It started in 2006. Back then it was known as Dirty Kanza. The inaugural race in Emporia, Kansas attracted 34 riders. The event now known as Unbound Gravel (Life Time rebranded the race in 2021) is renowned as the biggest race in gravel cycling with everything from World Tour cyclists, Olympic mountain bikers and, thanks to Unbound’s incredible growth, gravel specialists set to compete alongside thousands of gravel enthusiasts looking to take on the unique and life-changing challenge.

Roughly 4,000 athletes are expected to compete at the various events this weekend that include everything from 25- to 350-mile races. The marquee 200-mile race offers US$60,000 in prize money that’s split between the top-five men and women.

20th Anniversary Course

To celebrate the two decades of racing in Emporia, organizers have created a course that celebrates some of the iconic sections of past races. This year’s 200-mile race will actually include 207 miles of racing with over 9,000 feet of climbing that combines the north and south courses. With rain expected, that means the infamous 10-mile Sharpes Creek Road section promises to be every bit as painful as the last time it was featured at Unbound – 2015. That year’s mud-fest kicked off with a stretch of “prairie peanut butter mud” at about mile 10 that stopped many athletes in their tracks. It’s remembered by many as 100 miles of mud survival and 100 miles of gravel racing.

The terrain around Emporia, including the Flint Hills, features endless rolling climbs. If there’s not all that deep mud the course will often feature extreme heat – the course doesn’t offer much shelter from the elements. Thanks to a wet spring and the chance of rain this weekend, athletes could be in for another tough year at Unbound.

Men’s Race

Last year Kiwi Cam Jones, a mountain bike specialist, took the win after riding roughly 150 miles in a breakaway with Swiss rider Simon Pellaud. Jones will be the man to watch on Saturday, especially with the potential for a muddy course. The 2024 champ, Boulder’s Lachlan Morton, moves back down to the 200-mile race after an epic, record-setting duel with Canadian Robert Britton in the 350-mile race last year that saw just six minutes separating the two.

Two other big names to watch on Saturday include France’s Romain Bardet, who left the pro road peloton last year to focus on gravel racing, and another big-name former World Tour rider who has now moved to gravel, Canadian Mike Woods. Former champ Keegan Swenson is also back to look for another title and move up a spot on the podium after a runner-up finish to Bradyn Lange, who is also racing, at Sea Otter, the opening race of the Life Time Grand Prix series. American track legend Taylor Phinney has come out of retirement to try and represent the US at the LA Olympics in the team pursuit and will also test himself on Saturday.

You can see the full pro men’s list here.

Women’s Race

Last year’s women’s champion Karolina Migoń (a Pole who lives in Switzerland) was able to launch a full-time career after the win in Emporia last year. (She worked as a software engineer and took a five-month leave last year to focus on racing last year.) She managed to extricate herself from a three-woman breakaway with 50 miles to go last year to take a convincing win.

The 2024 champion, Rosa Klöser will be back to regain the title that eluded her last year after a crash and a wrong turn forced her to settle with a fourth-place finish. Another former champ, American Lauren De Crescenzo, who won in 2021, will be another to watch. As with the men, some big-name roadies will be garnering some attention – Axelle Dubau-Prévot (sister of Tour de France Femmes winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot) and Ashleigh Moolman Pasio will be switching to gravel for the weekend.

You can see the full women’s pro list here.

Tech Innovation

Gravel racing doesn’t fall under the same kind of technical UCI rules, which has made the event a testing ground for many manufacturers. This year there will be lots of eyes on defending men’s champ Cam Jones an Robin Gemperle, who will be riding Scott’s Racing Concept (RC) Gravel 32″ prototype bikes. According to Scott “the bikes ridden by Cameron Jones and Robin Gemperle are pure prototypes and will never be released on the market.”

As the “Kona of gravel,” there will no-doubt be more innovative products on display both at the huge expo, and on the race course.

The post Mud, Miles and Mayhem: 20 Years at Unbound Gravel first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

As Gravel racing continues to surge in popularity and competitiveness, we’re seeing riders pulling out all the stops on the equipment front in search of any kind of an edge. That, in turn, keeps pushing the industry to keep improving their bikes, enabling riders to keep pushing the limits – in terms of both their efforts out on the course, and the equipment their riding.

