The Unusual Pacing Strategy That I Used to Finish Under 10 Hours at the Unbound 200 Mile Gravel Race

Going under 10 hours at Unbound had only been done once before this year. In this video I take you through my 2022 Unbound Gravel race including the unconventional pacing strategy that I used to get a sub-10 finishing time.
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[@bensachs1855]

This is probably the best race breakdown I’ve seen yet. Dylan, you’re a champion even if you don’t win. The analysis is always on point.

[@chanito_nyc]

BHD did it so fast that the timer wasn’t even set up at the finish line, we’ll never know 🤷‍♂️

[@filmaynard]

Sixty-nine likes on this comment. Checks out.

[@chesterules]

@@filmaynard I was just about to like the comment and then thought better of it. ;)

[@peterknight7880]

... excuse number...?

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

Just put out a video on the new aero super tuck

[@davidking258]

How refreshing to watch a video from a KZbinr who walks the walk… Top stuff! 👍

[@ehounshell]

current heat wave in Europe and your comments here made me think: it would be nice to have a video full of tips and knowledge about riding in the heat.

[@raphaeltiziani7476]

just do it. dont do hard intervalls in the beginning in the heat, only after some days but heat acclimatio is very important, works and improves your fitness; and btw expect much less power in the begining (7-15%).

[@mathewrose2951]

Zwift. It was 48 degrees here in Doha today. The big weekly group ride here is now at 4:45 a.m. on Saturday, and even then it was 37 degrees last week at that time. It's not worth the stress to ride in heat.

[@ltu42]

@@mathewrose2951 But without good airflow Zwift actually becomes an acclimatisation strategy for riding in the heat!

[@ericpmoss]

1. Wear light colors. 2. Cut your hair very short. 3. One bottle very cold, the other very frozen, and both insulated. 4. Avoid hydration packs if you can - unless they have spacers to hold them away from your back, they just heat your drink and insulate you. I suppose if you have frozen bladders, it can still be an overall advantage (it won’t bounce off your bike), but it adds weight on your crotch and lower back. That means extra energy spent holding it up.

[@pl4free]

just don't! Wake up at 5 o'clock, ride in the cool of the morning and do something else when the heat hits.

[@chasewark3377]

It was great being apart of this strategy and riding! Thanks again for including me in on this! Also, it was really nice never having to worry about sending it downhill and taking risks that could cause a puncture.

[@acem82]

Good to see that you're succeeding at the higher levels after kicking my butt around Wisconsin 2 years ago!

[@XX-is7ps]

Love the Mad Science approach and willingness to experiment - proper “growth mindset” being willing to gamble on it👌Brilliant ride and brilliant analysis 👍

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

Do you think this strategy was a good or bad idea? If you want to follow my racing closer the best place to do that is on instagram at @dylanjawnson.

[@crb0n181]

Honestly if you had a more organized team and were a little bit more lucky I think that strat would work well.

[@ashleyhouse9690]

Great ride and a great video. I guess it comes down to do you think you could have gone faster if you'd stayed with the front group?

[@tomp.7938]

I think it's excellent to avoid the surges, but perhaps rather than going in with fixed speed or watts you could change pace incrementally based on the average pace of the lead riders. Maybe you needed just a bit more flexibility to account for the conditions. It's a really intriguing idea, and it's awesome you took the risk and tried it in a big race. I would love to see you win a race using this strat! great vid!

[@Jesse-bb4qj]

Without aero bars it definitely would of been good

[@NickelPlateRoad57]

It was a shorter race, but fifty years ago that strategy worked for Wottle the Throttle in the Olympics kzbin.info/www/bejne/a32rmpdjo6hna80

[@jeremysweeten2792]

The Spirit of Gravel does exist!!! You caught his photo!

[@sean11201]

Dylan, really love your videos. Get a lot out of them, they are uniquely thorough and thought out. It's joy to follow you through the data, your interpretation of it and how you put into practice. Congratulations on the sub 10 hour Unbound. Please keep this content coming.

