The prestige of an Unbound Gravel 200 win is drawing an ever-growing field to the start line in Emporia, Kansas, with an influx of riders from around the world and varying disciplines. What used to be a US-centric off-road contest is now a glaring global spotlight for the pinnacle of the discipline.
The 200-mile (322km) race, which first ran in 2006, crowned its first international victors in 2023 with Dutch rider Ivar Slik and Argentina-born Sofía Gómez Villafañe making the leap to the top step. It has also been clear from the strength of the international riders coming in early to fine tune setups in North America, such as Gravel Locos, Stetina’s Paydirt, BWR Vancouver Island, Iron Horse Bicycle Classic and other events, that the local players are going to have a battle on their hands to wrest the winners’ belt buckles and titles of King and Queen of Unbound back onto home soil.
There is a long and strong list of US gravel ‘ninjas’ who are expected to contend for victories, but there is also an influx of riders who have recent success in the new UCI Gravel World Series or staked their claim in one of the growing array of off-road races in Europe, Australia or South Africa. A few WorldTour roadies, men and women, have also been drawn to Kansas to try their hand at a race which has played such a crucial early role in the development of the sport.
Narrowing down the contenders is never an easy task, but with 205 miles of tough terrain to test the limits of even the hardiest of souls and toughest equipment, the room for something to go wrong and quickly take a rider out of contention is vast. The race is unpredictable, but we’ve picked 10 of the favourites from across the men’s and women’s elite field in the Unbound Gravel 200, plus a couple of other notables riders to watch.
Five Men’s Unbound 200 favourites
Ivar Slik
- Unbound record – 2022 winner, 14th in 2021
- Disciplines – Gravel specialist with road, beach racing background
When Ivar Slik won last year, he was far from an unknown, but the one time road professional who had switched focus to gravel in 2022 also wasn’t top of the list when the Unbound favourites were discussed. The Wilier Factory Racing rider had come 14th in his 2021 debut, which stoked his interest in gravel, but victory at The Traka 200 on the run in of 2022 signalled his potential for more.
This year, after…
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