Which has set the stage for Obed Bikes to release its latest gravel race bike – a revamped GVR gravel race bike that takes what was already a great ride (you can check out Ryan Heisler’s review of the original GVR) and turns it into a versatile speedster ready for any conditions.

As the “gravel and mountain bike” part of American Bicycle Group’s three-brand business (Quintana Roo and Litespeed being the other two), Obed bikes are sold direct to consumer, which allows for lots of customization. And that’s where the Obed GVR truly shines.

“Gravel racing has progressed incredibly quickly, and riders now expect more from their equipment than ever before,” said Brad DeVaney, Obed’s lead engineer. “With the GVR, we set out to build a bike that captures the true spirit of modern gravel competition—fast, versatile, and capable of handling whatever the course throws at you.”

While we haven’t had a chance to ride the new GVR, Slowtwitch’s fearless leader, Eric Wynn, did have a chance to check it out during a trip to American Bicycle Group headquarters in Chattanooga a few weeks ago and was suitably impressed, especially with the new geometry of the frame.

Race-Day Rocket

It’s incredible to see the different set ups elite gravel racers are going for these days, and the big thing with this new edition of the GVR is that pros and gravel enthusiasts looking for optimal performance will have lots of options available without having to sacrifice aerodynamics, all while still riding a light-weight machine.

The new carbon lay-up has allowed the Obed engineers to slim the frame down to just 886 grams. (That’s for a medium without paint and hardware, but the key stat is that number is 150g lighter than the original GVR.) That weight reduction comes while maintaining the stiffness, comfort and durability of the original bike, according to the folks at Obed.

Tire clearance has been increased to a whopping 56mm – that’s enough to accommodate 2.2″ mountain bike tires. Tires that wide will be an option for those buying an Obed GVR through the custom bike builder site. Suffice it to say that everything from traditional gravel tires to monster MTB rubber will work, which means this bike can easily be prepped for smooth champagne-gravel or the gnarliest mud-swept backcountry conditions.

Through the bike builder site, you can select components, wheels and cockpit options, while also creating your own special ride through the various colour choices. (Obed reports that the “2026 colour palette features the best automotive-grade paints used by Ason Martin, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche, and multiple decal options, allowing any rider to create a beautiful dream bike that is uniquely theirs.”)

Suspension, Here We Come

There’s a lot more to the new bike than cosmetics, though. The redesigned fork is considerably wider, improving the aero properties of the bike thanks to better airflow between the wheel and the fork blades. The wider fork also allows for a front tire up to 61mm, or 2.4″ wide.

For those who want to go the suspension route, the GVR features suspension-corrected geometry that allows for either a rigid fork or a gravel suspension fork. That includes the new DT Swiss F 132 One fork, which offers 40mm of travel and a remote lockout, so riders can dial in their ride based on the terrain.

The geometry has also been tweaked in other areas, too. The GVR is available in five sizes (XS to XL). Compared to the original version, the reach and front-centre are longer, the head angle is more relaxed and the bottom bracket drop has been increased to provide more stability on high-speed descents and technical riding. The increased fork rate makes the bike more nimble in competitive situations, too.

Here’s the geometry chart for the new GVR:

Hydration and Gear Options

The versatility continues in terms of mounting options, too. There are six bottle cage mounts on the down tube and three on the seat tube. There are top tube bag mounts, along with accessory mounts on the underside of the top tube and down tube. All that means its easy to carry three bottles on the main triangle of the frame, if that’s your thing, while all the accessory mounts should be more than enough for nutrition and other supplies needed for races of virtually any length.

In terms of pricing, according to the Obed website complete bikes start at US$3,990 (down from $4,200 right now), while the GVR Gravel Bike Frameset will set you back $2,469 (down from $2,599). The new bike is available for order now, with bikes being shipped out mid-May.

While we haven’t got out on this second-generation Obed GVR, it sure looks like the company has dialled in a winner, both in terms of performance and price-point.

