4 // Zoom Out — Ella Bloor

I’ve ignored the chronological aspect of this issue to address the most recent event; Unbound. For those who don’t know, my race ended so much earlier than I’d dreamed. I woke up the morning of the race at 3:50 am and couldn’t be more excited. Normally on race day, when the alarm goes off at an ungodly hour, I really do question my life choices… but not today. I’m the fittest I’ve probably ever been in my life, my Crux fit had recently been adjusted with a Retul Fit thanks to the Specialized Experience Center in Boulder, and I had my nutrition for the day dialed thanks to Allen and the team at Skratch Labs. I’m also really just leaning into this newfound approach to racing with confidence and calmness. I choose to do this. I enjoy doing this. I can do this.

11 miles into the 205-mile (330kms for those back home!) course was a section of wildly slippery clay mud. Admittedly, I hadn’t done my research and didn’t know that such an extensive section of mud was approaching. In the early stages of the race, when everyone was a little on edge, I was curious as to what will be the deciding feature to split up the peloton or whether we would be moving along in the larger group until there were punctures, crashes or that the small pinches in terrain that would gradually just dwindle the group down.

As we turned into the mud at mile 11, the chaos began, and I knew this was a deciding moment. I felt myself click into gear. I was moving forwards, giggling at just how insane the mud was and felt totally in my element. I love this shit. Anyone that has fallen victim to some of the routes I’ve created back home will know I love a good stitch-up. As I continued to move forward, I found myself up with the leading women, like Sofia and Sarah. I thought, great, get to the end of the mud section & you’ve got yourself in a good position to tackle the rest of this day. Before I knew it, I heard a crack. At first, I thought it was my chain snapping under the load of so much mud building up in my drivetrain (and, of course, my megawatts), but upon closer inspection, I realised my entire derailleur had snapped in half. I just felt so heartbroken at that moment. I had been dreaming of crossing the finish line of this race for so long, and the feeling of utter relief and accomplishment. I wanted to challenge my resilience, fitness and ability to perform in a race of this duration. In my heart, I know I have it in me & for it all to unravel so quickly has hurt.

But with my own disappointment comes my ability to zoom out. When leaving for the US in April, I was clear that the Grand Prix events were seven days. It’s seven days of this entire journey I’m on, and in the scheme of it, the connections and memories I’m making with people, places, and so many precious little moments when I’m exploring this country on my own, are what I’m going to cherish and be most grateful for. There is always another damn bike race, as badly as I wanted to experience the caliber of this one.

I had so much support from my sponsors back home and at the event that it’s their disappointment too. The team at Skratch that had generously offered their support in the pits and had also had their hard work at preparing me for the race voided at that moment. The disappointment is shared, but it’s so important to acknowledge that everyone went through a journey that day, and to celebrate with those that triumphed and to empathise with those who also didn’t reach their dreams. Racing is about everyone, and that’s why I love it. Unbound, I’ll be back in 2024.

Leading into Unbound, I travelled to Bentonville, Arkansas, with the Skratch Labs crew to race in the Rule of 3. A 100-mile event that divided the distance into sections of gravel, tarmac and singeltrail. It was a wildly epic weekend meeting so many new people, helping whip up a casual 600 pancakes (don’t ask), and a trial run at my nutrition ahead of Unbound. It was also my first proper ‘gravel race’, so probably good to get one in before ‘the big dog’ in Emporia. The mass start into a bumpy paddock was heralded with a start line filled with an eclectic bunch. There are riders in lycra, bladder backpacks, flapping “party shirts”, leotards and other flamboyant costumes. The “spirit of gravel” felt alive, and finishing the day on the podium was nice.

I’m currently in Boulder again after the heartbreak of Emporia, and I’m looking ahead at so many more exciting adventures. With the excitement, moments of homesickness come in waves. My little sister had her University Graduation last week, and it’s hard not to feel sad for these moments I’m missing back in Australia with my friends and family.