The 42-year-old Laurens ten Dam from Oudorp just failed to win Unbound Gravel. The clay court match in America is also regarded as the unofficial World Cup clay court. After 330 kilometres, the American Keegan Swenson crossed the finish line as the winner and Ten Dam was fourth.
This morning there were about 4000 participants at the start. The riders had to cover 330 kilometers on unpaved roads. The Amsterdam Thijs Zonneveld did not make it. Zonneveld fell hard on his knee and had to get off. It later turned out that he had torn his patellar tendon.
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So another North Hollander fared better. Laurens ten Dam from Oudorp rode for hours in a leading group of seven men. A sprint had to decide who would be the winner after 330 grueling kilometers. After more than ten hours, Swenson was the first to cross the line. The 42-year-old Ten Dam eventually finished fourth, just six seconds behind the winner.
In 2019, the North Hollander stopped as a road cyclist. Ten Dam rode for Rabobank, Team Sunweb and CCC, among others. The former pro is seen as one of the European gravel pioneers who likes to compete in America.