The post The New OBED GVR: Huge Tire Clearance and Suspension-Ready Geometry first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Last year they took gravel racing to a new level with the sport’s largest single-day prize purse, but the folks at Gravel Worlds weren’t ready to stop at US$100,000. Thanks to the race’s GOODLIFE Nutrition sponsorship, this year’s marquee event on August 22 will offer the pros $150,000, split evenly between the men and women and going 10 deep. And, yes, that means the 17th Gravel Worlds will once again offer the largest one-day prize purse in gravel racing. Fans will be able to follow the exciting action live on the Gravel Worlds YouTube channel and Outside TV.

“We’re proud to be leaders in moving our sport forward,” said Jason Strohbehn, Lead Promoter of Gravel Worlds. “But this isn’t just about the pro race. We’re using the pro field to make Gravel Worlds better for the everyday rider—by increasing safety, expanding our expo, adding more on-course resources, and elevating the entire experience for everyone who shows up to ride.”

GOODLIFE Nutrition Supports Local Event and Juniors

Lincoln-based GOODLIFE Nutrition is providing the prize money for the event, reinforcing “its commitment to fairness, performance and the growth of competitive cycling … and strengthening the local sports community.”

The company is also looking to assist and promote the next generation of gravel racers by offering free entry to all U19 racers in the 75-mile and non-competitive 35-mile races. Entry fees for U23 athletes in the 150-mile race are capped at $50.

“We’re incredibly excited to continue supporting young riders as they find their way into gravel cycling,” said Sofia Gibson, Assistant Lead Promoter of Gravel Worlds. “By offering free and discounted entry to our junior categories, we’re lowering barriers to participation and helping build a stronger future for the sport. Investing in young athletes today is how we ensure gravel cycling continues to grow in healthy, inclusive ways tomorrow.”

150-Mile Showcase Event

The prize money offered in 2025 for the 150-mile marquee event ensured that the best gravel riders were in Lincoln, with Matthew Beers and Rosa Klöser taking dramatic wins and each earning a cool $17,500 in the process. This year’s winners will take home $25,000 for their efforts.

Here’s the 2026 prize-money breakdown:

1. $25,000
2. $17,000
3. $10,000
4. $7,500
5. $5,000
6. $4,000
7. $3,000
8. $2,000
9. $1,000
10. $500

With this much money on the line, another star-studded field will certainly be on hand again this year.

Organizers emphasize that the large pro purse doesn’t diminish from the experience for the rest of the athletes competing in the race since GOODLIFE’s sponsorship provides even more resources to ensure the event “remains open, accessible and community focused.” Enhancements to this year’s race include more on-course services so that there won’t be more than 30 miles between water and fully stocked aid stations for the 150-mile race. The renowned First2Last Party that celebrates the final finishers looking to make the 9:59:59 cut off time will be bigger and better than ever thanks to more investment this year, too.

“I’m beyond thankful that these changes will increase the experience for every single rider,” said Hannah Shell, pro rider and Gravel Worlds’ First to Last Coordinator. “And I can promise you, the last place party is going to be absolutely next level.”

Endurance Festival

There’s almost a full week of action around this year’s race, including a Short Track MTB race on Tuesday (Aug. 18), a two-day expo (Aug. 20 and 21), the USA Triathlon Gravel National Championships on Friday, Aug.21, the cycling events (35-, 75-, 150- and 300-mile) on Aug. 22, with Saturday and Sunday also hosting the running events – 5-, 10-, 21.1- and 50-km.

Friday’s USA Triathlon Gravel National Championships will feature two distances – a sprint (750 m swim, 17 mile bike, 5 km run) and an intermediate distance (1,500 m swim, 28 mile bike and a 10 km run.) This year’s event will be the second of a planned four-year run for the race to be held at Branched Oak Lake. You can check out our photo gallery from last year’s race below.

You can get more information and register for this year’s Gravel Worlds race here.

