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Team VPA Athlete Ayaz Was One of the Few to Conquered Unbound Gravel XL

Team VPA Athlete Ayaz Was One of the Few to Conquered Unbound Gravel XL

Unbound XL 2023, 353 miles through hell and back, took just under 36 hours of the allotted time to finish (beat the cut-off by 5 minutes). Hands down the hardest thing I’ve done on a bicycle (and I’ve completed an Everesting). Out of 156 riders who started this insanity there were only 47 official finishers, yes 109 people called a quits - some very strong elite athletes. Some did still finish well after the finish line was taken away and I have so much high praise for those amazing people.
A rundown of my Unbound Gravel XL Adventure
The consistent rain turned many roads into long stretches of peanut butter clay that clinged on to anything and everything. Many long sections were unrideable and had to be walked.
Mile 0 (June 2nd 3:00pm) The start.. 25 or so miles in, temps dropped real fast, crazy strong headwinds, lightning, thunder, and rain drops the size of water balloons, I thought it was hail from the way it was pelting me.
Mile 101 (June 3rd, 12:15am): My chain fell off because of said mud working it’s way into the drivetrain. The chain proceeded to wrap itself around the crank and twist/jam under it. Never seen anything like it. I had to pull at it for 15 minutes before I finally freed it. Multiple links were twisted and I had to shorten the chain by 5 links and piece it back together - effectively losing my easiest climbing gears. I was moving again though, much to the surprise and delight of some of the other riders who passed me while I was working on repairs.
Mile 210 (June 3rd, 2pm): Shifting completely stopped in my 3rd hardest gear! I thought it was the eTap battery but a new one didn’t help. So I had a pretty hard single speed bike (38/16 ratio) for 140 miles. Some hills were impossible and had to be walked. Anything over 5-6% I was laying down over 400 watts.
Mile 315 (June 3rd, 10:15pm): Rear flat, seemed like a slow leak so filled it with a C02.
Mile 320 (June 3rd, 10:45pm): Completely rear flat, maybe a bad valve? No cognitive function after 32 hours to troubleshoot. Had to put in a tube. Rolling again.
Mile 325 (June 3rd, 11:15pm): Going slow on technical descents to avoid pinch flats, but hit a drain pipe buried under the mud, and fell down really hard. Not sure how I didn’t break my collar bone. I did bash my left shin into a big rock. Rear flat again! So much for trying to avoid a pinch flat. Put in my last and final tube. A rider passing by graciously offered me his spare C02 as I was out and would have spent a while inflating with the hand pump.
I was now going nervously fast hoping to avoid any rocks or bump and finding the smoothest line for the last 17 miles, except for the overflowing creek crossing with who knows what lay under the water. Pure adrenaline took over. I constantly checked the time/distance remaining - trying to figure out average speed felt like performing mathematical proofs. On more than one occasion I felt like the universe didn’t want me to finish, especially on that hard fall. I did finish (on June 4th, 2:55am), all for the reason I started, a sense of accomplishment. I am not a fast or strong athlete but I don’t really care to be, I find satisfaction in pursuing things that push me beyond my perceived limits - it’s what makes me learn more about myself and grow as a person.

MEET SOME OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS

In 2022 we had 100 Team Members. BE APART OF THE FAMILY AND SHARE YOUR STORY

Meet Team VPA member Renee @runtrails_eatplants . It is her second year on the team and she has been helping out behind the scenes on our IG @team_vpa and our FB pages"Life is too short to stay inside your comfort zone, reach for the sky. I’m Renee and I am an ultrarunner living outside Atlanta, Georgia. 14 years ago, I went plant based for my health and I never looked back. After a bad foot injury, I discovered I loved lifting as much as I love running the trails. So, at the age of 50 I added lifting heavy to my training plan. I am passionate about spreading the message that age is no limit and you can not only thrive on a plant-based diet, you can help end animal cruelty and have a positive impact on the environment too. So, get out there and go for it!"

