UNBOUND 200 (2025) - Mettle Race Report
- Randall Fransen
- Jun 3
- 9 min read
Updated: Jun 4
The all-punishing, all-consuming, gravel race that has defined the discipline and become the "Super Bowl" of cycling.
I look up briefly from scanning every inch of road and peeking between bottom brackets to briefly observe the landscape as the world wakes up. It's 6:45 am and I'm concentrating on maintaining a front position in the pack of 1300 other riders starting their 200 mile fight. The morning haze acts an an ND filter for the sun, removing it's glowing glare and leaving a faded orange circle hanging just above the horizon. There's a helicopter in the sky covering the pro peloton that went off 40 minutes before us but it's not far off from feeling like we're part of the hoopla as well. This is Unbound 2025; a race that continues to cement itself as the leader in global off-road cycling.
Carbon wheels are getting pulverized by rocks popping out from under MTB tires, nervous riders are overlapping wheels creating that knob against knob zipper sound that usually leads to the slap of carbon frames and helmets hitting the deck. My only concern is getting through the next 2 hours without a spell of bad luck or poor line choice. We're all here hoping to have a good day racing 200 miles in what has been dubbed the world's biggest and hardest gravel race. The pace is conservative given the task ahead, so staying in front (but not the very front) and avoiding the swarm continues to be a challenge. I hear crashes over my shoulder. The tension continues to escalate. The sun slowly begins burning off that haze.
About 9 months ago, I entered the lottery for the Unbound 200 only to be rewarded with an entry and a healthy dose of anxious questions like, "what the fuck did I just sign up for?" and "what's it like to die a thousand deaths while riding my bike?" Since December, I've been focusing on the training time leading up to the end of May and this true gauntlet of gravel; foregoing a long list of other events, indulgences, and general shit that sane people do. At the time of signing up, I knew this was a whole other beast, but I don't think I could have predicted the true nature of it's grip on my psyche, preparation, and the logistical tornado that comes with targeting a race like this.
PREPARATION AND APPROACH
Even before I raced Unbound, I was fairly certain I wouldn't attempt it again. The logistics associated with a 200 mile race rise exponentially from a typical 100 mile event creating a high level of anxiety that runs in the background for the 8 weeks leading up to it. The list of needs, what-if's, back up plans, and decisions are never-ending. Thankfully, the training is pretty simple.
Say it with me:
"The Mitochondria is the power house of the cell."
If Unbound training was a band, it would be Ace of Base. Save for one XC race I hit in April, prepping for Unbound really involved a lot of disciplined Z2 rides; staying squarely within that zone, no matter how good the legs are that day. Z2 means Z2, not tempo, not high Z2. Fucking Zone Two.
Coming off a cancelled MidSouth that had me hitting some of my best power numbers, I felt I could continue that build into May and prep for this event with big CTA and more rest. Riding at 44 is not like riding at 34 and my "stacks on stacks" mentality to piling on fitness over the years has had to acknowledge that rest is needed as always but more importantly, a much higher priority than watching my fitness graph go up in Training Peaks.
It's extremely simple but obviously something that infects the life of those with the goal of "a result" instead of just "racing the sun." To show up and perform definitely means a time commitment. 20 hour weeks, equipment testing, and a bit of nutrition experimentation takes time in a sport where cycles are measured in seasons and years, not weeks and months.
I stopped the complicated interval training plans and focused on quality time in the saddle with a limited amount of structured efforts; ultimately relying on the fact that living and training at 7,000 feet for a race at near sea level was going to be my biggest advantage.
THE BIKE
The geo of this Scott is exactly what I expect from a bike. I'm not a fan of low bottom brackets (especially when an 80mm BB drop is considered "race geometry"). The brand claims 45mm clearance but with dry conditions, you can pop a 2.1" in front and 2.0" in the back sans big shoulder knobs. The combo listed in the caption was a 2nd choice to having a ThunderBurt up front but the Dylan Johnson affect stripped all available inventory and the Trump Tariffs made sure restocks would sit on the dock until mid-summer. I was skeptical of the speed claimed by Conti loyalists until rolling with Mikey on several training rides on my Maxxis Ramblers. He would routinely speed past me on descents while riding his Race Kings, making the decision to switch pretty easy.
The plan for pressure was 17.5 / 19.5 but as the day hot warmer, the pressure also increased to something closer to 19.5 / 21. The only drawback was the slick rear when hitting greasy sections. It took all of my skill to stay in a straight line in those early miles.
Another enormous choice was using Silca chain wax. I've been on the wax train for a few years now and I'll never go back. The mud was just enough to spray a film over the drivetrain but a quick power wash fixed that issue and there was no need to re-lube. Just wipe and go.
Mikey and I have been training and racing this same bike set up for about a year now and only a few updates were needed to make it Unbound ready.
NUTRITION
Just like tire choice, nutrition has been a lively conversation over the last 2 years. The standard headlines now read more like competitive eating contests than cycling articles. We all know big days are beginning to be measured via carbs per hour. No more meal plans with palette pleasing bananas and gas station Gatorade. Now, sports nutrition science is trying it's best to cram what we used to eat in 3-4 hours into a single serving packet, minimizing "gut distress" which is nearly impossible once the temps hit above 80. The end result is a ton of potential energy in the form of hydrogels and a mouth that is more disgusting than a dumpster behind Wing Stop.
