Rugged Road D and possible return of legendary peanut-butter mud awaits elites and amateurs in Unbound 200

Just 10 miles into Unbound Gravel 200 three years ago, an overnight deluge of rain turned the world’s premier gravel race into chaos. A three-mile section of the course called D Hill became a scenario of cyclo-cross craziness as a procession of elite and amateur riders had to dismount and hike through heavy mud and deep grass, which hid deep ruts and even tyre-shredding wire fencing.

This year’s Unbound Gravel 200 race begins in a southerly direction from Commercial Street in downtown Emporia for 207 miles (333 km) of “rugged, remote” roads and ravines scattered across the Flint Hills of Kansas. The last time the race began to the south was 2023, when deep mud in the early miles created chaos.