The post Gravel Worlds Goes Big Again With Record-Setting 2026 Prize Purse first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Emma Grant’s Ventum GS1. Photos: Kevin Mackinnon

Earlier this week we posted our first story on some of the bikes we noticed at last week’s Gravel Worlds event in Lincoln, Nebraska. As we pointed out then, with $100,000 in prize money up for grabs, there was no holding back when it came to bike set ups. As a self-supported race, too, athletes were carrying lots of hydration and fuel, so it was interesting to see how they stocked up on water bottles and storage compartments to carry hydration and fuel. Here’s a look at four women’s bikes we noticed heading into last week’s race:

Leah Van der Linden: Lauf Seigla

Frame: Lauf Seigla with the Grit 3rd Gen Carbon Suspension Fork

Wheels: Hunt Limitless

Tires: Continental Dubnital 2.2 (for racing – Race King shown)

Drivetrain: SRAM Red 1x drivetrain (48-tooth/ 10-52), Ceramic Speed Oversized Pulley Wheel

Pedals/ Power: Garmin Rally XC Pedals

Hydration/ Fuel: Apidura Pack; 2 Frame Mounted Bottles

Cockpit: Zipp Carbon Gravel bar (38 with 40 flair)/ Garmin Solar

Saddle: Specialized 3D Power Saddle

Hannah Shell: Cervelo Aspero 5

Frame: Cervelo Aspero 5

Wheels: Hunt Limitless 40

Tires: Pirelli Cinturato Mix Terrain Tire 45

Drivetrain: Dura Ace 2X crank/ GRX Rear Derailleur (50/34; 11-34)

Pedals/ Power: Garmin Rally XC Pedals

Cockpit: Cervelo Aero bar. Garmin computer

Hydration/ Fuel: Frame mounted water bottles, Cervelo top tube Bento Box

Saddle: Specialized Sitero

Emily Newsom: Ventum GS1

Frame: Ventum GS1

Wheels: Hunt Limitless (Carbon Spoked)

Tires: Schwalbe G One RX and RS

Drivetrain: SRAM Red 1X (48-tooth/ 10-46)

Hydration/ Fuel: Untapped Nutrition

Computer: Wahoo Roam

Saddle: Prologo Dimension 143

Danni Shrewsbury: Argon 10 Dark Matter 2.0

Frame: Argon 18 Dark Matter 2.0

Wheels: Enve 4.5

Tires: Schwalbe R (front), RF (back)

Drivetrain: SRAM 1X (48-tooth/ 10-52)

Pedals/ Power: Favero Power Pedals

Cockpit: Enve bar and stem, Wahoo Roam computer

Saddle: Repente Quasar

Emma Grant: Ventum GS1

Frame: Ventum GS1

Wheels: Hunt Limitless

Tires: Kenda 45 Alluvium Pro

Drivetrain: SRAM Red 1X (48-tooth/ 10-46)

Pedals/ Power: Garmin Rally XC Pedals

Hydration/ Fuel: Poc Top Tube Bag, 2 Frame mounted water bottles

Computer: Wahoo Roam

Saddle: Specialized Mimic

The post Bikes We Noticed at Gravel Worlds: Part 2 first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Chase Wark’s Lauf Seigla includes a Hed disc wheel.

Last weekend’s Gravel Worlds event featured a stellar field, no-doubt attracted by the $100,000 prize purse that included a $17,500 check to the winner. That provided even more incentive for the riders to pull out all the stops when it came to their bike set ups.

As a fully self-supported race, you’ll notice lots of big bottles on the bikes, along with additional storage areas for gels and other nutrition on most of the bikes.

Here’s a look at four of the pro men’s bikes we saw before the race got rolling on Saturday:

Chase Wark: Lauf Seigla

Frame: Lauf Seigla with the Grit 3rd Gen Carbon Suspension Fork

Wheels: Front: HED Stillwater (50 mm)/ Rear: Custom HED Stillwater rim with disc fairing.

