Team Tactics and New Tech at Unbound 2026

As we mentioned last week, Logan Jones-Wilkins was in Emporia, Kansas covering Unbound 2026. Now he’s back in the studio and Mike Levy and I get to talk about what he saw. Part of that is the new Specialized Crux, but before we get there, we started with a discussion of how Jones-Wilkins did in his own Unbound 100 race.

It wasn’t exactly a quiet day out. Jones-Wilkins talks about a wild situation that unfolded right in front of him and left him going from 26 mph to on the ground in an instant. Despite going down, he still managed a 5-hour and 50-minute finish, pushing 270 normalized watts.

Fortunately, because naturally this is what’s important here people, the bike he was riding was okay. That bike was the new Specialized Crux 5, and now we finally get to hear the details and what it was like to ride. Last week Levy and I bumbled our way through without any real info, but now we know the bike was under 5 out of 6 podium finishers and Jones-Wilkins has real details about what it’s like to ride.

The Mud

From there, we get into the rest of the racing in Kansas, and that means the mud. This year the Flint Hills delivered thick, sticky mud that forced massive sections of walking. We discuss the toll it took on equipment and the measures riders resorted to—including multiple pros peeing on their drivetrains.

The Men’s 200 & The Arrival of Team Tactics

It wasn’t all walking, though. As is often the case, the mud was what changed the race, but there was still plenty of racing without the mud. This year that means the arrival of true team tactics.

The defining story of the Men’s 200 race was the impact of World Tour-style team tactics. Specialized exerted absolute control over the front of the pack, and we analyzed how three Specialized riders leading the race dealt with punctures and the podium spots up for grabs. Is this level of coordinated team racing the natural evolution of the sport, or does it completely change the fabric of gravel racing?

The Women’s 200

The real fireworks weren’t on the men’s side, though. The men’s race had its excitement, but it ended quickly. Meanwhile, in the Women’s 200 it was a slow build with constant anticipation. The race blew up early, and with hours left in the race, there was a small pack with Specialized in control. Would someone attack and take a risk or let it go to the line? At one point riders Sophia Gomez Villafañe and Geerike Schreurs actually texted mid-race to orchestrate attacks leading into the final sprint.

The 32-Inch Wheel Debate

Finally, we tackle the giant prototype Scott 32-inch wheeled bikes that made their debut in Kansas. The men’s 350XL top podium spot was riding one of the bikes, while in the 200 race the bike finished under the 10th place rider. What does that mean for the technology and will you see it roll out on production models soon?

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro & Logan’s Unbound 100
10:03  – The Specialized Crux Deep Dive
21:55 – The Mud & Drivetrain Drama
27:00 – The Men’s 200 & Team Tactics
42:05 – The Women’s 200
46:38 – The 32-Inch Wheel Debate

Subscribe to the Velo Podcast

Articles covered this week

Too much to list so instead, check out the Unbound Gravel hub.