‘I two-quads, one-hamstringed my way around Kansas’ – Taylor Phinney spends 130km only clipped into one pedal amid eventful return to Unbound Gravel

After having to contend with a mud-caked bike that briefly turned into a single-speed stead, a slow leak, a rain deluge, and a hit to his morale, Taylor Phinney then had to race 130 kilometres of Unbound Gravel 200 with only one foot clipped in.

The first big mud section on Towers Climb, after 24 or so kilometres, pushed Phinney to go from the front to “bent over” his bike. The field quickly split, with a leading group, including eventual winner Mads Würtz Schmidt (Specialized Off-Road), pulling away as Phinney, amongst others, was left behind.