Velocio // Exploro season 2

Staff Blulab

July 16, 2021

While the 2020 racing season was mostly a wash, it certainly wasn’t a waste. The team took the time to go on bike packing adventures and push their limits into other styles of riding. At the beginning of 2021 things didn’t look too different but with the pages of the calendar turning to the summer months the time has come to kick off the season in full force.

Unbound Gravel was the team’s first time together since team camp in March of 2020. And as much as you may try stay in touch over Zoom and Facetime nothing beats pinning on a number and competing in the Super Bowl of gravel for team bonding.

It turned out to be an awesome weekend for the team with top 10 finishes in both the XL and 200-mile events.

Unbound 200

Lisa Woerner, in one of her very first races for the team, finished 7th on the day despite 2 spills including one in the decisive Little Egypt section. The women’s 200 was a race of attrition with groups slowly becoming smaller and smaller leaving the top 10 spread out over miles at a time. But Lisa, who’s also an MD and doing a post-doc at Stanford was able to slowly reel back her competitors and put in an incredibly strong showing in the world’s premier gravel event.

Lisa’s Exploro RaceMax

Dusty and battle tested, the Lisa’s RaceMax built with a 2x SRAM Red AXS setup

The Unbound XL

If 200 miles of flint, sand, and dust doesn’t feel like enough of a challenge, what about 350 miles? Cynthia and Rachel took on this daunting challenge for the team. Battling against a who’s who of the ultra-cycling world these two teammates stuck together through thick and thin to finish 4th and 5th on their journey through the plains.

A message from team founder BrittLee Bowman:

It felt like a dream come true, convening as a team again. After fifteen months apart, the trip to Unbound was really our reunion post vaccinations. Emporia, KS is a beautiful place we may not otherwise have known to come visit. For the few days before the race we enjoyed catching up, sharing meals, and riding together in preparation. Meeting in person after all the zoom/slack/chat conversations was exhilarating. Never underestimate the power of a hug and high five!

The experience of attending such a large and vibrant event after isolation from social activities was overwhelming and wonderful at the same time. Yet the solace of the Flint Hills brought a familiar feeling. With teammates racing in three distances (100, 200, and 350 mile courses) we collectively covered over 1500 miles that weekend. Can’t wait for the next one! We are beyond grateful to our sponsors, family, and friends for making this all possible!