Romain Bardet out of mud-soaked Unbound just 100 miles in

Roamin Bardet at the Traka — (Image credit: The Traka)

Romain Bardet’s Unbound Gravel debut came to an early end on Saturday, with the retired French star abandoning the race at Matfield Green, around 100 miles into the 2026 edition.

The former Tour de France stage winner was seen riding back into the small Kansas town without his helmet after deciding to step off the course during what has become the muddiest editions of Unbound since 2023. Witnesses on the ground reported Bardet appeared physically okay, stopping briefly to clean himself up after battling through the deteriorating conditions.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms swept across the Flint Hills throughout the day, transforming the famous Kansas gravel roads from fast, sun-cracked surfaces into thick, energy-sapping mud. Riders faced relentless bike-clogging clay, standing water and increasingly treacherous conditions deep into the race.

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Bardet had arrived in Emporia at the end of a month-long family road trip across the United States with wife and son, describing his Unbound appearance earlier in the week as a chance to finally experience the event he had heard so much about. The Frenchman stressed before the start that he was "here for fun" rather than chasing a result in his first full season focused on gravel racing after retiring from the WorldTour peloton.

The race remains ongoing with roughly 100 miles still to race at the time of reporting. Specialized Off-Road teammates Keegan Swenson and Mads Würtz Schmidt were leading the men’s event as the brutal conditions continued to shape a dramatic day in Kansas.

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Cycling Weekly's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.

Originally from the Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon, she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a journalist for two decades, including 14 years in cycling.