[@graffix11us]

I'm a big fan of your science based methods and incorporate much of what you talk about into my training and racing. When it comes to racing, one of the things I love about it is that you can never predict what the course, weather, competition or mechanicals will throw at you. You obviously have more than enough experience to be acutely aware of this and still had the guts to try and control everything you can control. Congrats on the sub 10 finish and 13th overall. Sometimes the race gods smile on you and sometimes not so much. Being near the front is many times all it takes for a great finish if they aren't smiling on others. Keep cranking!

[@DonnyDonnMendoza]

Insane execution for the race. It seems like the field keeps getting stronger at an exponential rate! I love how you compared the average speeds of different editions too; puts into perspective how strong this year's field was.

[@sepg5084]

It is getting stronger, just not exponentially.

[@jamieb2865]

Wow what a race! Definitely nerding out over all the variables. Even the fact that the other group was pushing harder before the rain means they covered more distance with an optimal draft. Your strategy would work amazing in a bottle, but it's humbling to see how diverse a 200 mile race can be from start to finish.

[@aaronwilmes]

I am a swimmer and this is a common strategy in open water swimming. Especially in the 10km or the 25km Races. But the water is always the same and not like a cycling course with ups and downs. Thank you for covering this

[@innocentiuslacrim2290]

Doesn't water conditions change quite a lot in open water swimming depending on waves, wind and possible currents. At least in kayaking those have a big effect on my speeds.

[@aaronwilmes]

@@innocentiuslacrim2290 Ah yes right

[@SkateWolfym]

Also drafting is less important I can imagine

[@quadzilla2665]

@@SkateWolfym less than on the bike but drafting does have a big impact on swimming 🙂

[@aaronwilmes]

@Seppe De Vos 25km is brutal. I can hardly imagine been at the starting line and knowing you are about to swim for 5hours straight. I did 10km and the last 2km is just a mental game. But the feeling of achievement is different🙂

[@mikekobylasz3490]

So awesome man sub 10 hour is insane! Your videos have helped up my endurance game a ton! Thanks

[@Cookefan59]

Wow Dylan, you did absolutely fantastic! Very happy for you! Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@hucklejoko4838]

Been waiting for this since the weekend. Finally I can watch your race recap.

[@zbeekerm]

LOVE your race analysis vids. Great result too! Nice work.

[@rd2783]

Thank you for sharing. Love hearing what goes behind the scenes of these rides.

[@sonny.v925]

Been anxiously waiting for this video, Dylan. Nice job and great race breakdown!

[@iancoleman4535]

Love seeing you and JB vibing at the end.

[@keithmorel2964]

I was really looking forward to this vlog. Thanks DJ. Congrats on your result great performance and control

[@zaahierstanley955]

Congratulations. It is a beast of a race. Thanx for the insight into these major classics

[@dew_reg1574]

This video was worth the wait, race recaps are my favorites ! Congratulations for your performance. I would have liked to see you crush the race in hot conditions. Have a nice second part of the season 😉

[@williamwightman8409]

This was great info for any long ride. Staying with the front pace group is a highly enjoyable trap until you realize you are not nearly as durable as that starting pace. The pain after that has you going "why did I do that again?". Your comments about rising heat during the day is especially applicable to the Hotter N Hell 100 ride in Wichita Falls, TX where it starts around 75 and ends around 100+ deg F. It is very challenging to optimize pace with that kind of change. I will try very hard to simply ride a flat modest aerobic heartrate this year. Adrenaline is a big enemy of high temperature endurance (especially if you have a Dad bod like me). Again great info.

[@TheSnowdolphin]

Cerebral Beast! I love the mental analysis as well as the results you put up. Bravo!

[@olenowakdalner9592]

Again an awesome race report totally packed with info and reflections. Need to grasp all your insights and then I will probably have some reflections on your pacing strategy that I followed closely on race day.

[@mikecortes8481]

Great Vid buddy! Congratulations on your badass Effort!! 🤙

[@owenvermeulen1231]

Great Job Dylan, I've always loved these race report videos but now having been in the same race, it's even better, It was definatley a tough day out there, but huge congrats on a sub 10 time thats awesome! I hope to see you keep moving up the GP standings! See you out at the next races.

[@Veloworthy]

Great recap and pacing strategy. It was good seeing you out there!

[@shyamfootprints972]

Best video and explanation thus far about UG 2023

[@bundokbiker]

Loved the breakdown, thanks!

