Garmin UNBOUND Gravel Presented by Craft Sportswear

By
Bruce Christian
-

More than 2,800 cyclists ranging in age from 12 to 88 representing 48 states and 28 countries raced last weekend on the gravel of the Flint Hills surrounding Emporia, Kansas,. for the 2021 Garmin UNBOUND Gravel presented by Craft Sportswear and produced by Life Time.

With two 350-mile cyclists riding for 24-hours without sleep, the battle to the finish brought athletes into a new realm of determination. Winners included:

100-Mile Distance Women’s Division:

  • 1st: Lauren Stephens, 35, of Dallas, Texas, with a time of 5:41:58
  • 2nd: Emma Langley, 25, of Richmond, VA, with a time of 5:51:11
  • 3rd:  Jessica Cygan, 28, of Colorado Springs, Colo., with a time of 6:13:39
  • 4th:  Marisa Boaz, 34, of Waukee, Iowa, with a time of 6: 16: 18
  • 5th:  Karen Jarchow, 36, of Eagle, Colo. with a time of 6:17:41

100-Mile Distance Men’s Division:

  • 1st: Stephen Hyde, 34, of Easthampton, Mass. with a time of 5:20:13
  • 2nd: Nate Maddox, 24, of Edwards, Colo.  with a time of 5:27:09
  • 3rd: John Croom, 27, of Colorado Springs, Colo., with a time of 5:34:35
  • 4th: David Wiens, 56, of Gunnison, Colo., with a time of 5:36:33
  • 5th: Shadd Smith, 49, of Overland Park, Kan., with a time of 5:41:22

200-Mile Distance Women’s Division:

  • 1st: Lauren De Crescenzo, 30, of Atlanta, Ga. with a time of 12:06:49
  • 2nd: Amity Rockwell, 28, of Oakland, Calif., with a time of 12:22:15
  • 3rd: Emily Newsom, 37, of Fort Worth, Texas with a time of 12:30:52
  • 4th: Whitney Allison, 33, of Fort Collins, Colo., with a time of 12:34:19
  • 5th: Shayna Powless, 27, of Jacksonville, Fla., with a time of 12:37:50

200-Mile Distance Men’s Division:

  • 1st: Ian Boswell, 30, of Barnet, Vt. with a time of 10:17:23:13
  • 2nd: Laurens Ten Dam, 40, of Oudorp, North Holland, with a time of 10:17:23:28
  • 3rd: Peter Stetina, 33, of Santa Rosa, Calif., with a time of 10:18:34:62
  • 4th: Ted King, 38, of Richmond, Vt., with a time of 10:18:34:65
  • 5th: Colin Strickland, 34, of Austin, Texas, with a time of 10:25.34

350-Mile (XL) Distance Women’s Division:

  • 1st: Lael Wilcox, 34, Anchorage, Alaska, with a time of 26:55:24
  • 2nd: Amanda Nauman, 31, of Lake Forest, Calif., with a time of 29:01:51
  • 3rd: Christie Tracy, 42, of Austin, Texas, with a time of 31:56:42
  • 4th: Rachel Wills, 37, of Oak Harbor, Wash., with a time of 33:40:34
  • 5th: Cynthia Frazier, 28, Lexington, Va., of with a time of 33:40:34

350-Mile (XL) Distance Men’s Division:

  • 1st: Taylor Lideen, 31, Phoenix, Ariz., with a time of 22:57:14
  • 2nd: Will Loevner, 23, Allison Park, Pa., with a time of 24:32:40
  • 3rd: Mat Stephens, 38, Dallas, Texas, with a time of 24:48:12
  • 4th: Jay Petervary, 48, Victor, Idaho, with a time of 24:58:53
  • 5th: Jesse Stauffer, 33, Selinsgrove, Pa., with a time of 25:00:59

The event’s winningest rider, Dan Hughes and his son Charles Hughes raised more than $15,000 for the Life Time Foundation and Outride through their Back of the Pack Challenge, for which they began the 200-mile race last and received pledges for every rider they passed throughout the course. The Life Time Foundation works to better food nutrition and increase scratch cooking processes in schools while Outride works to put bikes in schools. The two organizations have partnered in 2021 to bring their collective causes to schools across the country, beginning this year with Emporia.

The Garmin UNBOUND Gravel event is owned and produced by Life Time, a healthy lifestyle brand. It is among more than 30 premier athletic events owned and produced by the company nationwide.