When Cameron Jones lined up in Emporia for Unbound 200 in 2025, he had the element of surprise on his side. After all the rider from New Zealand was looked upon as a relative newcomer fighting for a wildcard entry to the Life Time Grand Prix series, rather than as a rider fighting for a win in the world's most prestigious gravel race.

That worked in his favour – he took off just 50 miles into the race with Simon Pellaud and then dropped his break companion to claim a solo victory that transformed his career. This time, however, Jones knows that "there's no way anyone's going to let me roll off the front like I did last year."