Whatever gravel racing is to you, we know it, without question, to be two things – physically ridiculous and horrifically hard on equipment.
With the men's 200 Unbound race lasting around twice as long as the average Tour de France stage, a huge volume of calories need to be consumed just to finish.
However, unlike a road race, there is no neutral service for the riders and with help at aid stations potentially 50km away, spares must be carried.
As a result, pros in the 200 and 350-mile races at Unbound 2024 resorted to a range of bags, bottles and bodges to carry whatever they deemed necessary.
Minimalism
The majority of racers in the men’s and women’s 200 races opted for minimalist approaches and Ellen Campbell’s setup demonstrates this perfectly.
Campbell opted for a two-bag setup, with a Seeker roll-top saddle bag taking spares, along with a CO2 canister, tyre boot, extra plugs and a tyre lever.
Her second bag is a Specialized x Fjällräven top tube number and this is where the snacks are stored.
Mattia De Marchi is another rider who keeps things svelte, using a stripped-down version of Miss Grape’s long and thin Big Node top tube bag.
The all-white bike is a brave choice for gravel racing and De Marchi has a very unusual addition to the underside of his bars. A Lezyne mini floor pump might make for slightly faster puncture repairs, but it can’t be comfortable on the hands.
Bodge job
If there is one thing a rider needs super-quick access to in the Flint Hills, it’s a tubeless plug tool. Seconds can make a difference here and time saved finding your plug tool will mean your tyres stay closer to their optimum pressure.
Time saved here also means less of a chase back onto the group and therefore more energy for the finish.
There is, however, no pretty way to attach a plug tool to a bike, so almost every rider broke out the electrical tape and got busy with a bodge job.
Tiffany Cromwell had a row of Dynaplug tips lined up on her top tube, while a CO2 canister rested on the front of her seatpost.
We can’t quite spot the Dynaplug tool itself, but we’re sure it can’t be too far out of reach.
Looking to eke out every aero gain while still having some grip and padding on the tops of his bar, Dylan Johnson installed a section of textured padding to finish his half-wrapped bar. It isn't the prettiest setup, but it works and that's all that matters.
The YouTuber and pro racer also created one of the most interesting bikes of the weekend, combining a Felt frame with a Lauf fork, deep wheels, MTB tyres and a super-aggressive position.
A special mention, however, has to go to Alex Howes, who taped a quick-link to the side of his stem. If that doesn't say "I've got more power than my chain can deal with", I don't know what does.
How to hydrate
With races on dusty roads lasting well over 11 hours, taking enough hydration is a challenge. Some riders had Rapha's fetching new Blaerosuit, which enables a rider to carry a hydration bladder without wearing a pack.
Much has been made of the various hydration garments released by Rule 28, Rapha and Castelli. Some will see this as a cool aero upgrade, while others weep for a notion of gravel’s vibe-based spirit.
CamelBak tried something similar around 10 years ago with the VeloBak, but it was deemed uncool and soon disappeared.
If you’re not a fan of a hydration skinsuit or a hydration pack, then the old-school musette hand up is the way to go.
Or, make like Dylan Johnson and fit four, yes, four bottle cages to your bike. He also had a hydration bladder in his Rule 28 Gravel Suit, the thirsty boy.
The bag benefit?
Frame bags could, if you believe Ridley and Apidura’s claims, make your bike faster.
Ian Carter, Apidura’s head of brand and marketing, told BikeRadar the bags are updated models of the ones seen at Unbound 2022.
The system of two bags is designed to work together and has been developed in collaboration with Ridley. The result, the brands claim, is a 3-4 watt saving over a bike with no bags.
This would equate to something in the region of a three-minute advantage over the 200-mile Unbound route.
So why are we yet to see a host of frame bags deployed with aero intentions?
The answer could simply be that racers don’t have the means to test various setups in a wind tunnel.
A frame bag can also block access to or limit the size of water bottles. Given some riders’ preference to use large bottles, as shown by Tiffany Cromwell, there simply isn’t space in some bike frames to fit a bag.
But given Apidura’s claims, this is a tech trend worth keeping an eye on.
Going long
While racers in the ‘shorter’ 200-mile event tended towards lightweight setups, riders tackling Unbound XL’s 350-mile route generally opted for some extra carrying capacity.
Marius Karteusch’s 3T Extrema Italia is kitted out with a pairing of Cyclite top tube and frame bags to handle the usual spares and food, alongside the additional clothing such a long race requires.
But take a look away from the bags and it’s clear care has been taken to attach smaller items in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
A Dynaplug Racer and Lezyne mini pump sit in dedicated slots next to the front and rear bottle cages for easy access.
The rest of the bike continues the clean aesthetic theme, with Karteusch mounting his Wahoo computer and Lezyne front light through the middle.
Svenja Betz, meanwhile, went for a rather more agricultural approach, using numerous pieces of electrical tape to guard against cable rub.
There’s even what looks like some temporary bottle-cage securing tape in place.
