This is footage of my 2023 Unbound XL Ride.
I'm a Kansas native but I'm now living in Leiden, Netherlands. Prior to this I've completed the DK/Unbound 200 twice in two attempts and have completed a few other ultra endurance events. I also enjoy bike packing. I'm very much a mid pack finisher and ride at a steady but light effort and focus on minimizing time off of the bike.
Sadly I missed footage leading up to the first gas station since my first go pro battery died and I didn't want to stop to swap it out. Early on I rode quite a bit with a Steve from Boston. Super nice guy and I really enjoyed riding with him. Steve, I know you are out there, I hope you are safe and healthy.
The significant XL mud sections were a stretch leading into El Dorado and then the section in between El Dorado and Eureka leading into the township of Reece. I also had to deal with the muddy sections before and after Madison too, these were shared with the 200 course.
The second half of the video you'll notice a lot more riders, this is after rejoining the 200 course. It was nice to have a lot more company but also a bit humbling to be passed by fresher legs. I decided to go with ambient sound on this video rather than an audio track so that you can catch some of the dialog. Sorry for the coughing, I was also dealing with a cold.
Proud of myself for finishing this one. Due to my cold I almost didn't start but I never doubted myself from Cottonwood Falls onwards and my Van Nicholas Rowtag performed flawlessly. Not sure if I would do this again but I certainly wouldn't rule it out.