Tires: Continental Terra Speed 45 mm

Drivetrain: SRAM Red XPLR 1x drivetrain (50-tooth/ 10-46)

Power: SRAM Red

Pedals: Look Keo Blade

Hydration/ Fuel: Two frame mounted large bottles, Profile Design HSF Aeria Hydration System, Profile Design RZ3 Top Tube Bottle,

Cockpit: Profile Design Canta Race handlebars, Garmin computer

Saddle: Velo

Joe Goettl: Enve MOG

Frame: Enve MOG

Wheels: Enve SES 4.5

Tires: Pirelli Gravel H 45 mm

Drivetrain: Shimano XTR 1x (10-51 cassette) Dura Ace cranks with Wolf Tooth 52-tooth chainring

Power/ Pedals: Garmin Rally Road pedals

Computer: Garmin 1040 Solar

Saddle: SMP Evo (Prototype)

Drew Dillman: Lauf Seigla

Frame: Lauf Seigla with the Grit 3rd Gen Carbon Suspension Fork/

Wheels: Zipp 303 Firecrest

Tires: Pathfinder 40 mm

Drivetrain: SRAM XPLR 1x (10-46)

Power: SRAM XPR

Pedals: Look Road

Hydration/ Fuel: Two frame mounted 1 litre bottles,

Cockpit: Profile Design (130 mm stem) Canta Race 36 (40 at brake hoods)handlebars, Garmin computer with Silca GoPro mount

Saddle: Specialized Roman 3D Evo

Cameron Jones: Scott Addict Gravel

Frame: Scott Addict Gravel

Wheels: Syncros Capitol 1.0S

Tires: Schwalbe G1 RS Pro (semi slick) 45 mm

Drivetrain: Shimano XTR 1X (12-speed) 52 front, 9-45 rear cassette

Power: 4iiii 165 mm cranks

Pedals: Shimano road pedals

Hydration/ Fuel: 3 bottle cages

Cockpit: Deda 37 cm bars, 140 mm stem (-17 drop), Garmin computer

Saddle: Pro Stealth Team

The post Bikes We Noticed at Gravel Worlds: Part 1 first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Photos: Kevin Mackinnon

Things wrapped up for a busy weekend of racing at Gravel Worlds with the USA Triathlon Gravel National Championships held at the spectacular Branched Oak Lake. Athletes were welcomed to the race site this morning with an impressive sunrise along with some rain, which helped create a beautiful rainbow and also packed the gravel roads down a bit, so things weren’t quite as dusty on the bike.

The national championship featured two distances – a sprint (750 m swim, 17 mile bike, 5 km run) and an intermediate distance (1,500 m swim, 28 mile bike and a 10 km run. This is the first of four years that the event is slated to take place here in Lincoln.

We’ve got all of the podium results after the gallery. For full results you can click here.

Caroline Theil would win the sprint distance race overall.

Grayson Masterson was the fastest male in the sprint triathlon.

Sheri Schrock won the sprint-distance duathlon.

Betty Janelle won the 60 to 64 category in the sprint triathlon.

And rounding out the athlete experience, the crew from Aragon Tavern were on hand to create some incredible cheese steaks!

Intermediate Distance

Kevin Denny took the overall win in the intermediate distance race.

PARA

M0119

M2024

M2529

M3034

M3539

M4044

M4549

M5054

M5559

M6064

M6569

F3539

F4044

F4549

F5054

F5559

F6064

F6569

Sprint Triathlon

Caroline Theil won the sprint triathlon overall thanks to her 1:27:48 finish time.

Sprint Male

PARA

M0119

M2024

M2529

M3034

M3539

M4044

M4549

M5054

M5559

M6064

M6569

M7074

M7579

M8084

Sprint Female

Elite/Open

F0119

F2024

F3034

F3539

F4549

F5054

F5559

F6064

F6569

F7074

F7579

Duathlon Intermediate Distance

M3539

M4044

M4549

M5054

M5559

M6064

M6569

F6064

Duathlon Sprint

The post More Gravel (Worlds): USA Triathlon National Gravel Championships first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Cam Jones recovers after his third-place sprint finish. Photos: Kevin Mackinnon

With the $100,000 prize purse and the stacked field that came in the hunt for it, the Gravel Worlds 150 Mile pro race was always guaranteed to offer some exciting racing. Add in the unexpected mud stretches that would end up being game changing for the race, and you get what we saw at the 2025 race – exciting racing that came down to the wire for both the men and the women.

