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Ivar Slik won Unbound Gravel 200 after a four-man sprint in Emporia, Kansas. The Dutchman beat Keegan Swenson and Ian Boswell to the line. Laurens ten Dam, finished fourth just a few seconds later, while Slik won in an incredible time of 9:22:04.
Alexey Vermeulen had been part of the lead group but was dropped on the last climb after a strong attack from Boswell.
Slik had created the winning move in the second half of the race, attacking after an earlier move from ten Dam had been caught, and brining four riders with him. The Dutch rider marked several late attacks before unleashing a powerful sprint to take the biggest win of his career.
“When I came over the finish I was so happy,” Slik said after the win.
“It was my big goal this year and it’s a long race. So much can happen. You need a bit of luck, but I was in top shape and I did everything to be in top condition. It’s the best gravel event in the world. It’s fantastic. In the beginning we were part of a big group because it’ part of the Life Time series and the level is high. We had 150 in the peloton but people were getting tired with the hills.
“Finally, Paul Vos, Laurens ten Dam and Matta De Marchi powered away. They had a two minute gap and we had to really push to get them back. We had about 15 people and we worked good together. We caught them and that’s the moment that I attacked. Four guys could follow and at the last check point Stetina was dropped so we were four. Then Laurens came out of nowhere and we were five again. No one could attack anymore but I trusted my sprint,” Slik added.
The race had been dominated by heavy rain, mud and several major splits but just like last year, the race came down to the wire with five riders entering the last 10 miles together after ten Dam – who had been on the attack for most of the day – fought back after a mechanical.
At mile 164 Slik, Swenson and Boswell set the pace with Vermeulen chasing solo. Pete Stetina, who had been in the lead group, was distanced before Vermeulen made it to the front to make it four riders in contention. At that point ten Dam was almost two minutes down on the head of the race but he narrowed the gap to within 30 seconds by mile 186 and eventually made it back to Slik and the rest of the group.
It was ten Dam, who was second to Boswell last year, who attacked first in the closing stages but his move on a short downhill section was easily marked. Boswell was next to try his luck, putting in a huge acceleration at the foot of Highland Avenue but he was only able to distance Vermeulen as the rest of the group hung on.
Ten Dam put in one final attack before the sprint but was matched before Boswell lead out the sprint. It briefly looked like the American would retain his title but Slik proved too strong, powering through on the left side of the road to take the win. Swenson, who came into the race as another favorite, took second, with Boswell forced to settle for third.
As he crossed the line Slik pointed the skies to celebrate in a moment he later said was dedicated to the late Moriah Wilson.
“The last month has been hectic with Mo Wilson. I didn’t know her personally but I know that she had a great impact on the gravel scene. I didn’t want to be too happy in the finish because it’s a really sad situation. I wish the family all the best.”
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June 05, 2022 at 04:02AM
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Unbound Gravel: Ivar Slik wins men's race after epic four-rider sprint - VeloNews
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