Unbound king Swenson lost in sprint for fourth place against Valverde at World Gravel Championship but caught up with him during descent

Keegan Swenson dominated several American gravel races last year, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. The 29-year-old American racer made his European gravel debut at the World Gravel Championship in Italy last weekend. The Utah specialist crossed the finish line in Pieve di Soligo, claiming a commendable fifth place. However, he narrowly missed out on the fourth spot in a sprint duel with the experienced Alejandro Valverde. IDLProCycling.com had the opportunity to speak with Swenson both before and after the race.

"I believe I have the right attributes, although my starting position may pose a challenge. The opening stage is perhaps the most demanding for me, especially when starting from the back," Swenson confided at Lago Le Bandie, approximately half an hour before the race's commencement. "Luckily, it's a long race, and I'll have ample time to make my way to the front. The course doesn't become too narrow until further into the race."

Swenson clinched victory in nearly every gravel race he entered this season, making him a notable contender. However, the field is highly competitive, so achieving a top-ten finish would be a great result. Swenson considers himself more of a dark horse than a top contender for the win, particularly given the presence of accomplished road and mountain bikers. "This is also my first official gravel race in Europe, so it's also about gaining experience. Nonetheless, I'm genuinely looking forward to the challenge," he expressed, his humility shining through.

Unbound enthusiast Swenson prepared very specifically for World Gravel Championship.

After securing a second-place finish behind the unstoppable Ivar Slik in 2022 (who was also interviewed by IDLProCycling.com). Swenson emerged victorious in this year's most prestigious gravel race, Unbound Gravel, covering a challenging 330 kilometers across the vast plains of Kansas. The self-proclaimed dark horse faced a course in Veneto that, in terms of distance, was "only" fifty percent of what he's accustomed to in the US.

"I really enjoy this course," he mentioned before the start. "There are several challenging gravel sections, not to mention the abundance of short, steep hills. All in all, I can't complain about the route, although, naturally, I would have appreciated a bit more gravel terrain. It's important to bear in mind that, in Europe, it's more challenging to design routes that exclusively utilize gravel roads."

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The man from the "Beehive State" revealed that he had prepared exceptionally well for the gravel event in northeastern Italy. "It's clearly much shorter than, let's say, Unbound, but I've tailored my training very specifically for it. The shorter distance means it's going to be intense. I believe I'm well-prepared, given the careful planning I've put into it. In America, for instance, I also participated in shorter races and incorporated more short training sessions. So, it shouldn't come down to that."

Swenson had lots of bad luck at World Cup gravel, but still competed with the very best

Modesty adorns a man, and Swenson "held his ground" in the prosecco region. The determined rider stayed vigilant throughout the day, keeping pace with the race's frontrunners for an extended period and ultimately finishing in fifth place, although he had to concede in a sprint to the crafty fox, Valverde. Right after crossing the finish line, the two competitors, in a sort of camaraderie, caught their breath together. Both men took a moment to speak with the press. IDLProCycling.com also closely listened to Swenson, who expressed his satisfaction with his performance. "Other than a couple of crashes, it went quite well. I was riding with slick tires, but I forgot to switch a few times. This caused me to exert too much force at certain points and led to crashes."

In hindsight, there might have been even more in store for Swenson. "Due to my crash, I fell out of the first group and had to chase the second group. I managed to catch up with them, but by then, the riders in that group had lost the energy and motivation to catch the leaders (Matej Mohoric, Florian Vemeersch, and Connor Swift). For a while, the gap was around twenty or thirty seconds, but it quickly ballooned to one minute, then two, three, and eventually four. After that, everyone started vying for the positions we had."

The group Swenson was part of was disrupted by several accelerations, resulting in Swenson and Valverde emerging as the strongest riders. The American and Valverde rode together toward the finish line, where Swenson eventually had to concede victory to 'Il Imbatido.' "Valverde passed me on a climb, but I caught up with him on the descent. Unfortunately, I lost the sprint, but I'm incredibly pleased with my final result."