Quitting was NEVER an Option! (My Unbound 200 race recap)

[@aascott86]

"Homies till we die!!!" One second later "I lost my two best friends" 🤣

[@ldpranzy]

that was funny AF!

[@J3SSEB]

I almost spit out my coffee at this bit.

[@forfunonly009]

that was fast. lmao

[@JohnDoe-sw9zq]

I'm using that line next race!

[@TheGagnonRx]

Goonies never day die.

[@nimanikaiyn3392]

As an avid road cyclist, honestly, somehow it’s become normal to have to need to show up for a 200 mile race and that shouldn’t be the case. This is really a massive accomplishment and in the heat is very dangerous. Good job on your effort and you have nothing to be ashamed of, this should be a personal badge of honor.

[@RogerWilliamsFTW]

"But you're gonna hear the story from an annoying vegan, who's way overhyped." Love you bro!

[@DSKHo1968]

So understated and self deferential, that why we love the VC!

[@OUTDOORS55]

Its a 200 mile 13+ hour gravel race. Stop talking about it like its a normal race haha! You are being way too hard on yourself for an extreme race like this. Great stuff as always 👍

[@raphaeltiziani7476]

That is so true. I will do a 200 km + 4300m climbing race in the weekend and thats huge for me and most guys I know. 300 km is just insane. To finish it is already so great!

[@octaviakf]

Who the hell came up with 200 mile race that’s crazy

[@Stephensry]

"These TT bars! I mean, on this downhill section you can just rail!" *riders fly by Tyler while he's on TT bars* LOL bro jk, awesome video, thanks for sharing the experience!

[@JordanGreenPNW]

"I'm not an athlete," proceeds to compete in a 200 mile gravel race lmao. Loved the bit about the future you mindset, I'm going to remember that one!

[@timroden6617]

You may not be on the Olympic team but you are an athlete. Don't forget it.

[@orion410]

I'm a mediocre swimmer on a mediocre high school team, who goes mountain biking on weekends. I may be terrible at all of my sports, but I still consider myself an athlete.

[@davidv6803]

63 overall? That's f'ing amazing!!

[@inVINCEible64]

“Homies til we die!” following up with “I lost my two best friends”. lmao ☠️

[@TriathlonDan]

Genuinely been waiting for this to be posted for aaaages! YUH!

[@lipsterman1]

You and me both...

[@coreyreeder3549]

Right!

[@Ultegra10SPD]

The “Lance Jersey” Photochop. I’m ded lol. -U10

[@budycelyn]

you talk your abilities down a lot man, you did great. finally a video about the unbound that's not 5 minutes long, love it, keep it up.

[@guitarkis4969]

Thank you for doing this recap. Your video is outstanding and fun to watch, and your storytelling is engaging and motivational. I'm just a recreational 63 yr. old rider, but you are my favorite "biking" channel by far!

[@briantruck2284]

I agree !!

[@DaveCM]

When you were laying on the ground cramping up, I was laughing my a$$ off. Not because I was laughing at you but because I've been there. We have all been there.

[@kevinwhite2601]

I rode with Tyler after the first stop for a decent stretch, I was the guy with rim brakes at 14:06. I am always anxious meeting people I follow online, you never really know for sure what someone will be like in person. VC blew me away with how good of a dude he is, he seems like the most genuine guy irl and it was awesome to ride with him. Huge fan!

[@TheVCAdventures]

Kevin, thank you so much for the kind words. We had a solid group there for a bit. How did you finish?

[@kevinwhite2601]

@@TheVCAdventures Limped in for 37th, I was flying high when I joined the group and then died around the water stop at 100. One silver lining is that if we get setups/nutrition right we could improve quite a bit. I was thinking during the race when I had all that time alone in my head it might be my last time lining up for this race but.....I live just north of Emporia so I can't walk away from it. Way to hang in there, this race is #builtdifferent.

[@AdventuresomeOutlook]

I wanted to quit so bad on my run today. The last half mile was on a 4% grade and my body was telling me just quit but I just kept going and when I finished I was so proud

[@A.M03]

Hey VC I was the guy chilling in the chair by the dam. I’ve lived in Kansas pretty much my whole life, still can’t get used to the humidity here. On long rides I feel the same way, I think my sweat rate is very high and I just can’t seem to take enough in and before you know it you are bloated ASF with no power. It happens you did awesome ! Keep on rolling

[@bourkey222]

I've never clicked something faster, been excited for this one!

