I came back for redemption. For revenge. For solace and solitude. To embrace whatever those Flint Hills wanted to give. I came back to Unbound XL in search of me. To find my smile, buried deep in the mud of years past. I came back because I love it here, and I needed a patch for the mile 275 DNF scar on my heart. My Kansas riding has been a metaphor for life. Riding the ups and downs. The highs and lows. The successes and failures. The boredom in the mundane and the excitement in that too. As I have said before, Kansas has my heart, and once you give yourself fully, it becomes effortless.
“An effortless 350 miles?” Sure, Rachel, only a crazy person would say that.
When you have positivity, experience, support, love, and many zone two miles in your legs, anything is possible. Here’s a little glimpse into that effort. And lack there of.
Inbound to Unbound was one of my favorite adventures last year. Some may say it’s a bit much, and maybe not the greatest prep, and could have led to my DNF. But that ride put me in the right mindset. One of complacency and content. And I knew I had to do it again. This time I brought along my friend Hannah, and the miles flew by.
Bentonville to Emporia, roughly 260 miles in two days, arriving nine days before the start. I was in Arkansas for Rule of Three and spending time with my former teammate Caro. That race was hot and hard, and left me feeling ho hum. I wasn’t a fan of the course design or aid station mileage points and selection. Lacking in ice and Coke. FYI to event directors, that’s all we want. Coke, maybe some cold pickles, chips, bananas. I don’t need pancakes or stale cheese quesadillas or potatoes. Keep it simple. Last year was significantly better in both areas.
Hannah and I departed bright and early on Tuesday after RO3 and headed north. We were supposed to be enjoying a southern tailwind all darn day, but I’d guess we sailed along for maybe 14 of the 160 miles. We avoided a storm, letting it pass while we had dinner at McDonalds and then continued onward, into a headwind. Dinner plans were foiled by a broken dishwasher at the Mexican restaurant, thus opting for random things from a Walmart. Wednesday we woke early and continued into a cross / headwind as we headed to Emporia.
The Emporia water tower is iconic. A signal from the Windows 98 desktop views, alerting you that your destination is close. Mulready’s is ready to take you in (except when you ride fast and get there before 4pm). Merchant Cycles will charge your Di2. And the Rech House was ready and waiting for us to lay our heads. Hannah was continuing onward for a third day, to her home in Lawrence, KS. Badass.
And I got to enjoy a staycation from my vacation. Shannon, Chris, Cooper and I made family dinners together most every night. We got on a mule kick, trying different variations. We played cribbage on the screen porch. The weather was perfect and I took full advantage of the slower pace and the recovery time. I rode just a little, enough to keep the legs loose and my heart full.
I love feeling the transition of a sleepy summer town into the madness of such a large event. Every day more and more people descend. The event infrastructure is built up. Friends appear, full of big hugs and anticipation of the race to come. The weather apps are checked more frequently. The buzz is real, and felt by the thousands of freehubs, zinging down Commercial Street.
Teammates arrive. Shake out rides are ridden. Expo booths are visited. Smiles are had, photos are snapped, hugs are given. The traveling circus is reunited again. And before we know it, Meg and I are lining up on Commercial St at 3:00pm on Friday, May 31st. The road is lined with friends and fans, cheering as we roll out north. I wave and smile and harness the energy of everyone out there.
Into the Flint Hills we go.
“The race started fast” is a statement for 99% of every report ever written. The temps were cool, and skies were overcast. A crash around 3 miles in and I saw Meg bopping through the field just off the road to avoid said crash. OMG, every year? Why? A dude wearing a skinsuit and aero socks pops up and immediately starts riding without even looking over his bike or body. He’s haphazardly holding a ziplock full of nutrition, unsure how to reach his tiny pockets this item shot out of. Drops it and nearly crashes again. I see this person a few more times, and try my best to not get annoyed or roll my eyes too far back into my helmet.
We’re rolling north and see a detour sign and volunteer (hi Dan!) telling us to turn left rather than continue straight into a minimum maintenance road that looked soooo muddy. OMG, was that a gift? Did Unbound just reroute us and spare our bikes and legs from a muddy hike a bike? I’ll take it!
I skipped the first resupply at mile 39. I had enough water and fuel, and didn’t feel the need for a Coke yet. The cloudy skies and mild temps were a stark contrast to years past. I wanted to make it to the next resupply before sunset, as I had a little surgery to do on my Dynamo light, ahem cheap GoPro mount. The mount survived 650 miles of the Badlands Women’s Rally, and Inbound to Unbound, and decided to snap 4 miles into the XL. I looked down and the light was hanging by the wire, narrowly missing my front tire. I pulled it back and placed it into my feed bag. Good news: my Wahoo was still getting a charge from the light/hub.
The rest of Friday was filled with fun riding and seeing photographers I knew! I gave big smiles and “hellos” and “good to see yous!” to Linda, Tilly, Mike, and Jace who were all out on course at various points.
Arrived to the mile 87 gas station and immediately went for the yellow Red Bull, a banana, and a cherry pie. No pizza available here, so this will have to do. Britt and Danny soon arrive and are chatting it up in the store. I decide against the beanie baby keychains at the checkout and head out for a little mount surgery. Removed the broken segment and shortened the light mount. Off we go into the night with my two new ride buddies.
