2023 Unbound Gravel 100

Back in January, I decided on a whim to enter my name into the lottery selection to Unbound Gravel 100 mile bike race in Emporia, Kansas. Riding a century has been a goal of mine for a while, so why not ride the biggest gravel event in the US –or even the world?

At the end of January, I got the email that I had in fact, been selected to ride the 100 103 mile gravel race in Kansas, a place I have never been, let alone ridden my bike. I first heard about this race in 2018 before it was even called Unbound (it is formerly known as the Dirty Kanza) and it had been on my radar since then. There are multiple distances, including a 25, 50, 100 mile and the most famous 200 mile, and even a 350 mile XL route. But I’d do the 100 miler, since I wasn’t going to fly with my bike all the way to Kansas to ride 25 or 50 miles. Go Big or Go Home, right?

I trained for 4 months, purchasing a 100 mile gravel race training plan on Training Peaks, logging my miles, hitting power zones, and riding some very challenging gravel rides all over upstate New York (The Toad Strangler, The Great North, and a Modified Farmer’s Daughter) and even Massachusetts (B2G2). I chose this plan because it was written by an awesome female cyclist and coach, and incorporated strength training into the plain. The 100 mile route, with 4,000+ feet of climbing isn’t flat–but having completed much shorter rides with the same ( or more ) elevation, I knew it would be possible.

So on Thursday afternoon, Jordan and I flew to Kansas City and drove to our air B&B in Topeka (about an hour drive from Emporia) so I could ride Unbound Gravel!

Jordan was an amazing “support crew” and I am so thankful I have a husband who supports my crazy endurance endeavors. Friday we drove to Emporia (AKA Gravel City!) to get my race packet and check out the Gravel Expo.

Things were getting real! We enjoyed a local beer while chatting with a local rider who was also riding the 100–and he gave us some great tips about the area and the race. Saturday was race day. I got my bike and gear all ready the night before–so we just had to load the bike up and head to Emporia in the morning. The 100 mile race started at 7am, so we left a little after 5am, found parking on a side street in Emporia and headed to the start. I met up with Joanna who I met at Rooted Vermont which was great. It was so nice to have a friendly face at the start line!

Bike and Gear Check

Bike: 2022 Kona Rove
Tires: 40 mm Maxxis Ramblers (700c), tubeless with Orange Seal Endurance Sealant
Bags: Revelate Designs Mountain Feedbag; Topeak Wedge Drybag; Revelate Designs MagTank Top Tube Bag (filled with food); Ghost Cat Bags Handlebar Bag (overkill? maybe. maybe not)
Hydration Pack: EVOC Pro 1.5 L hydration vest
Bottles: BIVO 25 oz stainless steel (with nuun), purist 26 oz bottle (h2o), hydapack 1L collapseable bottle (h2o)
Tools: 2 spare tubes, tubeless patch kit, hand pump, 1 CO2 cartridge, tire levers, and a cast iron pan scrub brush to remove mud from bike frame

Kit, etc.
Outdoor Research Houdini Rain Jacket (stowed in my hydration pack)
BikeADK Primal Jersey
Pearl Izumi Pro Bib Shorts (I took a chance since it was my first time wearing them and for 100 miles they were AMAZING)
Chamois Butt’r ULTRA
Darn Tough Wool Cycling Socks
Pearl Izumi X Alp Flow Pop Shoes (flat pedals)
Giro Seyen MIPS road helmet

Nutrition

Variety is key for me! I think I had enough variety!

The Race

The first 10ish miles of Unbound were glorious. Before leaving town, a train went through and we had to stop (not really a big deal), but soon we started riding and I was keeping a good pace (average of about 13+ MPH which is fast for me). And then…there was the mud.

I started riding past all the walkers, but they were walking for good reason. The mud was sticky and started caking up on my wheels, requiring me to stop every so often to clear it out (with my trusty cast-iron pan brush). It. was. brutal. After what felt like hours—well, it actually was about 2 hours and 3ish miles–I was finally able to start riding again, passing a bunch of people still walking their bikes. I had finally had enough of walking and decided to try to ride–eventually coming to dry gravel.

 

It was glorious.

 

I was looking forward to the Water Oasis at mile 42ish. I got there, asked the volunteer where the water was, and his response was “we’re all out”–“are you joking?” I asked. He was not. It was about 12:45 pm. I later learned there was a leak and a lot of water was lost, which is why they ran out. I had about one 26 oz bottle left. I had gone through my whole 1.5 L pack and an additional liter of water. This was not enough to get me through another 20 miles, especially with rising temperatures. But after waiting around for about 15 minutes, I decided to continue on and risk not finding water. I had lost SO MUCH TIME walking my bike for about 2 hours, that I didn’t want to lose anymore.

Thank goodness, about 5 miles later, there was a man in a pickup truck handing out bottled water to riders. I filled up my hydration pack and was on my way. Only 20ish miles to the 65 mile checkpoint in Madison, KS.

At around mile 50 was “the Judge” hill–it was very short, steep climb. I started riding it while everyone else was walking. I think someone even fell over. But as soon as I started riding, EVERYONE was cheering me on. It was unlike anything I’ve seen. The other riders were so motivating!!! I made it about halfway up and then stopped to walk.

The skies started to look ominous. I rolled into the checkpoint and Jordan yelled at me to follow him to a shelter–it was about to start storming. Within 3 minutes of stopping under the shelter, it started downpouring.

The temperature dropped, and eventually the weather cleared. After waiting for about 45 minutes–I had seriously considered quitting. I could go back with Jordan and get into warm clothes and be done for the day. After all, I had already ridden 65 miles, 4 of which were through a mud pit. But–I did NOT come all the way to Kansas with my bike to quit. I ate and refilled my water and snacks to get me through the next 40ish miles.

Around mile 71 there was another small section of mud. It was mostly dried, so I was able to ride most of it! Unfortunately, my chain started dropping due to the mud caked into my chainring, but eventually I was able to ride without dropping my chain. Right before the checkpoint I also had a slow leak in my rear tire, so I had to stop and pump it up with my hand pump a few times. No big deal… I should have put fresh sealant in my rear tire. Dang. Thankfully it held up.

The miles were ticking by slowly. When I hit 10 miles to go, I knew I was going to finish this thing. One last climb up the hill by Emporia State University (I didn’t have to walk!) and then…

102.7 miles and nearly 14 hours later, FINISHED!

Final Thoughts

There is a lot of talk about whether the 3-4 mile hike-a-bike should have been re-routed due to the mud. I don’t think so–gravel riding isn’t supposed to be easy. It’s what makes this UNBOUND Gravel. It’s what makes this sport challenging. There were many aspects of this race that made me want to quit, but I just kept riding. I wonder how my time would have been had there not been been a 2 hour death march through the mud and a 1 hour storm to wait out, but I guess I won’t ever know! My goal is complete. I never thought I’d be able to finish a 100 mile gravel race. But I did. So what’s next?