Ivar Slik, Unbound champion in 2022, had his season derailed by a collision with a car. In one second, Slik’s focus on racing shifted to focusing on his next breath.

“The doctors were really worried because I had a bleed in my brain,” Ivar tells us, almost off-hand.

“It's crazy what happened. And sometimes I still can't believe it, because so much happened, and, yeah, sometimes you still hope it is all a dream or a nightmare.”

The crash happened while the 31-year-old Dutchman was riding in Bentonville, Arkansas at the end of May 2024. He was rushed to hospital where it’s reasonable to say the doctors saved his life. All thought of racing Unbound evaporated. Indeed, while Slik was getting the treatment he needed, it fell to his buddy Jasper Ockeloen to post online what had happened. 

Now, having returned to riding gently outside a couple of weeks ago, Slik is remarkably sanguine about the whole thing, saying, “I just have to deal with the consequences” while discussing his slow return to fitness.

The concern about Slik’s brain injury was so severe when he first received treatment, another issue went unnoticed.

“My meniscus was in the wrong place. I only noticed when I returned to riding, so I had to have a surgery to fix that here in the Netherlands.”

The trauma of the crash was added to by the fact Slik had been riding well beforehand.

“I got fifth at Gravel Locos that month and I really felt I was going towards my top shape. I really wanted to win Unbound again because yeah, after 2022, I know I can do it.”

Remarkably, 2022 was Slik’s first year racing gravel as his main focus. In 2021 he was still mixing road and off-road events, after growing up first in MTB.

“I started with mountain biking when I was 15 years old, and then I switched to road racing. But I always liked the road races with gravel sections, and I have always done beach racing in the winter.”

With gravel ever on the upward trajectory, by 2022 it was time to commit.

“I was asked by my main sponsor Wilier Triestina to go full-time on gravel. And that suited me too, because that's where my best qualities lay. 2022 turned out to be a great season.”

Great indeed. Slik won the Traka 200km in Girona, his first gravel race win, then rolled into Unbound where he snagged the victory that established him as one of the discipline’s leading lights.

As a privateer, Slik manages all his own press and partner relations. The Unbound win sent his phone into meltdown.

“The first thing was the media,” he recalls. “Magazines, podcasts and, yeah, also live television in the Netherlands. Then four or five big bike brands wanted to start a collaboration with me. So that was also a really big compliment. In the end I chose to stay with Wilier who had faith in me.”

Now, as the racing season begins to ebb, Slik is patient and confident.

“Recovery just takes time. It’ll happen. I am hopeful to ride a few races this season.”

And naturally with a lot of time off, Slik’s thoughts have turned to the next year’s racing.

“I’m thinking about taking a domestique to key races next season. In a race like Unbound where there's a big chance you have a puncture because of the sharp rocks, having a strong support rider who gives you his wheel when you have a flat becomes a massive advantage.”

It is relatively new ground, this idea of domestiques in gravel. And Slik says he would probably have to cover the rider’s flight as a means of payment.

As far as events go, Slik’s desire to double up his Unbound title ranks high, but he’d also like to race in Africa.

“I really want to win Unbound for the second time. I would love that. And also Traka in Girona, Spain. Winning is the goal.”

I was glued to the Tour de France through my injury recovery and then straight into the Olympics.

Ten hours a week and I actually really enjoy it.

I have kept a journal since 2013. So more than ten years now. I write down my feelings and yeah, it helps me.

This off-season we're planning to go to Madeira.