[@XKsavX666]

I agree

[@mayalman]

Never…been waiting. Upset that it’s only 22mins

[@AndrewG99]

As a resident of Kansas, I don't even want to get out and walk in this heat, let alone ride 200 miles. It's brutal. You fucking rocked it, dude. Keep on killing it, and as always, thanks for the inspiration!

[@amritsankar360]

“The mental strength that we all have ,and if you reframe your thoughts in a positive light dude you can really do anything “ Bruh I love your quotes…you’re a true champion…I’ve been waiting for this video it seems like forever….Thanks for sharing VC🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@ryanpetry2823]

@10:39, yep that section was gnarly. Concussed on the left of the trail, thats me! Thanks for documenting that Tyler

[@CycleCalm]

My biggest cycling accomplishment is just doing 50ish miles on paved roads (London to Brighton), and here this guy is doing 4 times the distance at a faster pace, and in heat on gravel! Really great commentary and motivational video, thank you!

[@kevinthomson6324]

Watching the slow mo roll into bed I was worried there was going to be a dislocated shoulder injury recovery series coming up. Congrats on being to stubborn to stop riding. 👍 oh and that walk up the stairs. I know exactly how that feels.

[@btsouthside9060]

Not only are you an athlete you’re an exceptional person!! At Unbound Expo, you were clearly busy, but you took the time for a photo op and a hello you’re a genuine proper representative for graveling

[@luziantrapletti2212]

Dude, you are such a hero!!!

[@w4yland3r27]

"look at this dude's quad. That's insanity!" Hahaha you are the best.

[@thedailycyclist9295]

Your humility, candor and brutal honesty is why I love watching your videos, Great job Tyler!

[@ANOAFunnyVideo]

Quote of the day " Im not even really an athlete" Behave yourself, your an awesome example of an athlete, a strong mind beats a strong body any day, well done

[@Northwindbreeze]

Whatever the video is not at the level you wished for us, your spectators, the insight this video brings in this brutal race is awesome.

[@StreamBikesNL]

I clicked the like buttons like 50 times but could only give one like. Impressed. And the short shots at ending were brill too.

[@BustersonBikes]

Just wanted to send out a thank you for the inspiration! I'm a 53 year old in the Dallas area who has decided to give gravel racing a try this year. I have been doing a gravel race each month since January when I got in to the Unbound 200. I've been studying your videos (and those of a few others) about Gravel Locos and Unbound- never having done either. This past weekend I did the 111 mile Gravel Locos race in Hico and decided I was going to push harder than I have right from the start. I kept thinking about "the future me" who would be so happy I at least put out a huge effort. Thankfully it all worked out and I won first place female! Now on to Unbound 200 in 2 weeks! Thank you soooo much for all of the great advice and motivation! :)

[@terrillford7784]

Great video my friend. I understand how you feel with the emotions. I didn't complete the Michigan C2C Gravel race about two weeks ago. Bike failed on me at mile 105 of a 210 mile race. Glad to see you crossed the finished line 🙌🙏

[@mantheycallnick]

Lol I’ve been waiting for you to upload this because I was in the tent next to you guys in the background at 16:22 I had to quit the race early unfortunately but it was really cool to see people such as yourself though it out! Im also from Emporia, so it’s just awesome knowing of all the places in the world, all these people come down here to ride their bike, crazy lol

[@mydearriley]

This is a moving motivational take - like, to tears. Your comments are really applicable to more than just racing and bike riding. Life is tough.

[@justintrayweeks5875]

Literally a goat though. You may not be "talented" or "gifted" but hard work pays off more than that. You put in the hard work and it shows king

[@eva2k0]

Cycles 206 miles: "I'm not even really an athlete." Give yourself a break bro! You are an athlete!

[@briantruck2284]

😆

[@kas8970]

It’s insane - I wonder what he considers an athlete… because I know lots of athletes that can’t accomplish anywhere near these feats.

