Unbound Gravel 2025 in Emporia, Kansas
When Matt Scarborough and Joella Nicole invited me to Lifetime Unbound Gravel 2025, I could see excitement glistening in their eyes. I did not yet have a grasp of the significance of this event, or why I would visit the Flint Hills of Kansas. But I leaned into the unknown and flew East.
I was a triathlete in college, not the kind that gets a scholarship for it, but the kind that takes a required kinesiology class and is suddenly a person with purpose—or at least a giant distraction from the academic rigors of undergrad. You did experience academic rigors, right? A quarter-mile swim in the rec center pool is a welcome vacation from mental exhaustion. I went on to have a banner summer in my home state of Florida, participating in triathlons in Claremont, Jacksonville and Tampa.
Unbound Gravel ‘25 appealed to my memories of competing and to this day, a casual bike ride down the River Trail or Phil’s Trail network in my new hometown of Bend, Oregon is a prized pastime. Upon arrival at Unbound, the expo was well underway and I joined Matt, Joella and visiting cyclists at the Scarborough Bicycle Accident Law booth. And then I got an education in all things gravel racing.
Turns out that around the time I was having my first child in 2018 and the early 2020s, the cycling community was steering hard towards a new favorite sport: gravel. Unbound Gravel started in 2006 (under different owners and a different name) and had 34 participants that first year and only one distance: the 200 miler.
This year, there were many race lengths and more than 5000 participants, all gathering in the heart of Emporia, Kansas for the beginning of their races, and again to cross the finish line. It was really a thrilling scene. Several of us got up early Saturday morning (4 a.m. local time) to see Stefano Barberi off for the Gravel 200 Elite, just as the sun was coming up. The day before, Stefano, who often wins West Coast mountain and Gravel races, called this event “The Super Bowl of Cycling.” And it proved to be true: This is the event where the world’s top cyclists come to traverse hilly, dirt roads in rural Kansas, under glaring sunbeams and watchful stars.
I drove out to the second aid station and caught the elite leaders making tight turns through the melee of supporters, tents, and cars. There was a jumbotron set up there broadcasting the live YouTube footage of the race, which added excitement and visuals for the crowds awaiting their cyclists. On the way back to Emporia—which was a beautiful drive through the Flint Hills—I spotted the helicopter that was pacing the 200 elite leaders, so I pulled over at the next intersection. I hopped out and cheered—they were gone in a dash—and soon after, Stefano came barreling by. It was absolutely thrilling.
A big part of what made the Unbound experience so memorable was the people: Those I met and celebrated with over the weekend and people I saw in a blur crossing the finish line. Bicycle Accident Law sponsors athletes across the country—many of them participated in Unbound—and I was able to meet (and cheer for) them for the first time.
Here’s the list of who rode Unbound Gravel 2025 and their race distances:
Gravel 350 XL Oty Ojeda; Osmay Rodriguez; Roly Hernandez
Gravel 200 ELITE Stefano Barberi
Gravel 200 Mike B
Gravel 100 Caitlin OBrien
Gravel 50 Joella Nicole; Matthew Scarborough
I would definitely recommend the Unbound Gravel experience to other bike enthusiasts. Everyone who I was tracking that day finished, which is no small feat. And many of the riders had standup performances, ranking amongst the pros. A big congratulations to all of them and a big thank you for letting me share in your story and the excitement of the race weekend.
The trip was very inspiring…I’d like to try the 50 next year and try to keep up with Joella and Matt, but they’re setting their sights on more mileage in 2026. Cycling and sports are like that, though, you’re always pushing yourself to do more and dream bigger.
