The Unbound Gravel (Formerly the ‘Dirty Kanza’) started in 2006 as a bit of a pioneer of the gravel racing scene. It initially offered just a 200mile option which has since expanded to a plethora of distance options and grown from 34 riders to nearly 4000 riders + a waiting list. It takes place in the Flint Hills of Southern Kansas, USA, which is in fact the largest remaining tall-grass prairie in the world. This attracts cattle from all over the USA and Mexico who travel here to feast on the luscious grass. Now more than cattle, the endurance cycling community converge on the area each June to ride the infinite amount of gravel roads in the area. Making the most of being based in the USA, I saw this year as my best chance to give the ‘worlds premier gravel race’ a go.
I had heard from mates whom had done the Unbound before that ‘the buzz’ around the event was one of the biggest draw-cards. This was clearly evident in the city of Emporia which is seemingly transformed into a gravel cycling mecca for a week or so. On the start line it was a motley crew of cyclists, amateur weekend enthusiasts with hairy legs lining up not too far removed from oOympic gold medallists (NB. The pro wave left 10min prior to the main field) which adds to the aura of Unbound.
I was under no illusion of my own capabilities in this event, although allowed to start in the pro wave, I was resigned to begin a drift back to the main field when the course hit some elevation gain. It was however not a change in elevation that would cause a selection, rather 10km of continuous bog resultant of an overnight downpour. It was thick, heavy clay type mud. The kind that tends to accumulate in drivetrains and quickly close clearance gaps between tyre and frame. Riders especially hard hit were those with aero oriented frames and those who opted road shoes & pedals. I was grateful for the Maxxis Rambler here which appeared to shed the mud a little better than most as I was able to continue riding for much of this section whilst others were hiking. I subsequently emerged from this section further ahead in the field than I anticipated to be in. The terrain quickly transitioned to loose shale rock based rolling hills, where the groups began to re-sort according to fitness/ ability rather than mud luck.
Marking time – and distance – at Unbound
With so few kilometers covered in the first 2 hours the enormity of the challenge ahead began to set in. Trying to do constant calculations in my head of km’s to miles was becoming too big of a burden for my drained mental and physical resources. When I realised my old GPS computer was in fact over reading the amount of kilometers I had covered is when I really began to hit a mental wall. The motivation was ceasing. This has happened to me many times before in races and I can often muster some more drive through getting back into the present. I
In a mountain bike race the trail will often assist with this; a fun singletrack or a techy climb. In a road race the dynamic of the race or the tactics of play could help distract me from the physical pain at play. In a 300+km gravel race neither of these features exist. Looking at a long, flat, straight, open, barren dirt road does not really inspire the senses to keep going. That is when I started to flirt with the tucker bag of excuses; “Don’t want to wreck this bike”, “Got heaps of stuff to do next week, will need energy for that”, “My diabetes levels are out”, etc etc… These were tempting to grab hold of, however I did manage to develop a strategy that I knew could sustain me at least for a short period of time. I broke the remaining distance into 15km chunks (according to my malfunctioning computer). At each 15km, I would stop briefly, check blood sugar, eat, and drink some water. So about a 90s breather. I could ask myself the question “Can I ride 140km more?” to which I would likely say NO. But, then “Can I ride 15km more?” begrudgingly yes would be the answer to the latter. The micro 15km goals kept me chugging along through the intense thunderstorm and second 5km bog pile late in the race.
Why race Unbound?
The Unbound has a curious appeal. The lottery style entry process speaks to popularity of the event, it would be easy to write the Unbound off as a product of savvy social media marketing. The course itself is the antithesis of fun on a bicycle, the area is also not known for its scenery. However, events that are this popular do not get that way by accident. The organisation of the event is faultless, the good it does for the 4 towns the race passed through is obvious. Locals are all out on deck chairs cheering on riders, helping at the feed zones and even local farmers lending use of a hose to help clean the bog off bikes and refill water bottles. The ‘spirit of gravel’ appears to be in the mind of the beholder, at The Unbound I believe it lies in its impact on communities on an often overlooked part of the USA.
In the race itself Keegan Swenson took the win for the men and Carolin Schiff took the win in the women’s. Full results here.