Unbound XL Preview & Ultra-Endurance Gravel Setup with Justin Cary | ShiftLess 143

The Unconventional Justin Cary Returns for an Unbound XL Deep Dive!In this episode of ShiftLess, Kevin and Brad sit down with our favorite ultra-endurance rule-breaker, Justin Cary. With Unbound XL right around the corner, we are milking this preview for all it's worth. Justin is gunning to shave three hours off his time from last year, and to do it, he's taking some massive swings with his gravel bike setup that fly in the face of conventional cycling wisdom.We dive deep into the logistics, gear choices, and mental tactics required to survive and thrive at the pointy end of ultra-endurance gravel racing and bikepacking events. Whether you are gearing up for a 300-mile race, fine-tuning your bikepacking rig, or just love nerding out over tire rolling resistance, this episode is packed with real-world takeaways.Topics Covered in this Episode:Unbound XL Preview: Goal setting, race tactics, pacing, and drafting in a 350-mile race.The Unconventional Setup: Why Justin is ditching aerobars in favor of a high stack height, and how he's running "Fast on Flats" pedals for ultra-distance events.Gravel Tire Tech: Testing the puncture resistance and rolling speed of the Michelin Power Adventure 48s on a 2025 Specialized Crux.Ultra-Endurance Nutrition: Fueling massive efforts with no solid food using Simple Cycling Nutrition, plus extreme hydration and caffeine strategies for riding through the night.Bikepacking Gear & Battery Management: Navigating the logistics of cache batteries, Exposure lights, SRAM RED shifting, and action cameras over multiple days.Industry Talk: The Rule of Three course changes, the ongoing debate around suspension forks on gravel bikes, and why 32-inch wheels might be the "Blackberry" of the cycling industry.Bonus: Kevin's sous vide beef tenderloin revelation.Keywords:Gravel riding, gravel racing, Unbound XL, bikepacking, ultra-endurance cycling, specialized crux, gravel bike setup, bikepacking gear, fast on flats pedals, Michelin power adventure, cycling nutrition, Rule of Three gravel, Tour Divide, 32-inch mountain bike wheels, ShiftLess podcast.Justin's pedals (use coupon code SHIFTLESS for 10% off): https://www.simplecyclingnutrition.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.comJustin's bike overview on his channel: https://youtu.be/aDOl5X0O5s0?si=Cq0Q8pu4c-ZNhFCg