About Us
Life Time UNBOUND Gravel
Life Time UNBOUND Gravel was founded in 2006 at a time when gravel grinding was just beginning to catch the interest of the endurance cycling community. Inspired by some of the early gravel grinder events, our event founders knew that the beauty of the region is best explored on two wheels, and with that, the 200 mile “race” took shape. Our event resides in a region of Kansas called the Flint Hills, and cyclists around the globe have transcended upon our roads to tackle the hilly, tire-shredding, sun-baked gravel we’re infamous for.
Initially, we had no idea just how much this whole gravel grinding thing would grow. And honestly, it wasn’t what motivated us. What drives our team is providing life-enriching experiences and as this event has grown, so have we.
Once an event that only offered a 200 mile distance, we now offer a total of five distances: 25, 50 100, 200, and 350. While the 200 is still our marquee distance, we are excited to offer these options to encourage everyone who wants to give the Flint Hills gravel a chance.
UNBOUND Gravel isn’t just a race. We’ve also become a huge piece of the Emporia community and culture. We’ve impacted our local community throughout the years, and see a charitable piece from each year’s event affecting the lives of many folks in our town. As we’ve grown from a startline of 34 back in 2006 to nearly 4,000 riders from all 50 states and 38 countries, we still pride ourselves in the “grassroots” feel and work hard to impact those coming to Emporia for the Unbound weekend. Riders, fans, families, volunteers all come together for an amazing celebration of community and cycling.
Thank you for your interest in UNBOUND Gravel. We hope you will choose to join us in Emporia, Kansas the first weekend after Memorial Day. Should you have any questions about us or our events, we hope you will visit our “Contact Us” page. We look forward to hearing from you.
Your friends at UNBOUND Gravel.
Mission Statement
UNBOUND Gravel is a grassroots event, organized and managed by folks who are passionate about cycling, and have done so for the primary purpose of providing life-enriching cycling experiences for our event participants.