At the finish of Unbound Gravel 200, the LifeTime Grand Prix riders sprawled across the floor, feeling the effects of their nine-hour plus day on the bike.
Among them, a beaten Keegan Swenson stood battered and bruised from a crash at mile 130. The American fought to a top ten finish despite suffering a difficult day that also included a puncture, a failed tyre plug and a wheel swap with teammate Tobin Ortenblad.
Their bikes, Santa Cruz Stigmata CC gravel bikes with Reserve wheels, looked like any other in the holding pen at the finish line, splattered with dried mud. But beneath the remnants of the Flint Hills, that disguised the light blue paint, hid a subtle but unusual tech detail that we've never seen before.
Each of their wheels was somehow fitted with not one, but two valves, on opposite sides of the rim. But why?
To find out, I first tried Swenson, but when asked if he could tell me about it, my request for information was met with a short, sweet, but ultimately unhelpful "no," accompanied by a wry smile.
Luckily, Ortenblad, accompanied by a helper from his bike sponsor Santa Cruz, was more forthcoming with an explanation.
He explains that the wheel is set up tubeless as normal but that the second valve belonged to a flat inner tube that was fitted inside the tyre alongside the tubeless sealant. He explained that the tube was a last-resort backup, to be inflated in the event of an irreparable puncture.
When asked whether this was something Reserve was planning to bring to market, he laughed off the idea and confirmed that the pair had personally drilled the wheels themselves.
In a sea of techy tips, tricks and hacks here in Emporia, this is certainly one of the more creative and unique on show, but it ultimately wasn't needed on the 202.5 mile course north of Emporia.
"I punctured and the plug came out," Swenson explained, clearly happier to discuss his race than his hack. "I got it fixed and chased. After the first feed zone, the plug came loose, and I ended up switching wheels with my teammate Tobin. He gave me his wheel and we got back to the group."
Ortenblad later explained that the tyre ended up holding air without issue, but that given Swenson's leadership of the Santa Cruz team, they decided to swap.
"It was fine, but I was like 'dude, just make sure you have a good wheel. You don't want to risk it.'"
The pair didn't directly explain why the hack wasn't deployed instead, but given the circumstances, it's likely that the pair decided a wheel swap was the best solution in that moment.
