An enormous amount of preparation, endurance and mental toughness is a given for those who want to succeed at the Unbound Gravel 200 but another essential ingredient is luck – particularly at those crucial moments that could make or break a race. For race winner Lachlan Morton (EF Education-Easypost) that crucial moment came less than halfway through the race in the Flint Hills of Kansas.
"I attacked solo with 120 miles to go, like an idiot," Morton told Cyclingnews via email. "I just felt like the race needed to open up early for me to have the best shot and wound up solo. I missed a turn and when I rejoined the bunch were right on me."
"I think that was a blessing in the end."
What had looked, at the time, like bad luck was perhaps the best of it.
Morton, was absorbed back into the group, not burning the energy he would have out the front alone for the roughly five-and-a-half hours of racing that were still left. Instead, he had enough gas in the tank to jump on to a move by Chad Haga at around 80 miles to go, work with him seamlessly until the final mile of the 203-mile (327 km) race and then get the better of him in a sprint finish.
The victory he had craved ever since the event captured his imagination when he first lined up in 2019 was his, and perhaps it wouldn't have been if he hadn't made that wrong turn. Of course, there was much more to the race than that one moment, and more than even the 9 hours, 11 minutes and 47 seconds out on the course – perhaps five years more.
A unique beast
“Unbound is a unique beast that requires a bunch of different skills and persistence,” said Morton. “The route, Emporia and the people who show up to ride definitely captured me first time round and have brought me back three times since.”
Morton's affinity for the race showed in the results even on that very first participation with the rider – who was then still ensconced in road racing while also adding in an alternative program – coming fourth in 2019.
He then returned in 2022, the year where Morton's alternative program became his only one, but crashed and damaged his equipment, so after limping through to the first checkpoint he pulled the pin. Then in 2023 he was coming to the line with the lead group and tried to fly off the front in the run-in but Keegan Swenson and Petr Vakoc latched on and that ultimately left Morton leading the pair out, he had to settle for third.
"It kind of showed me that on the right day I could compete," said Morton of the 2023 edition. "But honestly I thought with the increasing level of gravel racing it was a little beyond my capabilities."
But it wasn't. The wrong turn may have saved Morton’s 2024 Unbound but it was his experience at the race that made it. Haga, this time was the first to jump, with around a mile to go, putting the mutually beneficial alliance to an end, and this time Morton would be the one to sit on during the now familiar technical run toward the line and he was also then the one that got to celebrate the win.
"Personally I’m really proud of it," said Morton of the Unbound title. "Mainly because I did something I couldn’t and did it on my own terms approaching the event exactly the way I like."
From drained to loving long days out
Morton's declaration that he approached the event exactly the way he liked may make it sound like an easy process, but initially, it was anything but.
"After riding the Tour Divide route last year I was trying to get back enough speed to compete at the front again in time for this year's race," said Morton. "I just wanted to be able to race at the front of what was a stacked field. I got a little too drawn into the goal though earlier in the year."
Morton mountain biked his way across the challenging and remote 2,671 miles (4,298km) Tour Divide route, finishing in a speedy 12 days, 12 hours and 21 minutes in September of last year. It was a successful experiment, with a self-imposed 12 hours of sleep each 48 hours not slowing him down, but the effort did take a toll.
"It really drained my top end and consistency," Morton told Cyclingnews. "I took a longer break over winter and it felt like it took me a long time to get to a point where I was flowing. I think I was forcing it at the time because I wanted an outcome at this race.
"Also looking at the incredible performances that take place on a weekly basis in cycling can be pretty intimidating. I lost a lot of self-confidence and as a result I was having a tough time enjoying my riding on a daily basis, [and it is] this I value above everything in this sport."
Morton has proven that time and time again that he is a 'unique beast' who carved out a path in cycling that didn’t fit the traditional model well before the gravel explosion saw many others do the same. The Thereabouts series, which Lachlan first set in train with his brother Gus, captured the imagination from when the first instalment was released in 2014 with its focus on the magic and adventure of cycling rather than the science and numbers of winning efforts. Recapturing that magic was also crucial in the preparation for Unbound.
"I had to hit the reset button a bit and reassess what I was trying to achieve and why I felt the need to compete at all," Morton said. "In the end, it was a really healthy process to go through and in the run-up to Unbound I was loving my long days out more than ever."
Embracing those long days delivered the dream outcome this year, but now that Morton knows what it feels like to claim the most prized title in gravel will his focus on the first weekend in June be turned to another challenge instead in 2025?
"It won’t be my last time to Emporia but I think I’ll be ready for something new next year," said Morton. "I just follow my motivations so if I get stoked on the idea of heading back next year I will."