The approaches to this vary between each individual, their preferences, and budget. For Mikey, mixing Sodium Citrate and Cane Sugar with water does the trick for all day riding. This time around however, some taste fatigue set in for him and plain water became the only thing his body really wanted, creating a few miles of difficulty in the end.
In my experience, some level of choice in nutrition becomes important when you're already addressing many different types of discomfort for over 10 hours. A combination of Never2nd bars, Flow carb mix, ELMNT hydration and Maurten gels/carb mix comprised the on-the-bike tasting menu. Each stop had a coke and pop-tart for me as well.
Ultimately, the target was around 120g of carbs per hour and even then, I miscalculated the leg between Aid 1 and Aid 2, running out of water and nutrition with 7 miles til I could refill. This detached me from the group I was in (that I later caught and passed) and mandated I take an extra 4 minutes to cool down and refuel before heading out for the last leg. All 3 of us had comparable carbs per hour targets.
THE PREPARATION
It's hard to understate the logistical challenges of this event. Everyone is required to have support, whether that's hiring someone, racking up a favor-debt to a friend, or paying a fee for available SAG provided by the organizer.
We were lucky to have our teammate Josh, semi-pro wrench and awesome human, run support for us, lugging several wheel sets and any imaginable backup part to both aids while coordinating our feed and even running to the gas station for extra. Even over the 10 hours, he ran around as much as we rode around and kept us fully dialed.
the COURSE
The cautionary tales of the flint hills are famous. Even regular bad luck can strike on the most tame of courses in the best conditions. MidSouth has maintained a dark cloud over me for 3 years straight, taking rear wheels on the regular. The combination of speed, durability, and preparation cause the biggest internal debate in choosing how to have a good day and keep it that way. Obviously tires are the central focus of these debates.
Freshly laid gravel in this area means pretty giant stones. In the photos above you can see some of that, but in other sections of the course, it's deep and loose. If it's not that, there's washout or exposed bedrock. In others, where Jeep drivers decided to tear it up while still wet, the giant ruts left over created literal gutters and curbs that ended a lot of riders' days. Maintaining a conservative mindset in most cases paid dividends to many, avoiding surprises that could send you OTB or at the very least, shred a sidewall.
When approaching technical sections, I gave plenty of room to other riders. If I had enough room, I typically rode to the front to choose my line and eliminate any chance of someone else influencing that decision. Even creek crossings dumped daring riders. It made no sense to send it; something a Belgian rider felt compelled to mention to me given that we were in a small group sharing the headwind while we continued to head west. I agreed whole heartedly.
Ultimately, I'd say Unbound (North Course) falls slightly above a MidSouth and below Big Sugar. Arkansas doesn't seem as rutted but certainly has a higher amount of sharp gravel. It's very worth some small investments to come into sections of the race 1st wheel. Others may not have the same expectation and tire preservation in mind and their decisions could affect your race.
OFF THE BIKE
In between the stress-over-prepping and the hurry-up-and-waiting, getting in quality hangs with your buds is the hidden gem at any event. It may not register leading up to the race, but it will be part of the whole memory.
Because lodging and planning is so tough, I've found RV's to be a good alternative. Mobile, self-contained, and a higher ability to control your environment are high on the list. Many find lodging in surrounding towns. This broke up our group a bit but you take what you can get when lodging is at a premium.
the NUMBERS
I did this for MidSouth so I'll do it again here. My hope was to have a chip time just under 19mph. After looking at the results for 2024, I thought that would put me in a top 50 position; something I'd be more than happy with. But after having 2 great endurance blocks with some big days leading into the race, I was able to produce a lot more than that. This being a distance I'd never attempted, even from my touring days, I was reluctant to believe I would maintain anything higher than a 260w-270w average for what would be 10.5 hours in a best case scenario. Even the approach to nutrition was an unknown at this distance.
Fasting from noon the day before also had me worried. Suffering from severe UC, I've been able to ride early morning events (usually no earlier than 8am) by removing the "poop factor" both before a race and during it. This 6:30am start time coupled with the duration/distance was going to be a huge challenge. I did have to play catch up with eating the morning of and the first 2 hours of the race. The sensations in my legs indicated a greater need for sugar during the first few bursts but I was able to overcome that with some discipline every time the race was straight, safe, and relatively calm.
Ride Time: | 10:35:00 |
Distance: | 202 Miles (325km) |
Elevation Gain: | 10,771 feet (3283m) |
Average HR: | 154 bpm |
Average Power: | 277w |
Average Speed: | 19.45 mph (31.3 km/h) |
Work | 9297kj |
TSS: | 717 |
In theory, without exceeding my aerobic max too many times, it would be more of an eating contest than anything else. Heat was another factor that I had prepared for and usually have no issues combating; however many other riders experienced some "rejection of nutrition" in the heat.
RESULTS
Starters: 1077 (200 mile)
Randall: 13th overall | 3rd Age Group
Mikey: 81st overall | 15th Age Group
DONE AND very DUSTED
Thus marks my first and probably last attempt at Unbound. The whole thing requires more investment than I am willing to give again. My hope is to return in a support capacity for another few team members that decide to take on the 200. There's no possible way to have a competitive day without dedicated support. As a friend texted me, "I say you ride off into that particular sunset."
I think I will, friend.
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