On Saturday, June 3, after some 28 straight hours in the saddle, I finished an absolute monster of a race, the Unbound XL — you can read about it here. The Unbound XL gravel is a 351-mile, self-supported, sleep-depriving adventure in the middle of Kansas, USA. No support means you're in charge of your own fueling and mechanicals. You're carrying lights, tools and enough food and water to suffice the 70+ miles between public convenience stores.
Ninety-four percent unpaved, the course traverses across the infamous flint rocks that are notorious for slicing tires, undulating terrain, exposed sun-baked roads, headwinds and, in this year's edition, thunderstorms, downpours and bike-destroying mud.
