From Mud to Crits: Matt Wilson Wins Tulsa Tough on His Unbound Gravel Bike
Matt Wilson turned heads when he went from racing this year's mud-caked edition of Unbound Gravel directly to taking the win at the biggest crit race in the U.S., all on the same bike.
Tulsa Tough is more than just a bike race. It's where a three-day block party collides with the highest level of American criterium racing.
Tulsa Tough has always been known as much for its party vibe as it is for showcasing world-class crit racing. From its humble beginnings in 2006, the event has grown rapidly, evolving into one of the premier events on the calendar, yet one thing has remained constant: closing out the weekend on the legendary Crybaby Hill course.
This short but steep climb, lined shoulder-to-shoulder with rowdy fans, has become the launch pad for countless race-winning moves and unforgettable moments. It was also the exact point where Matt Wilson made his move, bridging across to a solo rider. Once again, he pushed the power up the steep ramps of the hill to open a gap that he kept all the way to the line for a solo win.
"The atmosphere was great — it basically felt like one big bike party. Crybaby Hill in particular had an absolutely wild crowd."
— Matt Wilson
A win is always a win, but what made this one so special and a little unexpected? Rewind one week and you'd find Matt slogging through the mud and rain in Emporia, Kansas, at Unbound Gravel, probably not even thinking about a crit race. But things changed when his friend and SCOTT teammate, Cam Jones, had a wild idea…
"It was Cam who came up with the idea. With some shorter gravel races (relative to Unbound) coming up, I figured it would be a fun way to get some punch and VO2 work into the legs after a big endurance block leading into Unbound."
— Matt Wilson
With some inspiration and a little peer pressure from Cam, the two of them headed to Tulsa to see what they could do. They quickly embraced the vibe, joining the shakeout rides with Spoke house, the local SCOTT dealer, and worked on wrapping their heads around crit racing. Fast-paced, multi-lap, shoulder-to-shoulder racing is about as far away from gravel racing as you can get, especially Unbound.
We had to hear more from Matt about what it was like to go from the largest gravel race to the biggest crit race in the U.S. Luckily, we had the chance to catch up with Matt while he was already driving back west to shift gears once again to mountain biking, with Leadville being the next big race on the calendar.
We have to ask, did you go into Tulsa thinking you would come away with the win?
Definitely not! Especially post Unbound! I really was just wanting a tune-up race and was hoping to maybe win back the entry cost by winning a prime lap or two through the weekend. The first time I got off the front was because I went all in to win some cash, and thought in my head that was a success!
When you were headed to Tulsa did you know for sure that they would let you race? Being from Gravel and New Zealand how did that work?
"I only sorted my USA Cycling membership and race license the week of, just before the race. Luckily, I did a bit of road racing last year in New Zealand, so already had my Cat 1 license sorted"
You took 2nd at the New Zealand National Road Race Championships, and on top of that you have had some strong early-season gravel and MTB results. Did you know many of the other racers in Tulsa? More importantly, did they know you?
"Yeah, I knew a couple guys from the gravel scene like Michael Garrison. There were also a couple other kiwi riders in town that I know from road events back home so they gave me a rundown of what to expect. Other than that, I doubt many others knew who I was which for sure played to my advantage."
Coming directly from Unbound and not planning on racing Tulsa, you opted to just race your Gravel bike. What did you do to make it race-ready?
"Honestly, I just borrowed a pair of road wheels from a mate and threw them on the gravel bike. That Addict Gravel bike is so fast it worked great."
So that was the exact bike you rode at Unbound, just with the addition of Syncros road wheels and 32c tires? Wow. You mentioned previously that you also ran the same gearing, a Shimano drivetrain with a 50-tooth chainring up front and a 10–51 cassette in the back. That's a bit lower than what's ideal for this style of racing, so how did you make it work? Did you have to race differently because of the bike setup?
"Well, I did and I didn't. I guess I raced it a bit differently than your conventional crit racer, but at the same time, I feel like I still would've raced aggressively and tried to get away solo if I'd been on a normal road bike. Even with road gearing explosive sprints have never really been a strength of mine, so going long and winning solo or from a break is generally my go-to move."
We have to know what it was like jumping into a crit race for the first time. They're notorious for being a battle on wheels. Was the racing what you expected?
Pretty much. Surprisingly, it wasn't quite as sketchy or rough in the bunch as I thought. My main concern was getting crashed out with so much important racing coming up. I watched a bunch GoPro clips and videos before the race that showed crashes and shoulder-to-shoulder racing, but from my experience at Tulsa everyone was relatively respectful with space. Also, it was unexpected but cool to have several riders from some of the major teams like Legion come up and congratulate me on the win after, but I doubt they'll let me get up the road next time."
The big question, are you coming back next year?
Wasn't planning on it but who knows, maybe I'll have to go. We'll see how I pull up after Unbound next year and decide the week of again. It was a great place to ride bikes.
We can't wait to see how Matt feels next year after Unbound. Who knows, maybe this is the start of a new double challenge… The Tough Unbound.
Stay tuned to SCOTT channels for all the stories to come. Next stop for Matt and the rest of the SCOTT Gravel Squad is the high-elevation endurance test: Leadville 100.
