Kansas is often the punchline of well-intended humour, regarding the American Midwest, but for followers of all things gravel bike racing, Kansas has gravitas, unlike any other location. 

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Gravel bikes and farm country go together. The best gravel bike routes are often in rural areas, where intricate dirt road networks interlink farming communities and towns. And rural Kansas is a farm state. With a treasure of dirt roads, it really makes for the world's most esteemed gravel bike race. 

Garmin Unbound started as the Dirty Kanza back in 2006. Before the rising tide of gravel biking, Dirty Kanza was the event which defined the discipline. Although it was renamed Unbound Gravel in 2020, the location and spirit remain unchanged. Unbound Gravel is indisputably the world’s most prestigious gravel bike race. 

What’s happening this year?

The 2023 edition is scheduled for 3 June and features three races. There are two 200-mile routes and one 100-mile option. Technically, the routes are slightly longer than the rounded category names, with the 200-miler totalling 205.5-miles and the 100-miles, clocking 103.1-miles on your cycling computer. The overall field is massive, with nearly 4,000 gravel riders.  

Life Time Grand Prix gravel unbound gravel - facebook.jpeg, by Suvi Loponen

Unbound Gravel starts in Emporia, Kansas, and routes through all the best riding that rural Kansas offers. Although the Midwest lacks imposing mountains, it does feature rolling topography, ideal for gravel bike racing. The climbing profile might not feature exhausting hors categorie climbs but over the 205.5-mile pro racing distance, the Kansan topography compounds for a total elevation gain of 9100ft. 

The off-road peloton will route south after leaving Emporia. Unbound Gravel’s defining feature is the Flint Hills, a legacy of differential erosion, covered with prairie Tallgrass. The road surface is deceptive, with a greater frequency of sharp rocks than most would anticipate. 

Tyres and thunderstorms

Gravel bike tyres have improved remarkably over the last few years, but terrain intuition remains essential, as rain can drain nasty little rocks and stones to the Unbound Gravel route’s edges after a heavy downpour. Group riding dynamics at Unbound Gravel are a skilled anticipation between balancing the benefits of aero and rolling clear of puncture risk. 

Midwestern thunderstorms are a reality for Unbound Gravel riders, and the predictions are for scattered thunderstorms during the race. Unbound Gravel requires an adequately robust tyre casing to resist puncturing, but with a tread that will efficiently shed mud in the likely event of a thunderstorm. 

Headwinds shouldn’t be an issue, as windspeeds across the course are predicted to be mild, with a maximum speed of only 14km/h. 

Remaining faithful to the independent streak of gravel riding, organisers emphasise self-support during the event. Riders can receive external support at two checkpoints, Eureka (79 miles) and Madison (167 miles). The other two stops are neutral water points at Texaco Hill (42 miles) and Hamilton (124 miles) 

Who to watch - men’s field

Lachlan morton unbound.jpg, by Suvi Loponen

Pro gravel bike racing has attracted a mix of repurposed road pros and dedicated gravel specialists. Perhaps the most enigmatic and iconic rider at Unbound Gravel will be Australian Lachlan Morton. 

The EF Education–EasyPost rider has transitioned into a different career phase, proving the value of a pro rider journeying for cycling experiences, not race results. Morton has raced events as diverse as the East African Migration gravel race and Cape Epic mountain bike event. Although he struggled at this year’s Cape Epic, Morton’s form could have recovered, and he is a threat at any event where a race number is affixed to his handlebar.  

Morton’s Cape Epic teammate, Keegan Swenson, finished second last year and will be keen on pressuring for a win. With a photo finish deciding the most recent Unbound Gravel’s result, Swenson will be smarting for success, after losing victory by the slimmest of margins. During the Cape Epic, in March, Swenson looked stronger than Morton and will be hoping that those Cape Epic off-road racing miles prove their value in Kansas. 

Howard Grotts, one of America’s most promising cross-country mountain bikers of recent memory, will be a definite contender at Unbound Gravel. The Coloradoan won the 2018 Cape Epic and his endurance mountain biking ability should convert with purpose to the dirt roads of Kansas. 

Defending Unbound Gravel champion, Dutchman Ivar Silk, will be leading the European presence, with lowland riders being the favourites. Laurens ten Dam and Jasper Ockeloen are the other notable Dutch riders, with Ockeloen in strong form, after winning the Belgian Waffle Ride California edition, in April. 

Who to watch - women’s field

Sofia Gomez Villafane, by Suvi Loponen

Cape Epic mountain biking victory is a theme of prediction in the women’s category at Unbound Gravel, as well. Sofia Gomez Villafane is the defending champion and dominated the event last year, riding solo for nearly half the route. The Argentine rider is a former Cape Epic mountain bike winner who clearly has the riding endurance to power away for another Unbound Gravel win and will be the favourite to take the women’s title. 

Villafane’s most significant rivals will be those riders journeying to the Midwest, with the momentum of wins in other premier gravel bike events. Haley Smith won the Belgian Waffle Ride Vancouver Island, which is the calendar event preceding Unbound Gravel. This should give Smith tremendous confidence travelling to Kansas, although the terrain types and surface texture are markedly different between the Vancouver Island event and Unbound Gravel. 

Experience matters in endurance cycling, especially at Unbound Gravel, where puncture avoidance and mechanical sympathy are a thing. Amity Rockwell won the 2019 event and The Traka 360 in a record time, which makes her the form women’s rider, judged on most recent race results. 

Getting a handle on new aero rules

Unless you ride street BMX, aerodynamics matters in all cycling disciplines. And organisers of Unbound Gravel observed an alarming trend of aero innovation. Each year more pro riders were using clip-on bar extensions and bar attachments to achieve the most aero riding position on those long flat sections of the route.

To make the event safer by reducing bunch riding crash risk due to reduced steering control, which is a reality with aero bar riding positions, Unbound Gravel organisers have banned handlebar modifications which allow riders to adopt an aero position. This will unquestionably alter the strategy and group riding dynamics, especially in the first third of the route, when riders are more tightly grouped. 

Without aero bars or accessories at this year’s event, it returns to a truer test of rider flexibility and pain tolerance on the bike. This should return Unbound Gravel to the ethos of gravel biking, instead of dirt road time trial riding.

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