[@gogoyoyo2404]

Thanks for sharing . Amazing job sticking to your plan. Amazing job....congrats keep peddling

[@JPRidesRoad]

THANK YOU! I needed this video, you’re the best

[@DavidTodor]

Absolute unit bud, great job.

[@gregmorrison7320]

Great analysis and the level of competition is unreal, the speeds you guys maintain is very impressive. I really appreciate you taking the time to convert your information to metric for us not in the USA.

[@OGillo2001]

Nice video Dylan, superb sportsmanship sir

[@michaelstoecker4178]

Well done! Love the no b.s. recap. Congrats on a very nice result …. 💪💪

[@15idog]

Really appreciate all the conversions!

[@TysRides]

Congrats on sub 10 hours! You can feel good about that! Love your videos and your outlook on things. Keep Crushing It!

[@jorgecuenca9175]

Solid performance. I appreciate you taking time to provide numbers in metric system too. Really helpful

[@NunoJoel]

I think you did a great Ride ! And you really show in real life how your coaching and Training works Damn well . Congratulations 👏

[@tnan123]

Great breakdown of the race. Really like the strategy and despite the many fast riders for the 2022 edition it seemed like a well executed and amazing race by you!

[@gregtitus2467]

Outstanding ride! And I think your pacing strategy was spot on. I really liked your rationale. And getting it under 10 hrs was a huge, vindicating win!

[@1barnet1]

Those wattages combined with the duration are very very solid. Just be proud of your achievements. And thank you for sharing your story.

[@ewanmackenzie6777]

Thanks for your post race break down, my money would be on your strategy, hard to let the group go but you caught and used most of them by the end of the race. Smarter than the average Bear! Way to go Dylan keep up the great work.

[@nottyR6]

Love your honesty Dylan 👍

[@Volkmannx]

Interesting, thanks! Congrats for achieving your sub 10h goal - well done!

[@dropagearadventures5532]

Dylan, it was an amazing effort! The strategy was brilliant! Just needed a lil quicker overall time. Which was attainable for you. Your normalized power and overall speed were great. I love how you are able to show from an athletes perspective a RACE STRATEGY! So many times I talk with my racers about developing their game and actually sticking to the plan, you nailed it. Science and planning can effect a race for sure. There is no other way to develop these game plans without being a world class competitor. It is so unique and compelling! I totally appreciate the insight and the amazing efforts you put in! Thanks for what you do!

[@rudyelizondo1935]

Great ride Dylon, I like your vids

[@richardhaselwood9478]

Super enjoyable analysis. And, as always, eternal gratitude for the metric measurements.....

[@cyclingnerddelux698]

Love your race analysis.

[@klaasdoeden3113]

Great breakdown. As an earth scientist like the way you look at the data. I rode the 50 as my first UG experience. We were deluged by rain but we have only a short route on the unmaintained roads. It would have been a great day to ride without the rain but there we some points I couldn't see where I was going. Maybe RainX for my glasses. Glad to see a smile on your face after the race!!!!

[@steventrott8714]

Great work Dylan!

[@joefrost2763]

I've thought about racing this way but never had the guts to try it, thanks for doing it, thanks for sharing it!

[@alainpfammatter8224]

great result on unbound. congratulations

[@matthewrepucci3564]

Great work and thanks for sharing the strategy!

[@TheRimBrakeGuy]

Now this got me thinking about the dirty bike thing, especially in gravel races a wax film that is hydrophobic covering critical components/frame/cockpit could allow the bike to go clean for longer distances, and overall better aerodynamics, comfort, and consistency of the components from failures due to the dirt.

[@crazypaulinquebec]

Bahhhhaha, so funny backwards hat Dylan - ''going against the Spirit of Gravel with such a long analysis''! How could you do that skit without cracking up! Love it and ... keep those long analyses coming! Oh, and having an alter ego like ''backwards hat'' is a stroke of genius!

[@ohcrapwhatsnext]

Kudos... Job well done... Your happy with your performance, thats what counts.

[@rcweekends9370]

Thanks for sharing your strategy. I've noticed you prefer my favorite saddle as well.

