A year ago, Sarah Sturm (Specialized) finished third in the elite women’s category at Life Time Unbound Gravel 200, referring with high sarcasm her 12-plus hour adventure as “Funbound”. She said she was pleasantly surprised by her podium spot in the 200-mile, mud-soaked race, which actually came in at 205 miles, and “for me, that’s as good as winning”. Two weeks prior to her third start at the giant of gravel gets underway on June 1, Sturm has already landed in Kansas and pre-ridden much of the north course, territory covered only twice before and last in 2021.
She’s fresh off a podium at The Traka Gravel, the 360km distance, and ready to tackle the second round of the Life Time Grand Prix on another 11-plus hour adventure, where the unexpected is always to be expected - thunderstorms in the forecast, 2,000 more feet of elevation gain and a new test with a wider gap at the start between elite women and amateur racers. “I'm kind of excited for the luck of the north course. I had a chance to go ride a lot of those [new] sections.
And I don't know if it's helping with my gear selection or making more questions,” Sturm told a select group media, including Cyclingnews , in a pre-race virtual press conference this week. “But we have gone back and forth of what bike, what tires, to ride for the north. Pre-riding it is different than racing it.
” One of the talking points for Unbound Gravel 200 is the return to a northern journey across the undulating and unforgi.