Unbound at Last!
Loaded And Ready
This was the year, I had been ignoring the fact that the most notorious gravel race in the world was only an hour and a half from my driveway. I was not only going to go but I was going to dip my to in and ride! If only Murphy had left me alone I MIGHT have had a chance. An icy driveway in late Feb put and end to that. Busted up shoulder not yet mended enough to train much less ride. I deferred my entry to next year and moped around the house feeling sorry for myself. Watching the Giro at home and seeing all the people brought great memories of attending races in the past just for the joy of the community. Why stay home, "get off your rear end and get out there" I said to myself...in much harsher language I assure you. The time was already committed to for work so I had no excuses. This then will be my adventure and a comparison to the only pro events I have known so far (ToC, ToU and ToM).
Rain!
Kansas is known for its ever changing weather, 30 minute out of town and it was pouring.....5 minutes later and no rain with dry roads. Fortunately this held true for Emporia the rest of the afternoon. One or two occasional misty points but for the most part dry and cloudy. Tales of muddy spots out on the course would be rampant all afternoon though. with an eventual very slight reroute of the 200 to avoid a really bad spot.
Friday was the official start of the XL350, an incredibly daunting 350 miles of gravel that is not for the faint of heart. Self supported it is without a doubt an epic feat. Mention was made at the start of a lady that rode to the event from home (Over 1000 miles) just to ride it and then ride home. Incredible! Before the race started I wandered the expo looking at everything and boy was there a lot to see. There is no doubt that Unbound is big time, ALL the big manufacturers were here. Just about every accessory you could ever want was here as well. A big difference between the previous races I have been to and this is that there was definitely a feeling that this was an expo for riders not just fans. Everything focused on the ride. You could get your bike tuned by the manufacturer, wheels swapped out, new tires installed, even heard a few people taking advantage of Kuat being there as they left their keys to their rack at home....in Texas!! Luckily the Kuat booth came supplied with a master set of keys for just such an occasion. Bike corrals were set up all over the place as well. super easy for riders to ride in and hitch it to the bar and wander around. Tons of people taking advantage of it as well.
Friday morning was full of shakeout rides coming in and going out. Large groups passing each other on the main street depending on which ride you latched on to.
Coming and Going
Hard to convey all the goodies on display at the expo...beautiful bikes and gear everywhere. Particular favorite was of course the incredible Titanium of Lite Speed!!
SO NICE!!
There were also a few bike brands I had only recently heard of (Burro) and had never heard of (OTSO). So many custom paint jobs it would make your head spin. Particularly liked as series of camo/snake skin paint jobs by Mosaic
Mosaic Bespoke Bikes
You could even pose with a tractor!
Strike a Pose
It was very easy to see the town really supports this race. They get as many as 1000 volunteers from a community of 20,000. A very nice touch was the fact that they hang banners from the light poles with past winners on them.
2015 Winner
The XL350 rolled out with a massive crowd watching it go, lined up for blocks it was larger than I had seen at some ToU starts. Great job everyone!
The Crowd for the XL350 Start
Off they went. 350 miles to go and whatever the Kansas plains managed to deal them. Good luck everyone.
And they are Off!