[@Its_just_me_again]

haha i must have been living under a rock - cute ride :) drum roll for position was a lil anti climactic as you previously showed it. good job. thx for sharing

[@robertmuckle2985]

Takes discipline to race this way, and it can pay off in the right conditions! Most could never do this, as the ego overpowers the logic of it! Kudos to you and your impressive finish time, and intelligent race strategies!

[@gravelpack8536]

Entertaining and informative love it, I should add incredible effort and brilliant strategy.

[@grwoolf]

Great content as always. As someone who isn't in contention for the overall, I've found that the balancing act between steady pacing and staying with a group is the most important factor in finishing time. And the right strategy is highly dependent on who shows up, the course, and the weather. At gravel locos (a crazy hot day), my plan was to race hard and hang on to fast groups for the first 5-6 hours until it got really hot. At that point, everyone was limping home, but I felt like I was limping from a spot closer to the finish. I had teammate try to pace it steady and that just made for more time trying to make power in the heat of the day.

[@scooter2163]

excellent breakdown! love the JB cameo at 12:55

[@johnbussard6523]

Peeped that Stoopid 50 bib! Thankful to have the GWNF in my backyard!

[@mikeherring6960]

As always, thanks for great race analysis. For average Joe's like me it is always fun to hear about the super-human efforts you guys and gals put in for these ultra-distance events.

[@austingaschler1879]

Awesome video and good job executing your game plan. I went with no plan but eat every 10 mile multiple ending in 0 and supplement every multiple ending in 5. Finished in 17 hours 8 minutes and held the same average moving speed that I usually do on a solo gravel century. Very proud of busting it out near the best of my ability

[@angelag5708]

really interesting approach!

[@dieddf]

I've done this strategy on my very first bike race in the alps. I've got a good result I've never been able to repeat with a regular strategy of trying to match the others rather than following the script.

[@ivanryz]

Amazing! Great great startegy !

[@ianfurqueron5850]

Cool. I've been waiting for this video. Also - spent a Wednesday @ Wakefield race chilling with your dad for a bit. I think he was amused you have "fans" who follow you on KZbin and other media, after I commented about the Niner bike he was riding.

[@trukweaz]

good stuff DJ - low VI pacing has been used by FOP AG long course multisport folks for years - limiting those surges (and corresponding negative repercussions) is huge. Well done. Keep charging.

[@mortigard]

Chase Werk! He's the "Minnesota Monster"! I loved racing him around the state fair grounds.

[@wss327]

Great analysis. Thanks! I wish I saw this video before my 200km race a few weeks ago…

[@KwadSkwad]

dude you absolutely killed it. and the field was so stacked this year. for such a long race, with so many variables, just being able to execute a plan like this to completion is awesome!! Also it was great to meet you!! (I was “that handlebar guy”) Next year BHD can just blow up the start and hide in the pack and make excuses to not take pulls all day 🤣

[@ReasonTatters]

Great job! All in the name of science!

[@peterers3]

Gotta admit, pretty darn good. Smooth is efficient and efficient is fast. Well done Dylan.

[@luiskanelas]

You don't have to win to be a champion. Thank you for your incredible content here on the channel. Congrats! :-)

[@joshonwheels2]

Big props on an epic conditions day out there! FYI I wanted to shine a light on a correction to your video: Colin Strickland was not the first racer to go under 10 hours. Brian Jensen did it on ~2014. Ted King then went under 10 hours to beat his record when he first won it (~2017?). Both of their courses and records were in the 'DK-era' and over 200 miles. I'm sure the Mohns (DK200 creators) could verify this. I lived in Lawrence, KS at the time and it was sort of a 'big deal' amongst the locals (in the same way BHD is a big deal in Brevard). Thanks for all the great content :)

[@oldanslo]

Congrats on the results! A couple other factors on the faster times this year was that there was about 2500' less vertical gain and, except for the mud bogs, most of the road surfaces were pretty good. There were few stretches of "Unmaintained Road" which tended to be killers and nothing close to Little Egypt.

[@poochie8208]

Great strategy Dylan. From the numbers your Variability index was really consistent. 1.08 for the first part, 1.06 for the second, and an impressive 1.10 in that last section. That really shows how consistent you tried to be across the whole race, even with climbs. One thing is to set out to do a set target power, which you might hit, but then the variability index is often greater than 1.1, keeping yours so low is a great example of a perfectly executed plan.