My two sad parts of the XL this year were the lack of sunset and sunrise viewing. The cloud cover was so thick and dense, we missed both. Those are usually my two highlights of the event. I felt sad for Meg who didn’t get to see either. I also usually enjoy the night riding, under a moon, and the heat of the day has escaped. This time, there was no moon, the clouds were thick and dark, and it was dare I say chilly enough to where I actually donned my vest. I wore my clear lenses on the Koo Demos and eventually went without because everything was so wet and muggy. The water crossing wasn’t nearly as bad as advertised and I rode through it unscathed and only slightly worried about my feet never drying out.
The next aid was a familiar site from 2021, and I came in smiling again. There was a similar feel of sprawled out madness, but I felt more put together than my compatriots. {I’m sure I looked like a shit show all the same.} I got enough food, and filled the bottles and hydration pack and was off. Stoppage time was minimal and back into the night I went.
I had remembered some minimum maintenance roads and techy bits, and those came easier this year. There was a middle of nowhere farm that had a party rolling, music blasting, fire brewing and mini Cokes cracking. I’d seen a woman a few times throughout the day and night who had a table of candy and a cooler. The roadside signs and encouragement were pleasant additions. You can see the goodness this race brings.
I also felt the encouragement of the dot watchers. I’d look down at my watch for the notification of a message sent in and read them like little presents on Christmas day.
Saturday morning came and the store that was supposed to be closed, was open. And had been since the first racers came through. They had an a-frame sign at the water station alerting us to ride one block off course to the market. Pizza, Dr Pepper, yellow Red Bull and some chips. More blown riders, but somehow I was holding it together. Maybe.
Saturday was filled with more high points than low. Although the sunrise was missed, the sun did eventually shine. The contrast to 2021 was stark. I entered Council Grove with a renewed energy and skipped right by the grocery store of death, and into the gas station for yet another breakfast pizza. I used the restroom to clean up a bit and change bib shorts, something I haven’t done since my first Unbound (200) in 2018. I was in and out, and back on route.
We did a technical river crossing followed by a very steep and loose climb, and I had the satisfaction of cleaning it, and having a photographer there to capture that! We had gotten wind of a mud sector, but somehow wasn’t deterred. Mile 252 came and went and it was what it was. Ride, walk, ride, walk. Scrape. Thank you Erin for the paint stick I packed. Mounted my bike again and that was that. Far less ptsd than I would’ve expected.
The next aid was supposed to be just water, but lucky us, the volunteer had food and lovely conversation. The water was cold and delicious, enough so that I soaked my head. The day was warm, but not nearly as hot as years past. A shared pickle with Ariel, a banana, and a sip of the man’s beer and I was off to the next neutral aid, provided by the race. Cottonwood Falls had a rodeo and they didn’t want us using the Casey’s, so the race had to pivot. Cokes, pickles, bananas, gummies, and Nico! Hadn’t seen him all race and we ended up yo yo’ing to the finish line, each riding our own wave of energy.
My stretch goal was to beat the second sun, but the climb out of the last aid station before we reconnected with the shorter distance courses just about did me in. It was a long slog. I was riding to find any shade. As the courses merged, I was happy to be doing these last steep hills, the lake, and the final miles during daylight and with others. There was so much love on course from the spectators (and yes another beer!) to pull energy from. I knew it’d be close, but my stretch goal was a stretch. I waited a bit to turn on my lights, savoring the gorgeous sunset and dusk for as long as possible.
I felt a surge of energy during the last 10 miles. Flying again on those fast gravel roads, I felt the positivity of all those far and near cheering me on. I felt my own heart, open to whatever the day would bring, more full than it’s been in a long time. I saw Venny on Highland hill cheering us all up and over. I shot my hand up and cried as I crossed the finish line, with my teammates waiting to receive me with big hugs. Unbound finish line number five was so much more sweet. Like a cold Coka-Cola in the middle of a hot ride, it was just what I needed.
As always, I’m incredibly thankful and lucky to have so many people and supporters in my corner who’ve helped me get to every start and through every finish line. Kyle, who has sacrificed so much for me and for our country, and who encourages me to continue exploring. BrittLee who kept me on the team even after moving overseas and has talked and lived through the many travel-logistical-insanity that happens when planning an eight week trip away from home. She has kept this team going with her insane work ethic, persistence, and love. Meghan, who came along for the ride on four of these weeks and is a teammate and friend everyone should wish for. Noko, my sister Megan, and Caro who housed and fed me between events and who go along with all my crazy plans and still love me. Shannon and Chris (Emporia family) who welcome me into their home a week early and treat me like family. To my teammates who’ve traveled with me and shared logistics and cheered me on and laughed and giggled our way into every coffee and ice cream shop possible. To our sponsors who enable us to keep riding in and on the best. They enable us to keep toeing the line. They celebrate our finishes and our individual stories. Velocio, 3T, Hunt, Schwalbe, Kask, Koo, Fizik, Wahoo, Apidura, Sram, Muc-Off, The Feed, Bobos, Mortal Hydration.
Thank you.
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