UNBOUND Gravel: A Panel Discussion with Professionals who Race Gravel

After 800+ miles of racing on the gravel of Kansas, Jay Schuur has gained a bit of insight to share. Photo by Andrew Ullmann.

So you’re headed for the Unbound gravel race in Kansas this year. Or next year. Or you aspire to do it or a similar grueling gravel race. You won’t want to miss this event!

On Tuesday, March 15 at 7:00pm EST, we’re hosting a no-cost virtual video panel discussion answering your questions, and offering tips and tricks to dial in the best gravel race of your life. This will be the most value-packed 90-minutes of your gravel cycling life.

The registration form is at the bottom of this page. If you cannot attend, please register so that you’ll still receive our Race Day Packing List and be notified of UNBOUND training rides and more.

Ted King at Unbound

Ted King is an UNBOUND veteran with two overall wins and numerous top finishes at this and many gravel races. Photo: Ted King.

John Bayley and Dave Wilcox finish 3rd overall in 2013, photo by Pamela Blalock

John Bayley and Dave Wilcox finish 3rd overall in 2013. Photo: Pamela Blalock.

We’re joined by an impressive array of UNBOUND alumni who will offer insights from all perspectives: from those who have won it and podiumed to those who have returned year after year trying to beat the sun, and a coach who participated as part of a documentary and works with riders aspiring to take on this big day. Altogether, they have a combined 17 UNBOUND races of experiences to share.

Everyone on the panel is a professional: we have Ted King, a professional cyclist, Adrian Bennett, professional coach, and everyone else is a professional in another field juggling challenging schedules. Jay and Andrew have children at home as well.

Read the Bios of each panel member.

Topics covered will include training best practices, what to do the day before the race, important tips for your support person or crew, how to stage at the start of the race, how and what to eat, what to do at each of the support areas, what to watch out for during the race, “gotchas” that have challenged our panelists and much, much more.

When you register to attend, we give you a chance to submit your questions so we can make sure the things you want to hear about get answered.

Pamela Blalock has a long list of cycling accomplishments to her name. She ran support in Kansas for her husband, John, so offers insights from both racer and support perspectives.

Coach Adrain Bennett took part in the 2018 UNBOUND race and a documentary surrounding his training and preparation. He and his colleagues at Wenzel Coaching work with cyclists to get them prepared for UNBOUND and other gravel events.

We’re organizing training rides this spring so if you express interest in these, you’ll be notified of when and where the rides are happening so you don’t feel alone in your training!

Everyone who RSVPs is welcome to join in on the call so you don’t need to be headed to Emporia this June to get a lot out of the conversation. Due to the tight time and large amount of material to cover, we will only take questions in advance, via the RSVP form below (or email connect@rideheadquarters.com).

Please register to attend, below. Let us know what you want to know and maybe this can be the beginning of a much bigger convergence of gravel cyclists and knowledge sharing in New England and beyond!

Andrew Ullman, left, and Jay Schuur, right after finishing what is now known as Unbound.

Andrew Ullmann, left, and Jay Schuur, right, at the end of a long (yet relatively short) 206 miles in Kansas. They are both headed to Kansas this year for their fifth start of this storied race.


Please Register to Attend this Very Special Virtual Video Panel Discussion!

If you CANNOT make it, please RSVP so we can share our Race Day Packing List with you, and we’ll notify you of gravel training rides and more!

First Snow Ride

Ride Type: Mixed Terrain Ride / Roads and snow-covered trails

  • Location: Belmont Center

  • Date & Time: When the first snow hits!

  • Distance: ~10 miles, approx 2 hrs, condition-dependent

  • Price: Free

  • Please RSVP via email to snow@rideheadquarters.com

  • #rscfirstsnow

Fat Biking Dunes and Dirt - POSTPONED

  • Ride Type: Remote paved and dirt roads

  • Time & Date: Saturday, November 13

  • Starting Point: Duxbury, MA

  • Distance:

    • 25 km for a fat bike

    • 50 km for a fat bike

    • 100 km for a gravel bike