Klara Sofie Skovgaard (Canyon Factory Racing) suffered a serious crash early in the women’s elite race at Unbound Gravel on Saturday, and consequently spent 90 minutes injured in a roadside ditch before receiving any medical assistance.
Two fellow competitors, Luise Valentin (Enough Cycling Collective) and Lucy Hempstead (Classified x Rose), stopped their race to call for help and stay with Skovgaard until initial aid arrived. According to the riders, it took two hours before an ambulance reached the scene and transported her to a hospital, where she later underwent surgery for a dislocated, fractured shoulder and an open knee wound.
“I wanted to leave my body, and I was getting hypothermic,” Skovgaard wrote in a social media post, with Valentin adding that the medical team’s long response time was “honestly unbelievable.”
The incident has raised concerns about emergency response logistics at the Unbound Gravel, a race that draws the top off-road cyclists in the world to the rugged, remote terrain of the Kansas Flint Hills.
“Travelling across the world to race means accepting risks, but I never expected to feel unsafe,” Skovgaard stated. “I truly hope the organisers work to improve emergency access.”
For the first time in its 19-year history, Unbound Gravel organisers managed the complex logistics required to offer live coverage of the elite men’s and women’s 200-mile races, using footage captured by helicopter and a 4x4 buggy. Skovgaard noted that the presence of that media helicopter overhead while she lay injured felt 'ironic', given the difficulty responders had reaching her on the ground.
"I just find it unbelievable that multiple media motorbikes and helicopters passed by without a single medical person," Skobgaard told Cycling Weekly. "I believe the most important [thing] is that we create awareness for other events in the future, too. My helmet was split in two and [it] could have been way worse. In that case, 90 minutes is simply way too long. Luckily, I’m okay and safe."
Despite the circumstances, the rider expressed gratitude toward her fellow athletes who stopped, the medical team and her sponsors for their support both before and after the event.
"I’m forever grateful to everyone who offered help and kindness when things got tough," she said.
"I had a few age groupers stopping by shortly, who worked as a doctor and nurse. They gave me an emergency blanket as I was lying there. But it should not be other riders responsibility, although I’m incredibly grateful for their kindness."
Unbound Gravel has grown into the world’s marquee gravel event, offering five race distances and drawing more than 5,000 registered riders, along with thousands more in support, media and spectators. The event distances range from 25 miles to 350 miles, with the 200-mile race celebrated as the flagship event. The course’s remote and rugged nature is part of the race’s appeal and legend, but it also presents challenges for emergency response.
Cycling Weekly reached out to Life Time for comment but as of publication, the organisers had not yet issued a public statement regarding the incident. We will update the article when more information becomes available.
