Natalie's story: Unbound

BaseCamp athlete Natalie Barron shared her experience at the 2026 Unbound gravel bike race in Kansas.

This was my 2nd year competing in the Unbound 100-mile and was definitely the hardest due to miles of unrideable muddy roads, water crossings and thunderstorms.

My coach Jill had a great race prep, and I was also able to recon parts of the course with her, which was so fun.

My race goals were a PR on finishing time and to finish feeling strong. Unfortunately I was about an hour and 15 minutes slower, mainly due to the mud/walking due to mud. I did finish feeling pretty strong considering nearly 9 hours on course.

I did learn a lot about riding this type of event and came away with more confidence that I could at least finish the Lauf Gravel Worlds 150-mile course, which I'm planning to do in August.