From the attendance to the finishes, Unbound Gravel 2024 was one for the record books.
On top of having the largest field of riders in event history, nearly 5,000 across all distances representing all 50 states and nearly 50 countries, this year’s races also saw three new record times for three of the event’s signature races. In the men’s XL 350-mile ride, German Sebastian Breuer turned in a time of 20 hours and five minutes beating the prior record by roughly 12 minutes.
Breuer says it was one of the toughest rides he’s ever attempted.
Last year’s winner, Logan Kasper of Baldwinville, Massachusetts, finished second, crossing about eight seconds behind Breuer.
Though not a record, Svenja Betz of Nordheim, Germany, still turned in an impressive time of 23 hours and 46 minutes good enough to finish in the top ten and take the top spot in the women’s XL 350 division.
The elite 200 men’s race was won by Lachlan Morton of Boulder, Colorado, who also set a record finishing in 9 hours, 11 minutes and 47 seconds. Morton says this is a win he has wanted since his first time in Emporia in 2019.
Yet another record was set in the elite women’s 200 as Denmark’s Rosa Kloser came out on top of a nine-person sprint to the finish line crossing it in 10 hours, 26 minutes and 2 seconds. She called the win a dream come true.
The prior XL men’s record was set two years ago by William Harrison in 20 hours, 17.27 seconds. Cynthia Frazier holds the women’s XL mark in 22:25.15 after her 2022 race. The prior elite 200 records were set in 2022 by Ivar Slik in 9:22.04 and Sofia Gomez Villafane in 10:27.40.
Unbound Race Director Sean Thurman, who was overseeing his first Unbound event, says the entire day topped his wildest expectations.
Unbound Marketing Manager and Gravel Cycling Hall of Famer Kristi Mohn says the results of this year’s event are a great indicator of how the level of competition continues to evolve every year.
Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jeanine McKenna says seeing the atmosphere and the hospitality of the community coupled with the quality of Unbound filled her with immense pride.
While the majority of attention was on the individuals who took to the course Friday and Saturday, Emporia City Commissioner Susan Brinkman, while speaking with KVOE News, took time to recognize the many City of Emporia employees who helped make the event possible calling them the “unsung heroes” of Unbound.
For years, Unbound has earned a reputation for being one of, if not, the toughest gravel races in the world and it certainly lived up to that monicker on more than one occasion Friday and Saturday. There was a large number of riders who were unable to finish their respective distances for various reasons including equipment malfunctions and injuries.
One of the more notable incidents occurred in Wabaunsee County around 11:30 am Saturday as a LifeSave helicopter was dispatched for an injured racer. According to Wabaunsee County Sheriff Rob Hopkins, a rider left the roadway roughly half a mile east of Alma and suffered non-life-threatening yet deep lacerations to one of his arms.
The rider was taken to Alma by emergency personnel and was air-lifted by LifeSave to an undisclosed hospital. The rider’s name and the distance they were riding in have not been announced.
8 am Saturday: Elite, traditional 200-mile riders, 100-mile participants on the course
Preliminary activities Unbound Gravel 2024 have been underway all week. It’s race day, and most of the record field of nearly 5,000 riders have departed Emporia.
After the XL 350 left town Friday, the elite 200-mile riders left before sunrise. The traditional 200-mile field then left around 6:30 am, followed by the 100-mile participants at 7:30 am
*Track the Unbound XL 350 field here.
*Track all other Unbound race results here, including the elite 200 fields.
*Click here for KVOE’s YouTube channel, including full videos and YouTube Shorts from Unbound Gravel.
Among the elite men is Belgian cyclist Ruben Apers who says there is a lot of unknown in gravel riding, which makes the experience all the more exciting.
In the elite women’s race is Amelia Mitchell of the United Kingdom. Mitchell has been riding gravel for two years now, however, her experience on a bike goes back to her early childhood.
The traditional 200 launched at 6:30 am with a field of 1,200 riders filling the downtown corridor. Amongst the sea of humanity was Aaron Massecar of Colorado who is tackling his first Unbound this year.
He says he came to Emporia because Unbound is “the event” for gravel cycling.
The 100, 50 and 25 mile rides would launch throughout the early to mid-morning hours from downtown Emporia. As of 8 am Saturday, the lead XL riders were approaching the 300 mile mark which should put them back in Emporia before noon. Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for more updates from Unbound Gravel as warranted throughout the day.
4 pm Friday: XL 350 riders depart
And they are off. . .
The first wave of riders in the 2024 Unbound Gravel series of races have hit the course as the Unbound XL 350-mile ride launched from downtown Emporia Friday afternoon.
Among the field of nearly 200 riders was Emporia’s own Mike Reynolds who is participating in his eighth Unbound and his first XL 350. When asked why he chose to enter the 350, Reynolds says he was excited for a new challenge referring to it as the “new 200.”
In Emporia for his first Unbound experience was fellow 350 rider Tom Tynan of Washington DC who says the 350 checks all the boxes of what he is looking for in a gravel experience.
The XL 350 launched just hours after KVOE’s special two-hour Talk of Emporia from the Unbound check-in activities at the Lyon County History Center. Riding in his first 200 is Ruben Apers of Belgium.
With the XL 350 now underway, all other distances are set to launch Saturday morning from in front of the Emporia Granada Theatre. The 200 elite men will lead off the festivities launching at 5:50 am followed by the elite 200 women at 6:05 am.
The Unbound Finish Line party will open at 11 am on Commercial Street. KVOE will be broadcasting from the finish line celebration from 4 pm to 7 pm Saturday.
For more information or a full schedule of events visit Unboundgravel.com or KVOE.com and KVOE’s social media channels where we will have updates as needed throughout race day.
Click here for a video of Friday’s launch