[@Mark-Huigen]

Amen! No shame in being hard on yourself, but denying your an athlete in this case is just wrong 😉

[@BikepackingAdventures]

Define athlete. We all have our own definition of an athlete, we all have people we look up to, we all have people we inspire to be. Whether it's someone with skill, speed or pure grit to finish something.

[@Mark-Huigen]

@@BikepackingAdventures athlete a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise. "proficient in sports" ✅

[@Tyler2534]

Nothing to be embarrassed about Tyler! You're followed because of who you are and because of your storytelling ability, not because we expect you to do 300 watts for 9 hours. That should be comforting during big events. We know YOU want a "good" finish, but in reality the only really "bad" outcome is one where you can't tell a story about it. This video is so, so much better and more inspiring than it would have been if you had had a perfect day and got top 10. How did Ian's day go? I already know! He felt great, rode well, didn't flat, and out-sprinted LTD at the end. Cool, but I'm not learning anything from that. Hearing about someone's perfect day can be fun, but the meaningful stuff comes from people's imperfect days.

[@eyleentorresdiaz]

shut up, you are an athlete! Love you dude!

[@wombatfeeder999]

Always appreciate how transparent you are....most of your thoughts I've had in my mind in a race, at some point or other. Stoked I'm not the only one. Cheers!

[@timothyskattum950]

Love you VC. I find myself there at least twice a year. Actually, I’ve been completely nuked on three gravel Fondos this year. It’s frustrating... the whole body seizing is a real thing.

[@lexington476]

5:36 this bit is helpful for any competition.

[@Mickwhyer]

I really enjoyed this as I do most of your content. You have motivated me more than once to get out and ride when I was on the fence. Very motivating stuff. I will never understand why this channel does not have 1 million followers. I am considering getting a Grizl and would love to hear what you think about that bike. Thanks for the great content! Greetings from Germany

[@grantdoyle1259]

as someone from kansas, you really have to sip water slow and frequently in this humid-hot environment.

[@AllanPhillips]

You make 200 miles of gravel more entertaining than anyone else. Another great epic tale.

[@RGCastro7]

Beautiful storytelling, Tyler! Great insight into the power of a positive attitude and setting achievable goals. Thank you for sharing!

[@tomfitzgerald890]

Great job! there are tons of riders who wish they could finish 206, never mind gravel and heat!!

[@joerenner8334]

That is the most motivating video I have ever seen. Seriously. Thank you! I will try and use that for my fondo in September. Great job!

[@stevenbalderstone709]

Inspirational! Utterly. That stomach problem sounds familiar - my version turned out to be a fructose intolerance. A lot of ride foods and carb drinks have concentrated fructose. It is simple to get tested. Might be worth it.

[@alextasch8114]

I like the way prepped your head for riding with world class athletes!

[@c126nwarger]

Dude- The positivity you are espousing is really inspiring. This is what keeps me following you.

[@rosscads]

Man, you are hardcore! Those WT bros might have the legs but you have the heart. 💪🏻

[@medula]

You’re a very strong rider, a great communicator and an authentic person.

[@janebozinovski5005]

One of the best videos I've seen (and I've been watching VC since Breathe) - fantastic result and amazing humor and energy. Keep it up!

[@onlyfoolriding8223]

Me: Finishes 1.5 hr over/under on Trainer Road; I'm the best in the world. VC: I came in 63rd in a 200 mile, 13 hour gravel race; I'm a failure

[@richcrompton6891]

Another epic! Thanks for sharing VC. I can’t help thinking that you’d be even more competitive if you weren’t recording your participation, but I’m so glad you do 😊 Too many hats on during an event like this. 63rd is brilliant considering you were shooting stuff on the way round and packing cameras, batteries etc for the half a day of competing. Awesome job.

[@robinellis6]

Have been so excited for this - worth the wait as always!

[@ClassicCyclingCC]

That is what racing is all about. You don’t quit when things go wrong. You take it like a champ and you finish! Well done VC.

[@gordongood]

"Future Me" - heading into BWR w/insufficient prep, I'm going to keep this idea front and center. Thanks, Tyler.

