Off-road specialist Keegan Swenson rode the Unbound Gravel 200 as the men's series leader in the Lifetime Grand Prix presented by Mazda. The reigning U.S. national mountain bike champion in both short track and cross country won the season opener on his specialty, the Sea Otter Classic Fuego XC 80K. He comes to Emporia, Kansas, for a new challenge in the longest off-road race in the Lifetime Series.

A combination of bad weather, crashes, and high pace in a five-man breakaway group allowed him to finish second, one bike length behind winner Ivar Slick. The podium finish puts him five points ahead of Russell Finsterwald and eight points ahead of Alexey Vermeulen in the Lifetime Series.

"There was talk of mountain bikers not being able to make it unbound. Swenson told Cycling News after the ride of just over 9 hours and 22 minutes and just one second away from the win. "I was on full gas all day and felt great. I honestly thought I had the legs for a sprint. But I made a couple of tactical mistakes and blew it. But I am happy with my fitness."

Like last year, the Unbound Gravel 200 was a battle of attrition, avoiding major mistakes, but this year, heavy rains in the days leading up to the event turned the dusty trails into a quagmire. In fact, recent storms flooded several roads chosen for the southern route, forcing organizers to change the course two days before the start.

With 40 miles to go, Swenson joined Slick, Vermeulen, and defending champion Ian Boswell and Vermeulen in a select lead group. They were joined a few miles later by Lawrence ten Dam, who finished second in a photo op with Boswell last year.

"The last couple of hours were hectic in the mud. The last couple of hours were hectic in the mud, there was a three-mile section where the mud got sloppy, but fortunately it hadn't thickened that much yet, so the mud didn't stick to the bike. So I picked up the pace and tried to pass the other riders."

Swenson was picking up the pace in the muddy section when he crashed, breaking his shifter. Boswell was able to pass Swenson, but soon crashed himself. [I broke my shifter. I hit a rock when I fell. The shifter still works, but I used it the rest of the day," Swenson said, adding that otherwise his Santa Cruz Stigmata was "perfect."

"When ten Dam came back on the bridge, I knew there was going to be some Dutch 'mafia' action. Ten Dam went into the campus." That was definitely a tactic to try to wear me down for the sprint. I timed my sprint a little wrong, but I gave it my all."

"With the 100 milers finishing, it was a rush to avoid hitting them and sprinting to hold the line. It wasn't perfect and I made some tactical mistakes in the last few kilometers, but it is what it is."

Swenson took top points in the first two of the six events in the Lifetime Grand Prix Series. The third event in the series is the 70-mile Crusher in the Tusha in Beaver, Utah, on July 9. The defending Crusher in the Tusha champions are men's champion Peter Stetina, currently ranked ninth overall, and women's winner Sofia Gomez Villafane, currently leading the women's division with 59 points, both in the Lifetime Series.

Swenson last competed in the crusher in 2017, when he finished third overall.

"The rest of the tournament will be good. Unbound is the longest and definitely the hardest. The rest won't be smooth sailing, but there are a few unknown races. I've run every race except Big Sugar," Swenson added.