Gravel Memories Mulled and Made

The Journey to Unbound 2023

The dust and mud have settled on the most recent gathering of the gravel community, and we’re so excited to have played a role in this year’s lead-up to the biggest gravel goings-on. What began as a small race of 34 individuals in a parking lot in central Kansas has now become a week-long celebration of all things gravel. (And don't miss the additional Unbound 2023 race reports from our own Dan Hughes and Sunflower Ambassador Hannah Glatter.)

We kicked the week off by looking back and celebrating the accomplishments of our friends Yuri Hauswald and Alison Tetrick as each was inducted into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame (GCHoF). A shake-out ride along the levee was the perfect backdrop for several dozen riders to cozy up to some gravel legends and afterward the libations and burgers were well-earned. Yuri has been a paragon of the gravel scene for years (owing to his epic win in the 2015 DK200) and has been a friend of the shop for years. And Ali is a beacon of energy and light in the gravel scene. A former road pro turned gravel, Ali brings infectious energy even with a broken foot (as she did on Monday night) and we were honored that stopped with us along their pilgrimage to Emporia. 

Images by Dalton Paley

And speaking of pilgrimages, in what we hope becomes an annual tradition (we’ve done it for it two years now!), Tuesday saw an intrepid group of riders depart the shop and start pedaling towards the GCHoF induction ceremony, taking some of Douglas County’s best gravel roads on the way to plush glamping at Pomona Lake. We were stoked to be joined by 2010 DK200 winner Corey “Cornbread” Godfrey and his buddy Matt Gersib. Both of these guys are OG (Original Gravel) and the conversations along the ride ran the gamut from the olden days of our sport to the current state of all things gravel. That Corey and Matt did the ride in Shimano SPD sandals underscored both the solemnity and frivolity of the excursion.  

Left image by Dalton Paley, Center image by Matt Gilhousen, Right image by Dalton Paley

The riders were met at the Michigan Valley campground with Sunflower tents deployed and Merc Co-op sandwiches at the ready. It was the perfect end to a measured day, and when dinner time came, the riders were blown away by the fare that Matt Gilhousen put on the table. Salad, pasta, grilled chicken, and even a sausage or two was enough to fuel the fire and conversations late into the night, even with wet wood from a previous rain storm. 
 
Overnight the rain was relentless, and when some riders awoke to de facto waterbeds, the decision was made to scuttle the ride further into Emporia and instead regroup for another shakeout ride over “Bird Bridge” just southeast of town. In what was billed as “the second biggest gravel ride in Kansas after Unbound” 200-300 riders rubbed shoulders with cycling legends. Sidebar: we’re pretty sure BWR Kansas is up there in numbers but it wasn’t the time to dither.  

Left image by Joshua Strong, Right image by Dalton Paley

Wednesday saw the second induction ceremony for the GCHoF and we were thrilled to have our own Dan Hughes act as emcee. If you know Dan, you know that he be equal parts quippy, verklempt, and genuine and his remarks in introducing four new members to the Hall did not disappoint in that regard. With each passing year, the Hall grows in stature based on those that fill its ranks. This year Yuri, Alison, Grasshopper Race Series promoter Miguel Crawford, and DK200 co-founder Joel Dyke were inducted. The acceptance speeches were heartfelt, poignant, and in some cases…boozy…but in the end it was a night to celebrate all that brings the gravel community together. The capper was the two final acts of the evening. Mike “Kid” Reimer of Salsa Cycles read a stellar speech on behalf of the Salsa Chaise Lounge (a GCHoF “Icon”) which has featured in a myriad of gravel IG posts, and then in a final piece de resistance, Gravel Worlds Executive Director and GCHoF Board Member Jason Strobehn presented all members (past and current) with custom Ripton jean vests, emblazoned with the GCHoF logo on the back, and the recipient’s name on the front. So…be forewarned…if you see someone in a jean jacket vest, with bulging calves, and maybe (or maybe not) sporting a mullet, you may be in the presence of gravel royalty.
 