You can catch up on the pro men’s and women’s races through the links below:

The pro men got things started at 5:55 am.

Heading into the first check point/ aid station, Matthew Beers pulled ahead of the group.

Cecile Lejeune and …

Karolina Migon were in fourth and fifth heading into the first check point – the MMR sections spread the chasers out.

An athlete competing in the 300 mile race grabs some well-deserved food at the aid station.

Christie Tracy would win the women’s 300 mile event.

A long breakaway …

Geerike Schreurs and …

Rosa Klöser would ride together for roughly 120 miles. Klöser lost both her bottles, but was able to fill up her backpack with water at an aid station to go along with the bottle Schreurs shared with her.

Speaking of aid stations …

Like everyone in the race, Joe Goettl would have issues with all the mud. Here’s what his derailleurs looked like after the race:

The athletes were welcomed across the line by Gravel Worlds’ Sofia Gibson and Jason Strohbehn.

Beers sprints to the win.

As does Klöser

Post race interviews for Keegan Swenson after a runner-up finish.

The post Photo Gallery: Gravel Worlds’ Cycling Day Gets Muddier than Expected first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Photos: Kevin Mackinnon

A week ago Rosa Klöser (GER) and Geerike Schreurs (NED) found themselves in what turned out to be a “recon” for this year’s Gravel Worlds. The two broke clear of the field at the muddy CORE4 event in Iowa City, then settled things with a sprint to the line, which was won by the German.

Heading into this season today’s race in Lincoln, Nebraska had alway been one of Klöser’s main goals, no-doubt thanks to the $100,000 prize purse, with $17,500 of that going to the winner. (“Next to, of course, defending my title at Unbound,” Klöser said after the race – her Unbound experience this year got derailed by a wrong turn and a crash, so she had to “settle” with fourth.)

As with the men’s race, which was decided by the MMR (minimum maintenance road) sections of the course, it was the early mudfest that quickly split up the women’s race.

“After a mud section we were initially in a break of six riders,” Klöser said. “Already, in that break, I could clearly tell that G (Geerike) and I were really trying to push the pace. At CORE4 last week we had to walk a lot of the mud sections, so I think we had a bit of an edge on the other riders with picking lines through the mud.”

Through the third MMR section on the course Klöser had pulled clear, but when she looked back Schreurs was not far behind, with a huge break to the rest of the group.

“So I decided to wait for G, and she was a great competitor – she gave me one of her bottles because I lost both of my bottles,” Klöser continued. “I honestly don’t know if I would have finished this strong without her bottle, so that was really true sportsmanship by her. We had a quick chat and we decided we would commit together because we knew with our power on the flats and on those rolling hills wee could drive it home.”

The two would work well together, stopping to fuel up at both aid stations, all while pulling well clear of the rest of the women in the field. A chase group of six finally managed to regroup after the MMR section had shattered the race, but the group would continue to lose time to the two Europeans.

“I should have tried to make a move, I know, but I was actually really tired, and it was hard to stay on her wheel at times,” Schreurs said. Which left the Dutchwoman in the unenviable position of trying to outsprint her German rival again after a number of failed attempts where she had to settle for second, including last weekend in Iowa and last year at Unbound.

Schreurs would have to settle for another second-place finish to Klöser, but was still smiling at the line.

This year’s Unbound champion, Karolina Migon, would extricate herself from the chase group with about 20 miles to go – the move was enough to ensure a clear third, but was never even close to a challenge for the two leaders, who would cross the line over 12 minutes up.

Migon would round out the podium.

Lauf Gravel Worlds Women’s 150-Mile Elite

The post Rosa Klöser Wins Gravel Worlds After Epic Breakaway with Geerike Schreurs first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Matthew Beers wins Gravel Worlds. Photos: Kevin Mackinnon

With what’s believed to be the largest prize purse ever for a gravel cycling race ($100,000), today’s Gravel Worlds 150-mile pro race was always destined to be competitive. And gravel fans got that, with exciting sprint finishes deciding both races. We’ll get to the women’s race in our next post – for now we’ll focus on the men’s race that saw a pair of “mates” decide who would take home the $17,500 check for the win through a sprint to the line, which was ultimately won by South Africa’s Matthew Beers.

