Unbound Gravel

Report

Details

Route

Equipment

The Unbound Gravel 200 is the World’s premier gravel event in Emporia, Kansas. It’s known for chunky gravel, flint stones, heat, mud, and extreme distances. This was my third time participating in the event, and it was one of my most fun days on the bike. Let’s dive into my story from the Unbound Gravel 200 where I was leading the race for more than 100-miles!

The Viking mentality is a worldview that can include a fearless attitude, a belief in pushing limits, and a willingness to use power through aggression and control. It can also involve qualities such as resilience, strategic thinking, and efficiency. – Google AI 

Google AI 
Here is my story from Unbound Gravel 2024. Photo: Charles Ouimet.

The street lights are shining in Emporia, Kansas. Except for the occasional horn from a passing train, you’ll only hear a caffeinated race announcer on the speaker. About 5000 riders are lining up, but most are nervous but quiet. They have an idea of what they are about to start, but nobody really knows how the day will unfold.

It’s a 200-mile, 320 km race on chunky gravel in the rolling Flint Hills north of the sleepy student city in the middle of nowhere. Unbound has become the world’s premier gravel race, and Emporia has received a well-deserved reputation as the biggest Gravel City of all.

Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have believed it if someone said I’d be doing this for the third time. In 2021, I raced with a broken hand and struggled with a slow puncture. Last year, I had four punctures and had to run three miles to the aid station. This year, I hope for a clean race without any mechanical issues.

I and the rest of the Felt riders were ready for Unbound. From right: Chad Haga, Sebastian Schönberger, Dylan Johnson, Danni Schrosbree, Adam Roberge, Niki Terpstra and I. Photo: Charles Ouimet.

My bike is ready for the challenge

I’ve fine-tuned my Felt Breed Carbon to handle the sharp flint stones by equipping my DT Swiss GR1400 wheels with Challenge Getaway XP 45s. I’m feeling confident, but there are no guarantees out here. It will be a bit of a gamble, and I think many riders will encounter problems.

Me and my Felt Breed Carbon is ready for the race. Photo: Charles Ouimet.

It’s about 15°C with dry roads. Let’s hope the gravel stays dry. The National Anthem is the last sound we hear before taking off.

The 149 elite men are off. Photo: Charles Ouimet.

The first few miles are chaotic. Everyone wants to be near the front, but nobody wants to face the wind. Last year’s winner, Keagan Swanson, is at the front, led by his teammate, McTubbin. Matej Mohoric, the former World Champion, is positioning himself next to Keagan. It looks like they want to control the race. I maneuver past riders on the edge of the road and reach the front as well.

Without thinking twice, I accelerate. Nobody follows. I quickly create a health gap of 10-15 seconds and settle in at my FTP power. It would be nice that somebody wants to join me, but I guess I’ll just enjoy being in the front of the race for a little. They will probably make it up to me soon. 

No wait, I am not in the lead. There is a rider up the road. Let’s catch him!

Leading the race from the break with Tobias Kongstad. Photo: Charles Ouimet.

A nordic coalition

– Where are you from? 

– Denmark. You?

– Norway! 

We don’t talk much, but we share a few words here and there. We’re excited to be leading the world’s biggest gravel race. Tobias Kongstad is from Denmark, and the Scandinavians are setting the pace. We’re maintaining a good speed but don’t want to burn out. There’s still another 170 miles to go until the finish.

– Someone are coming up to us, Tobias tells me. 

I turn around and see two riders closing in. We wait for them because having four riders is better than just two fighting the wind. To my surprise, the two riders catching up are two of my closest cycling friends in the peloton, Innokenty Zavyalov and Chase Wark. Inno and I had also ridden half of the Gravel Locos together in a group of four.

READ ALSO: Gravel Locos 2024

Four-men break away in Unbound Gravel. Photo: Charles Ouimet.

I might be dreaming

– This is just like the A-Team, I say to the guys.

It feels like a dream. Being up the road with Inno, Chase, and the fellow Scandinavian Tobias, I could almost swear I was dreaming. 

Out here on the prairie, my mind wandered to Little House on the Prairie, a popular TV series about a family growing up in the countryside. I don’t know where the Little House is, but it could be here.

There are no other riders to see. We work as a unit, flying over the fields, up and down the green hills. The course is breathtaking. It looks just like the Windows XP background.

– Snake! I yell as I pass a big black snake in the gravel road. Inno has to jump over it. A little later, I miss hitting a rabbit running across the road as I go down a hill at 30 mph. There are more obstacles than chunky gravel and mud.

We are going hard but sharing the workload. The four of us have a common understanding that even though the peloton will catch us, it’s good for us to stay ahead as long as possible to be able to control the pace up the hills and on the chunky sections so we can stay safe from mechanical issues and not create much lactate.

I believe the peloton behind is doing the opposite – going full gas on the challenging sections to make the competitors suffer, and then nobody wants to pull on the open roads where the others can draft.

The peloton is chasing behind. Photo: Charles Ouimet.

The gap grows

We hear from people alongside the course we are up to a 6 min lead. Wow, this is looking good. 

We are approaching the first aid station at mile 71. Alan Pocock from Cadence Cyclery, Felt Bicycles, and Flow Formula are all waiting for me.

