Tracy's story: Unbound

BaseCamp athlete Tracy Gravlin shared her experience at the 2026 Unbound gravel bike race in Kansas.

Such a fun long weekend with BaseCamp friends. The weather did not cooperate , which made for an epic race. I had been training at home in wind, rain, and mud. I got the rain and mud, thankfully not wind. I did 3 shakeout rides so knew a bit what to expect. I wanted to get to the 1st big climb as fast as I could. It wasn't too crowded when I got there. Next worry was the MMR. Again happy I got there before it was wall to wall! I could ride a bit. Then people started the hike a bike. I have never had mud like that before on tires and shoes. As with everyone , it slowed the race down. Once I cleared tires and clawed the mud from my cleats, I took off. Feeling great the rest of the way. My workouts with Coach Shannon came in handy, as I used surges to get by riders that were slowing down. So happy to get to finish line using my gear 3 breathing. 🤣 New age group 70+ worked out well.

Thank you, BaseCamp, Shannon, and BaseCamp friends! Plus it was totally awesome to share a house with Nancy, Beth, Dennis, Natalie, and my super supportive husband John!