[@samuelhuerta4302]

Dude, Stop playing yourself down. You are a bad ass for what your doing. You're cool as heck, you're funny and relatable to a lot of people. Those kinda things matter and truly inspire lots of people who aren't doing much in regards to their health. I'm sure you are the reason why many people have taken on cycling and that's very cool. Stay with it!!

[@petep]

You did a great job of encapsulating why ultra endurance is such a different beast. You never know the holes you can dig yourself into and then out of until you try.

[@podladog0075]

Not the typical VC vid but absolutely worth the watch. You're an inspiration to everyone and we're proud of you.

[@JakeKaminskisRacing]

I really wish I had watched this before the 12hrs of Road America... I hadn't been able to train at all for the event this year due to work. I still decided to go for it. Ended up blowing my legs up completely on the hills by lap 6. Compared to last years performance, this was a major blow. Utterly depressed and unable to keep riding I had to throw in the towel. Keep doing what you're doing! It inspires me to keep working harder!

[@thomasdailey4566]

Nice! As an old 50-miler (Friday race) I was watching you at a hill/corner in part 2, past the accidents. 2nd group of riders were asking for their time behind lead group, so we began updating all riders on time, and shouting encouragement. BTW, I was at that ranch location because I hunt quail there, delicious bird to eat 😀

[@sgameirojr]

The only sports psicologist we need is Abdullah Zeinab. Haven´t even finished, and it's shaping up an awesome video! Well done for finishing the race, must be a surreal experience to be among those hitters.

[@mitchcallihan4978]

Man, great video. Appreciated your perspective! Dude. You ARE an athlete!

[@GordonA-Jr]

Dude you are without doubt the funniest guy on YT, your commentary is fantastic and the footage is awesome. Incredible content creator, keep up the great work!!!

[@earthbiker]

Inspirational! Great video.

[@michaelcleveland98]

Very cool! Congrats on overcoming and finishing. I'm originally from Kansas City and used to do the Flint Hills Death Ride which came and went before Unbound was a thing. That part of the world is seriously underestimated and between the heat, humidity, exposure, etc. will put a serious hurt on even the best of riders. Again, well done man! Love your videos.... the Impossible Rides are becoming a staple at our house.

[@ricky7396]

Awesome content as always. Editing is next level on this one.

[@douglas8707]

Dude, this is suprisingly relateable. I recently finished an everesting. I had a very similar experience that you had here - the stomach thing in particular. Man, I wanted to die at half way. I couldn't eat or drink. Had to take a shit in a ditch to make me feel better. Genuinely didn't think I could keep going after my half way break. You're so right that if I had gone into it aiming to get as far as I could, I would 100% quit. Nice to know it's normal to struggle that much.

[@antspage]

this has to best re cap and coverage of this race - so accurate and honest and funny thanks VC!

[@oosung]

Your ride reminds me of Seattle to Portland ride, it's also a 200 miler. I thought I was invincible, I was 32, all I have to do is pedal was the thought. After mile 65, I was teetering quitting, but the thought of 165 more miles to go was daunting. After I finished, cramps, humbleness, and not wanting see another bike came to mind. Great video Tyler.

[@bananaboombox3620]

I also felt the relief when you finally took the shower and went to bed. Finishing top 63 is still freaking amazing! Congratulations! Also, thank you for the words of encouragement. You don't know how many people need it during this tough times, but know that I'm one of them. Great stuff man.

[@allthingsTechrelated]

You have the ability to make people almost feel what you felt by telling a good story. Well done to finish. Yuh!!!

[@madhavj1320]

Bro loving the content and its wierdly enjoyable seeing you struggle :)

[@erinohagain9841]

Hey Tyler! Thank you so much for yet another amazing video. I noticed you kept referring to yourself as "not a great athlete" and I just wanted to say that you are doing things in cycling that most people would only dream of. I realize when you are comparing yourself to world tour pros, or not winning everything, that means you are a mediocre cyclist. I just thought I'd point out that you HAVE won plenty of races, been on the podium countless times, and serve as inspiration to so many of us in the cycling community. Don't be so hard on yourself my dude... You are a badass

[@Pratalax]

Love it, roll into a rest stop, first thing? "gopro battery". fuckin dedication man!!

[@grantdoyle1259]

Been waiting to hear about it, you've been going ham. Also, first.

