Tiffany Cromwell made it three wins from three gravel races this season when she stormed to victory at the Unbound Gravel 100-mile race. Tiffany won by more than 25 minutes on her nearest rival and said she’s wrapped to win at her first time at Unbound.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Tiffany said, “For the most part, the race went fairly smoothly except for perhaps the mud sector. That was a mess! I’ve learnt quickly that I don’t know how to carry a bike and walk or run for kilometres so well. I knew it was coming as I saw footage of the 200-mile course in the mud before we started. So I treated that sector like entering a cobbled sector at the classics. I went to the front and entered first. But it was impossible to ride. The mud was badly caked onto the bike. You couldn’t even wheel the bike. You were forced to carry. And with the weight of the mud on the bike. It felt like it added 5-10kg. I got through it and had to go into full catch-up mode.”

“I had no idea where I was compared to the other women. At that point of the race, we were mixed in with the age group 200-mile riders. I passed a lot of people and then eventually had a good group to ride with when we split off from the 200-mile course.”

“The middle of the race was up and down. There was still a chunk of mud by my chain ring, and it felt like I had a lot of resistance. It was hot, and I was cramping. I found a hose and was able to cool off. I just kept trying to eat and drink. But the rest of the race was smooth, and I had a good group towards the end to power home with. At the aid station where I had Canyon support, I thought they told me I was second, so the win was a surprise.”

“The mud was definitely the hardest part. I lost about an hour there and was not enjoying it. The heat played a part as the day went on. The wind wasn’t bad, but it was super exposed and long, straight roads all day long. The gravel, on average, wasn’t super fast, and there were no hard or long climbs, but it was just rolling all day and when you start to fatigue it feels like the hills never stop.”

WINNING THE 100-MILE AND THREE IN A ROW

“It’s a good feeling. I know it’s not the 200-mile event where perhaps the stronger female gravel racers were. But  I came here with a goal to win. After the mud sector, I thought it wasn’t going to be my day. It turns out it was. To get three wins in a row is pretty cool. I couldn’t have done it without the support of Canyon and SRAM here on the ground at Unbound. They’ve been amazing all week. And made sure everything was dialled and that I had support in the race.”

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