Two Cayman cyclists tested their limits on the hilly, tire-shredding and sun-baked gravel of Emporia, Kansas, as they took on the UNBOUND Gravel challenge.
Marking their first time participating, Emily Clarke and Andres Mcdermot represented Cayman during the event, held on 30 May, amongst hundreds of cyclists from around the globe.
Founded in 2006, it has grown from a single 200-mile challenge into one that offers five separate distances: 25, 50, 100, 200 and 350 miles.
Clarke and Mcdermot tackled unpredictable weather and muddy paths to conquer the 206.9-mile course, marking their first gravel race.
Describing her experience, Clarke said, “The race started fast. It felt like a road race but on dirt roads. The weather put on a show, with everything from dry heat at times, a few lightning storms and intermittent downpours.”
“My biggest obstacle was my vision as I couldn’t really see much for the middle portion of the race after getting too much mud in my eyes,” she said. “This made me a bit nervous, but I just kept telling myself that my brain can interpret more than I think with very little information.”
Clarke said she enjoyed the race overall.
“There were some exciting more technical sections and undulating hills, and the landscape was incredible,” she said.
Clarke delivered a standout performance, crossing the line with a chip time of 12 hours, 47 minutes and 31 seconds. This result meant she placed 166th out of 1,250 participants in the category. Her time placed her 7th out of the 149 female riders and 2nd in the female 30-34 age division of her category.
Competing in the event carried major significance for Mcdermot, who said, “Not only was this my first time doing this event; it was pretty much my first time ever doing any sort of event like this in general.”
“It was a super challenging and difficult experience, but also very fun,” he said. “I know fun and difficult don’t really go together, but I think that’s what makes events like this special. Pushing yourself further than normal and seeing what you can do.”
Mcdermot, who finished with a chip time of 15 hours, 41 minutes and 56 seconds, said the most challenging aspects was “the decision-making regarding pacing” and “riding solo for most of the event”.
“For the first four hours, I couldn’t stop thinking. I tried to decide if I was going too hard or if the pace I was going at was sustainable for the full 206 miles,” he said.
“I ended up being conservative and abandoning my original plan and just went for finishing the ride. Also, the head wind was crazy at certain points and not being in a group made it extra challenging. I tried to find a group to ride with to break the head wind but groups were either too slow or too fast,” he added.
Reflecting on the their preparation, Clarke said she relied heavily on the guidance of her coach, Youcef Cummings.
“He has helped me balance the fatigue we all inevitably accumulate in life with the right type and amount of training load. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to execute the race as I did without his guidance in preparation,” Clarke said.
For Mcdermot, preparation looked like purchasing a training plan catered specifically for this event and spending up to 17 hours a week on the bike.
Both athletes noted they would tackle the event again.
“I have unfinished business and want to finish this race before the sun sets, so finishing in under 14 hours 10 minutes. Now that I know what it’s like, I’ll be even more ready for the next time,” Mcdermot said.
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