[@PumpkinVillage]

This was awesome. What a great job. Congrats and take care, Al

[@crhayes]

"You're not that guy pal" I lost it. Meme game on point 🤣

[@1RA787]

Props to you for finishing. Easy to quit, but harder to finish. 63 overall?! Baller status!!!

[@vivekrbs]

Loved the whole lance jersey photoshop man and the video is awesome. Finishing DK in 13hours is crazy good man. No failures there yo.

[@omartin2009]

bruh, you;’re super awesome on this bike. The last thing you should think of is that you’re not an athlete. You finished after dying and 63rd is better than the thousands who didn’t even register for the race (including myself). Congrats on your mindset, keep at it. You’re super strong and super motivating ; I watch your videos as I’m on the trainer and get the chills when you’re crossing the finish line. Congrats bruh!

[@richjames4094]

The way you describe mental strength, not just here but in other videos, about when you think you're at your limit, you're no where near your limit, has changed my training and riding mentality overall. Seeing others suffer, and describe how deep they need to dig, is so inspiring.

[@fcbarniessoccer8952]

Top 100 is awesome. So many current, former tour riders top 10 was long gone for everybody else. Great video

[@emilioc700]

Hyponatremia. Happened to me at Unbound this year too. First time. Didn't recognize the symptons until I googled it after I finished. Props for not giving up brother. Ibthink Unbound is all about believing in your inner strength, not how hard you trained. Keep pedaling brother!

[@davidp7414]

Your last unbound race is the first video of yours I watched. “Just keep pedaling “ is on the top tube of both of my bikes. Thanks for taking us along on the ride.

[@eddiewebb6664]

Larry Enticer bit was FIRE. This is so sick, keep it up dude.

[@eddiewebb6664]

This shit is so meaningful. Some assholes will just be bro-ish about this type of shit, but this is meaningful. I just finished a long-distance mtb race after dying about 1/2 way through, and that feeling of finishing after dying and coming back is soooooo good. This mentality kept me pedaling.

[@robbieb8650]

It's in your personality to never be completely satisfied, that's why you get better every year. But Brotato Chip, just finishing this is a huge accomplishment, nevermind being in the top 10% of riders! So proud of you.

[@Enigma71559]

Yes!! Been waiting and waiting and waiting and....DUDE!! Great job!! You undersell your ability SO much. I'm just disappointed I didn't make it down to see you in person. I'm only an hour away. Next year fo' sho'!

[@alex9046]

16:09 so life changing right there. It's gonna be 8 pm today anyway so you might as well just keep on keeping on.

[@rkoch2516]

Awesome recap Tyler, love the mental skills training part on reframing, excellent information for the endurance athlete. I saw you out there on the course, my friend from Cali finished the XL. What a day!

[@gpobillo]

I've been waiting for your unbound race. Entertaining as always

[@arturod.1144]

Dude that ending was hella motivational..thank you VC!

[@cleatwalters5029]

Thanks for posting! I've been waiting for this, and I was not disappointed. Thanks for the motivation for those of us who will never sniff the top 400 in a race like that, but love to hear the same thoughts and worries that we have, and how to turn those around. Cheers!

[@gordonwright996]

Maybe my favorite episode of all time. Congrats

[@joewilliams3809]

Tyler, I really like that you talk about the mental aspect of cycling. I am definitely not your typical road cyclist build 6’3 235lbs but recently finish my first solo double century unsupported. During my rides I often think of the option of not quitting like you talked about. I don’t know if I could ever deal with telling my 6 year old daughter I didn’t finish simply because I gave up. Loved the video keep them comin.

[@ianbarr4716]

Bro, I love you man. You are so friggen honest and open. Awesome job Tyler. You did you and that's all that matters. Cheers.

[@kirkstanford8710]

Excellent video. Congratulations on the finish. My biggest ride so far is 50 but I'm 55 years old and just started riding last September. I will do a century before the year is over. 1500 miles since September.

[@troyboone4893]

You are my hero Brother! Keep riding, keep rising🙏🏽

[@lisashiela9137]

Very cool video capturing the behind the scenes that normally only participating cyclist would see. I always seem to have that "what in the hell am I doing this for" at about 2/3rds into a difficult event also.