The riders are all checked in, and in a lot of cases they are already done with their Unbound Gravel racing experience.
Riders for the junior, 25-mile and 50-mile rides launched Friday morning and most if not all have returned. Launching Friday afternoon is the XL 350. Riders include 2019 women’s champion Lael Wilcox — who tells KVOE News she was worried about how well she would do in her first XL…just not for the reason you may expect.
Wilcox and hundreds of other riders went to the Lyon County History Center on Friday to check in for their respective races. A host of newcomers to the event are taking part this year, including Anthony Carter of Waldorf, Maryland outside Washington, DC. It’s his first 100-mile race in addition to his first time in Unbound.
Almost brand new to distance cycling is Foley Armknecht of Boulder, Colorado. Armknecht is riding in the 200 — barely a month after doing 100 miles for the first time. She got interested in Unbound after attending a meeting with longtime race organizer Kristi Mohn.
Check-in was spread out over two days, making for a less hectic atmosphere at the Lyon County History Center than in years past. Part of that also had to with volunteers like Emporia native Matt Freeman. He says he’s involved for several reasons.
The 200-mile race begins at 6 am with the 100-mile ride starting at 7 am. The finish line party in downtown Emporia goes from 11 am to midnight with live coverage through www.FloBikes.com starting around noon. KVOE will broadcast from the start between 6-7 am and from the finish between 4-7 pm.