Welcome to the team@monica.strattonSport: Triathlon, Cycling, Running

"I have struggled for my entire life with food. It seems everything I ate made me feel sluggish or sick. My husband and I decided to try the vegan lifestyle and we have never felt better. My digestive system is running so much better and I feel I have more sustainable energy through my workouts and life. Being vegan has helped me fuel better for all my races and training.
I am very proud to be a vegan athlete. I have seen what it has done for me and my performance in all my sports. I want to share my story of how being vegan has changed my life in terms of how I feel on a daily basis and in sport. Being a professional athlete my students look to me and how I live my life and I am very proud to tell them how much better my body feels being vegan "

Welcome back@rjsacksVeganism saved my dad's life many years ago. He had horrible blockages in his heart and faced stents and a very dangerous operation, or seeing what would happen if he went whole food no oil plant based. He reversed his heart disease and is healthy as ever and still vegan. He never needed heart surgery. He is now 61 years old and still doing distance cycling rides. I started changing what I was eating during high school when my dad switched his diet. I made the complete switch after I met my boyfriend, a collegiate vegan runner at the time. I was mostly looking at veganism through a health lens until I met him and he helped me face the ethical dilemmas of eating animal products as well. Since I went vegan, my sister went vegan, my mom went vegetarian almost plant based, and my brother (who I thought would never change) has cut a significant amount of meat and dairy from his diet. My dad, boyfriend and I are all vegan cyclists currently. My whole immediate family is very open to veganism and eats vegan at family gatherings. Being vegan has been easy with supports like mine.
I feel strongly about spreading a positive message and hopefully helping make a change. Veganism saves so many animals, it can save people like my dad, and can save our planet. I can show other athletes that vegans aren't frail and sickly, we can compete and do well without eating animal products.

Welcome to the team@prost_1969I had high cholesterol high blood pressure and was 40 lbs over weight. The doctor said statins for the rest of my life because high cholesterol was in my family so I took things into my own hands. Since then I lost the 40 lbs and reversed all the other issues . I now also realize the impact going vegan has on the animals and the environment. I love cycling and running and by joining the team I can reach more people and show them that you can’t just survive without the use of animal products but thrive!!

Meet Team VPA athlete Shari. We are glad she joined us Meet“Hi team, this is my first year with Team VPA. I'm overjoyed to have found this team. I adore the mission statement because it reflects my beliefs too. I'm 48 years young, a small business owner, yogi, group fitness instructor, and outdoor enthusiast. My primary sport is Triathlon, but running will always be my first love with more than 6 marathons under my belt. Vegan for over 15 yrs. Before that vegetarian for 3 years. My biggest vegan athlete accomplishment was completing my first Ironman last year after many years doing Triathlons. This year I'm looking forward to enjoying long cycling tours in Europe! Follow my adventures on IG @sparks_vegan”

Welcome to the team@mattd_team_vegan_athletics"My name is Matt Dellaro. This is my first year as a Team VPA member as well as my first new year as an endurance athlete. I decided last February to buy a road bike and start cycling again after not having done it since my teens...I'm 51 now. I heard about short course triathlons and decided to see what I could do. I have 3 sprints behind me now as well as a 5k and 8k trail running races, a 5k road, two 10k races and a half marathon. I'm looking forward to longer triathlons as I get more comfortable with open water swimming, and working up to a 70.3 or even a 140.6. I've been vegan for over 8 years, and am so loving this new chapter in my life. Thanks to everyone at Team VPA who has been so helpful, supportive and just plain cool."

We are so glad you joined us@barefootjei"My name is Jérémie alias@barefootjei, I'm 28 years old and I'm from Normandy in France.

I have been vegan for 3 years now. I'm vegan for the animals! I'm so happy to have joined the team and to wear our colors in my country.

In 2022 I will be running every day to raise funds that will be donated to two Vegan associations.

My goal for 2022 is a 55km in May and another probably longer race by the end of the year."

"My name is Gloria Perez and I live in sunny Southern California. This is the first year I'm on Team VPA. I have been vegan for 4.5 years. I made the switch after my son inspired me. Becoming vegan has been one of the best decisions I've made for my health and of course for the animals and for the planet we all share. I have 3 sons and 2 grandsons. I've been running for 8 years. I've ran many distances, but my favorite distance is the half marathon. I enjoy both road and trail running. I also enjoy backpacking, cycling, lifting weights, OCR and traveling. One of my goals for this year is to start racing duathalons. I'd also love to do R2R2R (Grand Canyon). I'm also currently learning to speak French. "