The next two days were a quieter affair, with riders preparing their rides, and folks wandering the expo in search of the latest in gravel tech. Our own Tyler Gill and Ian Pepin were on hand in the Shimano booth putting the latest and greatest footwear on expectant riders, and the overall vibe was equal parts trepidation and celebration. The highlight of the day was witnessing close to 200 riders tackling the XL distance of Unbound, a 350-mile self-supported journey through the Flint Hills. The largest field in the history of the event, the stoke was high as all these athletes challenged themselves and the terrain. That the skies opened up and the deluges started shortly after they left was both karmic and prescient at the same time.

Unbound 2023: Race Day

Saturday brought race day, and with a number of Sunflower ambassadors toeing the line, spirits were high even though there was some trepidation about what course conditions would be like. Recent rains had left some of the minimum maintenance sections of the course fairly muddy, and these tracts would prove to be the most talked about aspect of the race afterward.

With a new format this year, the pro field for the 200-mile distance left 10 minutes ahead of the amateur field with the pro women leaving a couple minutes behind them. This was done to create less chaos in the pro ranks, where riders are riding for a living, but the mud of the initial section would see the paradigm get turned on its head. Among the pro women’s field was Sunflower Ambassador Hannah Glatter, a fixture on Lawrence’s “Sunday Chug” gravel ride who was tackling the premier distance of the event for the first time. With a goal of testing herself against the best women gravel riders in the world, Hannah was well-prepared and in a great position to have a good day.

Image by Jared Gab

Further back, the goals were less lofty as Sunflower staffer Dan Hughes and his fiancée Sunflower Ambassador Paulina Batiz piloted their tandem bike into the muck. Already with a combined 16 Unbound 200 finishes between them, the pair were certainly veterans at the distance, but anything can happen over the course of that many miles, and the conditions weren’t making it any easier.

For those that competed in the 2015 edition of the race, the scene at mile 10 was a familiar one…three miles of hike-a-bike on the verge to avoid unrideable roads, the only option that didn’t involve race ending mechanicals or time costly cleaning of machine and rider. All Sunflower ambassadors passed this first test and moved forward on the course to find themselves on the high plains of the Flint Hills, some of the most beautiful portions of the course, en route to the neutral water oasis atop Texaco Hill, and then later on to Eureka for the first official checkpoint. As the temperature climbed, the prevailing southeast headwind was a hardship, but at least it kept the riders a little cooler, even if climbs like the iconic Teterville and “The Beyotch” were a bit torturous.

After riders met their crews in Eureka, with Sunflower owner Matt Gilhousen and others providing pro-level support, riders headed south and east before ultimately turning towards Emporia. And for most, as they turned, so did the weather. Large afternoon storms, the kind that Kansas produces on a regular basis, were building and when the rains came, many riders cut their rides short, but not the Sunflower crew.

Images by Matt Gilhousen

Through the maelstrom, Hannah kept moving forward on the course, and the Batiz/Hughes tandem kept pushing forward as well…sometimes literally. Another mud section proved unrideable and climbs like “The Judge” were ridden at a snail’s pace before the riders finally reached the final checkpoint in Madison. There again the support was exemplary with bikes being tuned, power-washed, and lubed, while the riders attended to their needs and refueled.

The last leg to Emporia was, on paper, a relatively simple 39-mile jaunt, but a last hike-a-bike section was the sting in the tail that seemed to hurt worse than all the others. The mud, now fully in the feared “peanut butter” consistency, slowed the riders and with darkness falling, many had to dig deep to reach the finish.

But reach the finish they did with Hannah Glatter coming in just after sundown to claim a top-40 result in the pro women’s field, and the Batiz-Hughes tandem (who had started the day on a mission to simply finish) improbably coming away with the win in the tandem division.

Images by Dalton Paley

The 2023 Unbound was one for the books, and it won’t soon be forgotten, but for those that persevered, the results will loom large for a long time. And for those that saw their days go sideways for any number of reasons, it will be a time to reflect that in some years it’s relatively easy, and in some years it’s really hard. This was a hard year, but the Flint Hills will be waiting for the next go-round when the riders are.