Laurence ten Dam has had two podium finishes in big American gravel races this year, finishing second to Ian Boswell in a two-man duel in Saturday's Unbound Gravel 200, but the stress on the gravel surface during the race is still there, and the 17-year different level than what he experienced at the World Tour level.

After his last race with the CCC team, he retired in 2019 and began bikepacking and gravel events; in 2021, he moved from Europe to the U.S. and returned to major competitions, but this time with a big-budget team, riding off-road as a gravel grinder rather than on paved roads He was.

"I think I got a flat tire after 20 miles and had to plug it in. I had never done that before in a race. I was nervous," Ten Dam said as he raised his arm. At the post-race press conference, he called for team support and indicated to the media how he wanted to react, as he would in a World Tour race.

"I know I have to do it myself, but it was still natural [to ask for help]. I'm not used to it, that's for sure. That was stressful."

Ten Dam started with Rabobank's Continental team in 2003 and was promoted to the World Tour in 2009. He has competed in all three Grand Tours, with top-10 finishes in the Vuelta (2012) and the Tour (2014).

In May, he won the Gravel Locos (155 miles) ahead of defending unbound gravel champion Colin Strickland, who finished fifth this time. In both races, he said the differences between road and gravel are still significant, and he is still adjusting to everything from plugging his own tires to riding 50 miles in a group.

"When you have a 20-man pace line, it's pretty good," he said. Before the race I told Ted [King] from Gravel Locos that I thought he was crazy to race with a broken collarbone three weeks after his fall. But two hours into the race, I said, 'I get it now. It's totally different from what I was used to,'" the 40-year-old Dutch rider said.

"There's stress on the gears. If you get a flat tire or go bad, that's it. But power is more important than positioning. At the end of the day, if you have power, you win. That's the good part. Anyway, I wasn't the best guy in positioning. I am happy with the way things unfolded."

The race unfolded nicely in a dust cloud in the Flint Hills of Kansas, with a five-rider break forming at mile 125 of the 206.8-mile skirmish. Four former World Tour roadies -- Tendam, Boswell, King, and 2019 runner-up Peter Stetina -- pounded the dirt along with endurance and gravel veteran Colin Strickland, the defending champion.

In the final 10 miles, Boswell and Ten Dam fought the wind together for a showdown in Emporia, which Boswell won; both are retiring from pro road competition in 2019 and riding unbound gravel for the first time. There will be many stories to tell about the two of them.

"I talked to some friends today and there are so many stories to tell. Like one guy, his CO2 was like a pen, and it just broke, so he had to ask people for air, and the second time it fell flat. The other guy went to one of the farms. I knocked on the door and asked if I could borrow a pump in Kansas. I said, 'I wonder how many bikes those guys have.'"

"Each story is different, and I think that's the beauty of this race. So I was supposed to come here with a crew of five, but actually it was just the two of us. Next year I want to show my friends what we did," Ten Dam added.

"You really have to have experience [in this tournament] to know [what to do]. On Tuesday my father will pick me up at the airport and I can tell him what I did, but he won't know a single thing I did."

Ten Dam said he will return to Kansas but hopes to bring more of his friends. He said, "My friends will be at the back of the line, but they will still be there and they will have fun."