There was ample pre-race hype about new equipment and the strength of the Specialized Off-road team at the 2026 Unbound Gravel 200 while the swirling around about the bigger setup under the PAS Racing collective was a little more subdued, even though defending women's champion Karolina Migoń was back.
Still, that doesn't mean that there weren't plenty of tales to be told from among the teams, of both results and camaraderie. PAS Racing started with seven riders in Emporia, Kansas, and finished with two on the podium. Cecily Decker and Tobias Kongstad secured third place in both elite divisions, plus Decker moved to second overall in the Life Time Grand Prix standings.
