Just last week, New Zealand mountain biker Matthew Wilson was celebrating a performance at Unbound Gravel that clinched him a wildcard spot in the Life Time Grand Prix series. However, there was no rest for the Scott Sports USA rider after taking 28th in a brutal edition of the race, given he'd decided to pin on a number at the Tulsa Tough criteriums through the weekend.
"I borrowed a mate's road wheels, put them on the gravel bike and gave it a nudge," said Wilson in the race live broadcast.
The 24-year-old on the repurposed Scott Addict Gravel wasn't just rolling around to make up numbers either, delivering an unexpected victory in the race style that could hardly provide a bigger contrast to his efforts of the previous weekend.
Wilson joined the fray after the Blue Dome criterium, part of the American Criterium Cup series, opening up the legs with 51st at the Tulsa Arts District Criterium but then really turning up the heat for the finale, the McElroy Parks criterium, which includes Cry Baby Hill.
"Winning a US pro crit was not on the to-do list for 2026, but here we are," said Wilson in an Instagram post after a weekend of racing, which included claiming the Pro Men's top spot at the Tulsa Tough finale, the McElroy Parks criterium.
He was aggressive in pursuit of the break, which was far from a one-off effort, but Wilson was persistent.
"Having never really considered myself a sprinter, and not being a fan of the carnage that can unfold in the bunch, I figured the best place to be was off the front," said Wilson, who certainly couldn't have had any concerns about his ability to go long.
At more than 50 minutes into the race with around ten laps to go, Wilson clipped off the front in a move where he initially joined Riley Wrightsman, but then went it alone.
"It took a couple of attempts, but eventually I found myself solo with five laps to go and managed to hang on all the way to the finish," said Wilson.
A win in the prestigious US criterium may have been cause for celebration for the rider who confessed that "I haven't done too much crit racing at all to be fair." There was no time to get wrapped up in the celebrations, though, as the gravel bike is due to hit more familiar terrain once again.
"I'm up early tomorrow morning," said Wilson. "I've got a 14-hour drive out to Durango, making my way across the country to Lost and Found Gravel."
