Karolina Migoń (PAS Racing) and Ramon Sinkeldam took out the victories at the Gravel Locos 110 in Hico, Texas on Saturday, delivering a powerful show of form in the run up to Unbound 200 on May 31.
Migoń continued her scorching run, going from a second victory at The Traka 360 to a dominant performance at a hot edition of Gravel Locos, where she crossed the line to triumph with a gap of nearly 15 minutes to 2021 winner Emily Newsom (PAS Racing). In third, Morgan Aguirre made it a clean sweep of the podium for PAS, in a field where they were clearly the dominant force.
"Stoked to take my first win in the US at Gravel Locos, was hands down the hottest race I’ve ever done—nothing like I’ve experienced before," said Migoń in an Instagram post.
"It was a mass start, but I ended up in a group with my teammates, and we worked hard to keep the pace high and hold the gap. I was feeling strong toward the end, so I pushed to thin out the group… and ended up riding the last 40 km solo. Such a great event—and the perfect tune-up for Unbound Gravel."
In the men's event, Sinkeldam made it clear that he has arrived on the gravel scene as a formidable competitor. He switched over from the WorldTour this season and has quickly worked his way up from eleventh in his first gravel race at The Hills to the top step in Texas.
The Dutch rider claimed a close-run victory by winning the sprint to the line ahead of Namibia's Alex Miller, while Belgium's Jordy Bouts (Swatt Club) was third, a few seconds back. Behind the podium of strong recent gravel arrivals, the more established Jasper Ockeloen (Canyon) and Mattia De Marchi (Enough Cycling) finished close behind, rounding out the top five.
The race was run on a 118-mile (190km) course with around 6,000 feet (1,828m) of vertical elevation gain. It is often used as a warm-up race, particularly among the strong international contingent, for riders targeting the prestigious Unbound 200, which will unfold in the Flint Hills of Kansas on May 31.
| Position | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ramon Sinkeldam | 5:13:46 |
| 2 | Alexander Miller | +01 |
| 3 | Jordy Bouts | +09 |
| 4 | Jasper Ockeloen | +11 |
| 5 | Mattia De Marchi | +11 |
| Position | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karolina Migoń | 5:53:29 |
| 2 | Emily Newsom | +14:37 |
| 3 | Morgan Aguire | +14:38 |
| 4 | Marcinko Mackenzie | +1:26:10 |
| 5 | Jessica Martin | +1:55:55 |