[@jlandry4801]

"good enough for the penguin, good enough for Dylan" - i think that's what he said, freaking hilarious. Awesome job man.

[@marknorth9144]

I was at Unbound/DK in both 2018 and this year (2022). The other factor you didn't mention, is that in 2018 the wind was out of the North so the second half was hot, but ALSO into a headwind. Personally I was in much smaller groups and sometimes by myself in this second half in 2018. This year the wind was out of the South so the headwind section was in the beginning when I (and most people) were in bigger groups and better able to draft. For a fairly nominal increase in NP (from 2018 to 2022), I was able to drop about an hour an a half off my time. As an age-grouper, I also try to keep a relatively even pacing strategy and this worked well for me this year as I was able to win the 60+ category. Cheers,

[@ianschwing1273]

That clip of Jeremiah is so good. Classic

[@rsrnsrwds]

Congratulations on the sub 10 hour time!!! Awesome performance. Been waiting for this look-back. Great strategy. I wonder if pacing power instead of speed would have made any difference at all.

[@bobhro295]

Great job on your finishing time, you stuck to your strategy against a tough field and didn't bonk.

[@markokitzing4291]

Congratulations, this is a great result! Are you going to talk us through your bike setup for the race?

[@TheSteinbitt]

It’s crazy how high the level is in the pro tour road racing. Ian Boswell was a very anonymous pro peloton rider, and he wins the largest gravel race in the world!

[@scc9306]

I also get dropped at mile 10, on my local group ride.

[@jeremysweeten2792]

Btw: DJ is a freaking hero!!

[@avoycendeether8869]

There is a multiplicative effect as the day gets hotter. You ride slower so the cooling impact of air flow is decreased. I've controlled temperature indoors along with fan speed to mimic 70 degrees @20mph vs 84 degrees @17mph vs 84 degrees @20mph. It doesn't sound like much but decreased air flow at higher temperature is more than a 'marginal loss'.

[@abfutrell]

But the dew point depression often gets greater in the afternoon due to drier air mixing from aloft, this lowers the Wet Bulb Temperature and can actually improve the cooling effect. If the wind speed picks up during the heat of the day, you know this is actively happening. Also, warmer air is less dense, so less drag.

[@titaniumben9923]

@@abfutrell yep, people comparing single rides of cool then hot are getting misleading information as well, heat acclimation is well known hence why Ted King talked about sitting in his car with windows up, and zwifting in the sun. Many people in the comments asking about what sort of performance loss is there in heat, but the reality is that if you are used to the heat, it can actually be faster as the air density (resistance) is less. People forget that it works the other way as well, being used to summer, then riding on an exceptionally cold day will have an impact on performance in my experience.

[@ckokomo808]

Awesome video. Congrats on the effort! Saw your name in an “under ten hour” article. I’m training for ultramarathons. I’m the my infancy of my career, but my coach and I are working on practicing negative splitting. We’re working on some strategies, skills, and mindsets to help me start and stay slow and then get moving towards the end. I like the use of a team to do this. I can imagine it made it easier with drafting as well as mentally having other riders around. Curious how the more power on uphills vs flat and downhills apply to running? Also how the variables of terrain effect this? The biggest thing for me is practicing staying patient mentally even when I feel good.

[@wazzup105]

By executing a plan you learned a thing or two (on top of a decent placing) . Well done!

[@Graptos]

Great to see Andrew do well too, nice guy, still owe him and Haley a doughnut, super nice people, miss them out here on the Wet Coast.

[@jakebailey146]

Great video. Love the Spirit of Gravel. Perhaps more pros coming from European road cycling meant that the front group was larger and drafting more efficiently this year than in years past?

[@wwelsh100]

Cool strategy break down and execution. Cool temps are great. How did all you guys miss the turn by more than a mile? Bad track? Did other people miss it.

[@ASGundogs]

Fascinating vid- thanks for making it. Do you think you could have hung with the lead group for less KJ’s overall?

[@joshonwheels2]

Also, you should talk to your teammate, Ashton Lambie... he employed a similar strategy and held ~17-18mph avg. for a top 10 Unbound/DK finish a few years back. It really works.

[@antspage]

dude doing 200 mile race in less than 10 hours at that speed is fookin impressive ! hats off to you