“Nice to meet you with peanut butter mud” – Matej Mohorič among Unbound runners preparing for a mud cameo

Last year, Unbound Gravel had a relentless villain, known as Peanut Butter Slime, who stole the show with a long sequence just before the start that wreaked havoc in every category. Steps have been taken this year to lessen the extent of the mud’s destructive role, but it appears it will make another brief appearance in 2024.

Some riders may be prepared and unfazed, with social media posts including a photo of Carolin Schiff’s “peanut butter-ready” bike and a video of experienced Peter Stetina looking like he’s doing the job. of a familiar task well practiced as he found a local waterway to wash away the mud. These runners know all too well what they could expect after riding – and walking – through the worst of it last year, but others may have been caught a little by surprise.

“I think we’re pretty well prepared. I feel good physically but it’s going to be a very long race,” said the Slovenian, who pointed out that 203 miles (327 km) on dirt would require twice as much energy as any race he had done. previously and that it was a very different beast from his first winning gravel event The elite men’s race at the UCI Gravel World Championships was 169km long, about half the distance of Unbound, and only half n. t was unpaved while the race that begins and ends in Emporia, Kansas, is 92 percent dirt.