Sofia Gomez Villafane Wins Unbound Gravel 200 in a Five-Up Sprint

(EMPORIA, Kan. – Velo) Sofia Gomez Villafane won the 20th edition of Unbound Gravel on Saturday from a five-up sprint.

Gomez Villafane launched her sprint from an elite group that had formed a 30-minute gap to the next rider, catching the rest seemingly by surprise as she held on for her second career victory here at Unbound. She becomes the first repeat Unbound winner since Ted King in 2018.

Her Specialized Racing teammate Geerike Schreurs finished second. Cecily Decker snagged third place to round out the podium.

Gomez Villafane, Schreurs, Decker, Paige Onweller, and Rosa Kloser spent much of the race together, in a big contrast to the massive multiple-minute time gaps between each rider that marked the men’s top five.

As the race closed in on the finish in Emporia, the Specialized riders, Schreurs and Gomez Villafane, began to use team tactics to shake up the race. Schreurs took a flyer, chased down by Rosa Kloser, and soon it all came back together. The race would stay together until the finish chute, where Gomez Villafane had the strongest sprinting legs left after over 200 miles on a muddy course.

It capped off a mega-successful day for Specialized Racing, with the men going 1-2-5 as well in the 200.

Results: Unbound Gravel Women’s 200