The day was most certainly competitive, but some last minute rain changed the complexion of the event dramatically. A series of MMR (Minimum Maintanance Road) sections of the course would prove decisive.

“The first one, I think everyone thought was going to be OK, then it just went a little bit pear shaped,” Beers said after the race. “And then we had the second one which really split the race up … And, then there was one with maybe 20 miles to go – it was quite slippery and a few guys went down and Kee (Keegan Swenson) and I went through clean and we just put the hammer down.”

That MMR section whittled down a group that had numbered about eight to just four – one of the men who went down in the crash was Brendan (Trekky) Johnston, who would have to spend some time fixing his bike before riding in solo to finish eighth.

The other two who managed to escape from that final MMR section were Unbound champ Cameron Jones (NZL) and Canadian Adam Roberge. Those two fell victim to the Swenson and Beers’ experience, which proved pivotal in the closing stages of the race.

“I think we read the race very similarly and we know when to go – we race together a lot,” Beers said after the race. “So we know when we’re feeling good and he can always rely on me and I can always rely on him in these situations.”

“Once we got the gap we just agreed to take it all the way to the line, and then we’d race and see who had the better finish,” Swenson said after the race. “The big dog was going quick today, but I’m stoked on the second place.”

Keegan Swenson.

“I don’t like leaving it to a sprint, but I’ve been working on my sprint quite a bit because of this – races come down to sprints quite often,” Beers continued. “Keegan’s been preparing for the World Mountain Bike champs – that’s a big goal of his, so he’s really skinny and lean at the moment, so maybe I had the upper hand. I’m a bit bigger – it was awesome to go to the line and eventually get one sprint on him.”

Swenson was as surprised as the rest of us on how difficult the conditions turned out to be.

“I expected a little bit of mud, but not enough to pack up like it did,” he said. “It worked out – every time we came out of the mud and went full gas and tried to make some separation, the group would get smaller and smaller and slowly whittled down through the day. Luckily there wasn’t a ton of mud – it was only two sections that were really bad, and the rest was just a little bit greasy.”

“Greasy” was enough, though, especially considering how tough many of the athletes found those muddy sections. Once Beers and Swenson had managed to ride themselves clear, it was left to Jones and Roberge to have their own sprint to decide the final spot on the podium.

Jones and Roberge sprint to the line …

With Jones coming out ahead.

Lauf Gravel Worlds Men’s 150 Mile Elite Results

You can find full results from today’s race here.

The post Matthew Beers Takes Gravel Worlds In Dramatic Sprint Over “Mate” Keegan Swenson first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

For the most part Friday at Gravel Worlds is all about running … which, like the bike events, mostly takes part on gravel roads. The day kicks off with the 50 km, followed by the 25 km race. Later in the day there’s a 10 km, and the evening rounds out with a 5 km run. Friday afternoon also sees the 300 mile race kick off.

We recap the day’s racing with photos from the day.

Getting ready for …

… the 5 AM start of the 50 km.

Ingrid Goettl

Kristi Mohn

They’re off in the 10 km – Steve Anderson and Gary Shapiro.

… as did Snyder. It is tradition that the winners get a champagne welcome across the line.

Shannon Suing took second in the 25 km.

Joe Goettl made sure he was on hand …

… for Ingrid’s finish.

One lap down … only 25 km more to go. Still smiling!

Dwight Brown wins the 50 km race.

Celebrating her finish.

Women’s gravel leaders – Sofia Gibson and Kristi Mohn.

Leah Van Der Linden is all smiles at the pro briefing.

Emma Grant is all smiles at the Good Life booth. “Look – that’s me on that postcard!”

Chase Wark is relaxed and ready for a big day.

Abi Burke gets ready to send Eli Cullison off for the 300 mile challenge.

Ready to take on 300 miles of gravel!

The 300 mile race gets underway.

The post Photo Gallery: Day 1 at Gravel Worlds first appeared on Slowtwitch News.