia under his own power. While he didn’t finish the event, he was satisfied with 250 miles and over 13,000 feet of climbing for the day.

“This was my first ultra,” he said. “And it certainly will not be my last.”