Unbound 2024 Gravel Race Preview

Unbound Gravel: What Makes This Race Different

Gravel racing events have gotten complicated with all the new races and series flying around. As someone who’s followed Unbound for years and finally made it to Kansas to watch part of the 200-mile race in person, I learned everything there is to know about why this one stands apart. Today, I’ll share what makes the Flint Hills beautiful and brutal.

The Terrain Is No Joke

Kansas gravel isn’t smooth. The Flint Hills get their name from sharp limestone chunks mixed into the roads. These rocks shred tires, destroy wheels, and end races for riders who didn’t prepare properly. I watched multiple riders dealing with flats and sidewall cuts during the race.

Probably should have led with this section, honestly. The rolling hills look manageable from a car. On a bike, they’re relentless — never a flat stretch to recover, just constant up and down for 200 miles. Combined with loose gravel, even the non-climbing sections demand constant effort.

Weather Adds Chaos

Kansas in June means heat, humidity, and afternoon thunderstorms. The race can start in scorching sun and finish in mud so thick bikes become unrideable. I’ve seen finishers caked in clay, pushing their bikes the final miles because the mud froze their drivetrains.

Smart riders check weather obsessively in the days before. But conditions can shift mid-race — there’s no controlling it, just adapting.

Self-Sufficiency Matters

That’s what makes Unbound endearing to us who appreciate real tests — unlike road racing, it limits outside support. You carry your own food, water, and repair gear. When something breaks in the middle of nowhere Kansas, you fix it yourself or you’re done.

The remote sections are genuinely remote. No cell service, no buildings, no shade — just prairie grass and gravel roads stretching to the horizon. It’s isolating in a way most cycling events aren’t.

The Bike Setup

Most competitive riders run 40-45mm tires, wider than traditional road racing but narrower than mountain bike rubber. Tubeless is standard — the sharp rocks make tubes suicidal. Extra sealant is mandatory.

Gearing trends easier than you’d expect. The constant climbing and variable surfaces mean low gears get used. Most riders prefer 1x drivetrains with 40t or larger chainrings and wide-range cassettes.

Why Riders Keep Coming Back

Unbound attracts returning participants year after year. The suffering is memorable, but so is the accomplishment. Finishing 200 miles through that terrain means something — you can’t fake it or draft your way through.

The gravel community treats it almost like a pilgrimage. If you race gravel seriously, you eventually need to do Unbound. The course, the conditions, the challenge — it’s become the benchmark.

Is It Worth It?

If you’re curious about gravel racing, start with shorter local events. Unbound’s 200-mile course is extreme even by gravel standards. But if you want to test yourself against one of cycling’s hardest single-day challenges, the Flint Hills deliver.

I’m not sure I’d want to race it myself. Watching was enough to understand what those riders go through. But I get why people train all year for that one day in Kansas.