Ivar Silk - "It was tremendously tough, but I'm super happy with this win" after victiory in Unbound Gravel

Ivar Slik won the Gravel">Unbound Gravel. The Dutchman finished ahead of Life Time Grand Prix series leader Keegan Swenson and previous year's victor Ian Boswell. Laurens ten Dam came in fourth only a few seconds later, with Slik winning in a fantastic time of 9:22:04.

"It was tremendously tough, but I'm super happy with this win. So far, the choice of gravel racing at Wilier is working out perfectly. When I crossed the finish line, I was so happy. This was my big goal this year, and this race is long... A lot can happen, and you also need a little bit of luck, but I was in top form and did everything to start here in top condition. This is the best gravel race in the world. It's fantastic, "Slik told VeloNews.

"At the beginning, I was in a big group because the level is high," he continued. Only four riders could follow me. And at the last checkpoint, Stetina had to let go. Then Laurens came back out of nowhere. Nobody could get away in the final, but I trusted my sprint," he concluded. Sure enough Slik transitioned onto the gravel scene successfuly, having captured one of it's most reputable events.