While the road sportive markets continues to languish, gravel events are booming and show no sign of slowing as we approach Unbound 2025, starting on 29 May.
As with road events, there are different flavours and nuances to gravel rides depending on where you are in the world, only more pronounced. Terrain is the obvious influencer – ‘gravel’ can mean almost anything that’s not tarmac – but equally important is the attitude that riders bring to these events.
In America, gravel events have their own defined characteristics. With road racing in the doldrums in the US, gravel is where people go to race their bikes, with races playing out on endless pristine gravel roads, covering colossal distances with full-blooded intent.
And there are no more prestigious races than Kansas’ Unbound Gravel. Brit Amelia Mitchell, who finished 18th on her first ride last year, reveals her tips for success…
Play the long game
Mitchell says distance was the number one difference she felt between her first experience of American gravel at Unbound and what she knows from UK and European events.
The trend is for bigger distances in the US. Unbound’s main event in 2024 was 202.8 miles (there was even as XL 352-mile route). Distances of 100 miles+ are common throughout the American scene, and, for Mitchell, the 2024 Unbound was the longest ride she’d ever done.
“When they are so long, every aspect of your plan for the race is different,” says Mitchell. “The way you train, how you fuel, the spares you carry, you need to adapt for the distance.”
Be prepared to talk tyres
Your choice of gravel tyres might be the number one subject you get roped into talking about, or overhear, at Unbound.
“I’ve never heard so much chat about tyre choice and tyre size as I did in Kansas,” says Mitchell. “It was very flinty, the course we did, which makes punctures more likely.”
American gravel routes are typically more consistent – pure gravel roads that stretch for miles – so you’d think tyre choice would be more crucial in more varied UK and European terrain.
“I think that because it is so smooth [in the US], then on the occasions it does get a bit rockier, people freak out. For me, it’d feel totally fine.”
Fuelling can make or break your ride
How do you train for a flat-out 200 miles? Mitchell juggles her gravel racing ambitions around a full-time job in London and so finding the time to replicate this in training is nigh-on impossible.
Indeed, the 2024 Unbound was her longest-ever ride. The good news is that, according to Mitchell, you don’t need to ride that far in training.
“After training to a certain level, I think fuelling is the most important thing,” she insists. “90 grams of carbohydrate, at least.”
For some people, training your gut, by slowly increasing carb intake over a period of time in training, is necessary to avoid gastric distress.
Arrive in plenty of time to adjust to the Kansas time zone
Kansas is a long way to travel for a gravel race and the likelihood is you won’t have a huge amount of time to acclimatise to your new time zone (six hours behind the UK).
Mitchell had only two days from stepping off the plane to lining up at the start, so she resolved to stick to UK time as much as possible.
With the race starting at 6am, she’d go to bed at 8pm, get eight hours of sleep and wake up naturally at 4am, ready to get ready for the race.
Try to enjoy the scenery
Don’t hope for or expect a motivation fillip from riding in an exotic location at Unbound. “So dull” is how Mitchell describes the Kansas scenery.
There’s almost 11,000 ft/3,350m elevation on the 203-mile course – you won’t want for climbing when it’s all over – but on wide-open plains it can get a little same-y.
“The race apart, I wouldn’t be recommending people go there for a cycling holiday, when you could go to California or Colorado,” Mitchell says.
It does have history on its side though, as one of longest-established gravel races in America and a high placing is prestigious in the gravel world.
Be prepared for wet and muddy sections, even on dry days
Weather conditions can be a pleasant mid-20s in Emporia, Kansas in late May, or substantially less than that, but whatever the conditions on the day, recent rain can churn up the course badly.
The 2023 race was infamous for the various quagmires that ate through rear derailleurs and ruined people’s rides.
Adjust your setup according to the conditions – wider tyres with more tread may be appropriate, particularly if you’re looking merely to finish, rather than place highly.
“It was a dream in 2024,” says Mitchell. “A bit of rain beforehand made everyone nervous, but in the end there was only one slightly questionable bit of the route.”
Take the advice of more experienced riders regarding your bike setup
More than on the road, each gravel race and course requires careful pondering of your bike setup.
As we’ve already mentioned, Mitchell got dragged into the endless chatter about tyres (she opted for 45mm, slightly wider than her usual) and the race proved to be a learning curve for her.
She rode a tubeless setup, like many others, but with only sealant – no liners.
Tyre liners are inserts that enable you to ride on in the event of a puncture. This happened to Rosa Klöser, the winner, and she’d have been out of contention without the liner.
“I’d consider using one in future. If you have a flat in the middle of nowhere, they’ll get you to the next feed.”
Know the course inside-out
In an every-rider-for-themselves race, on-the-road tactics are somewhat limited because there are no team-mates to help each other.
This keeps Mitchell’s tactical pep talk brief: “Hold on for as long as possible!”
There are things you can do pre-race, however.
“So much of it was about positioning and knowing where the sectors were… knowing the course well enough to know when the more technical bits are coming up will help you not to lose contact with your group.”
Be equipped for all scenarios
Unbound is a race of self-sufficiency, so you’ll need to fix your own mechanicals on the road. Just be wary of not over-carrying tools and spares.
“I went a bit overboard on what I carried," Mitchell says. "Some of the guys had such a rough time of it in 2023 that they encouraged you to carry more this time because you obviously don’t want to be stuck out there on your own. I had a couple of spare tubes, eight tyre plugs, four canisters of CO2 – it’s just quite a lot!”
Don’t believe the hype
Try not to let the hype of taking part in a race such as Unbound get the better of you.
Such experiences don’t come along every day, so remembering to enjoy it is paramount.
“I think people worry about the problems they might have at these races. Because it’s so long, you’ve got to keep the stress levels down and pick yourself up to sort the problem.”
If it’s happened to you, it could happen to others – there’s so much that can happen in 200 miles of racing. You’ve just got to take it as it comes.
Three fantastic American gravel races to ponder
SBT GRVL
Mitchell cites Colorado as a place to take a cycling holiday and it’d be a shrewd choice to time it to coincide with another legendary event in Steamboat Springs (26-29 June). At almost 100 miles and 8,000ft elevation, it's a serious event.
- For more information: SBT GRVL @ Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Belgian Waffle Ride
This long-running series visits various American states (and Mexico) throughout the year. The highlight might well be BWR California (25-27 April) in the coastal city of Del Mar, north of San Diego.
- For more information: Belgian Waffle Ride California 2025
Rebecca’s Private Idaho
The beauty of American gravel races is they can take you deep into states that you might not otherwise think to travel to. This three-stage, four-day event in Idaho (28-31 August) ramps up the difficulty until a 100-mile final-day ride in the mountains.
- For more information: Rebecca’s Private Idaho
Essential kit
Muc-Off Puncture Plug Repair Kit
- Price: £15
Sometimes a puncture in your tubeless tyre is too big to self-seal. In such circumstances, plugs are needed. This kit comes with 10 plugs – five thin and five thick, depending on the hole – and the tools to fit them.
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Lezyne Control Drive CO2 inflator
- Price: £26
Coming with both the aluminium inflator and one CO2 cartridge, this double act will speed up your puncture repair. CO2 is released through a twist dial for precise inflation.
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Zanco Tiny T1
- Price: £69.99
Communication when in remote places is vital, but the 227g of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is unnecessary weight to haul 200 miles. Step forward this 13g marvel from Zanco.
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