It’s almost like a Formula 1 pit stop. I change my hydration pack, three new bottles, and stack them up with Flow gel and rice cakes. The Felt machine is lubing my chain. The stop takes about 15 seconds.

We regroup and keep working together for the next 30 miles in terrain with increasingly longer hills and little time to recover. 

Support from Felt, Flow and Cadence Cyclery are helping me having a Formula 1 stop. Photo: Charles Ouimet.
We are holding a lead, but the peloton are coming fast behind. Photo: Charles Ouimet.

It comes together after 100 miles in the break

We are at mile 105 of the course, one of the key points of the race, Little Egypt. It is a chunky gravel climb. As we are near the top, Keegan Swanson, Lachlan Morton, and the rest of the peloton catch us. I have to push the pedals hard to keep up. This is the first time in the race that I really struggle, but I manage to stay with the peloton as we go over the top.

Story continues after the gallery with all photos by Marc from Velophoto.tx

For the next 20 miles, I’m hanging on to the peloton. There are 30 riders left, and the speed varies a lot. They go fast up the hills but totally stop after. It’s like interval training. You follow some moves yourself but mostly try to conserve energy. The first riders wind up a lot of dust, and staying in the peloton makes it almost impossible to see anything. 

I haven’t seen the green fields for a while, but as the positioning starts, I understand we are approaching a technical section. In the last few days, I’ve had a sore throat, so I haven’t ridden the course, but I know that we will be encountering a few tough sections before reaching the second aid station at mile 149. 

I’m back in a fast moving peloton. Photo: Charles Ouimet.

– Bam! 

My rear wheel slams into the concrete on a simple bridge covering the creek. I lose all my momentum as we start a rocky climb. Riders are passing me, and I cannot keep up the pace ahead. I pull myself together and fight, but the gaps are opening up. 

– Come on, Jonas! I yell to myself.

My legs are suffering, but I have to keep moving. Photo: Charles Ouimet.

We are into the final leg

I fly through the second aid station, including a pit stop, even faster than the first one. I team up with Ted King and a few other riders, and we set a good pace. I know we are never going to see the first riders again, but we’ve got to get to the finish. At this time of the race, I just want to get home. I consider letting the group go, but then I know it will be an even longer ride back to Emporia. I better hold on.

200 miles in Kansas is such a neverending experience. There is always another climb or a mile-long stretch. I eat some gummy bears and focus on my nutrition. It’s not like I am hungry, but I know I must keep eating or I will bonk. It’s a fine line between blowing up and finishing strong this late in the race. 

I’m even faster at aid station two than the first one. Photo: Charles Ouimet.
It’s been a long and dusty ride. Photo: Charles Ouimet.

Last push, the Highland Hill

15 miles to go! I am counting each relay I do in the group. I pull for about 30 seconds before I go to the side and move back into the group. We are all sharing turns, and I estimate I have about 10 more relays to go. 

8 to go, then 7, soon 6. 

I know the last miles from last year’s race. We are riding through an underpass and then into the final hill past Emporia State University. I have not felt like the strongest in the group for a while, but I will go as hard as I can up the hill either way and then see.

I’m approaching the final climb as third in the group. They are all watching each other. I make a quick estimate that it’s about 30 seconds to the top. Then I attack. 30, 29, 28. I count down the seconds as I am going all out. It helps me not to listen to my legs, as they are screaming and want me to stop. I answer them: Just a few more seconds.

The group split up, but Andrew L’Esperance and Declan Irvine are still behind me. I wave for them to take the lead, and Declan moves to the front. We are approaching the last turn, and there is less than a quarter mile to the finish line. Declan starts his sprint, but Andrew overtakes him. My legs are burning, but I try to accelerate. I almost catch up to Andrew, but he finishes in 21st place, and I finish in 22nd.

2nd in the sprint and 22nd overall in Unbound Gravel. Photo: Charles Ouimet.

22nd in the World’s premier gravel event

Wow! 22nd at Unbound is an amazing result I’m really proud of. Most of all, I am proud of being in the lead for 100 miles. I like being a protagonist in the race, setting the pace. I believe it was also a strategic move, allowing me to ride more steadily and not take risks on the chunky gravel—not punctures, not mechanical. 

However, the race cost me lots of energy, sweat, and blood. I am exhausted and can barely think clearly, but I am still satisfied. Completing the Unbound Gravel 200 is always great; this time, it was especially enjoyable. 

My overall speed was 21.5 mph (34,6 km/h). My normalized power for the race was 258w, and 287w for the first 5 hours. I used 7968 kcal, which is more than a grown man’s three-day daily intake.

Thank you, Unbound, and thank you, Emporia. Thanks to my support team and sponsors. I will be back in Kansas, no doubt about that! 

Happy smiles at the finish. Photo: Marc, Velophoto.tx

Now, back to Norway, and time to rest before FNLD GRVL.

PS: Kudos to the fellow Norwegian Vikings, Simen (6th) and Torbjørn (11th) for their great results, and also the Felt riders Chad (3rd) Sebastian (9th) and Dylan (10th).

READ ALSO: Unbound Gravel 2023



  • Felt Breed Carbon
  • DT Swiss GR1400
  • Sram Force eTap AXS 46T/44-10T
  • Challenge Getaway XP 45
  • Met Trenta
  • Fizik Vento Ferox
  • CCN Sport TNT edition
  • Flow Formula
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram