Matej Mohorič will debut his rainbow jersey from the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships at the most famous race on the gravel circuit next week when he toes the line for the Unbound Gravel 200 in Emporia, Kansas.
After winning the world title in Veneto in his gravel debut, the Slovenian will compete alongside teammates Matevž Govekar and Lukas Wiśniowski in the 203-mile (327km) event on June 1 as part of a field of 137 elite men.
"I'm excited to take part in the 'Unbound Gravel 200' for the first time. It will be only the second gravel race of my life, so there are still a lot of unknowns," Mohorič said in a Bahrain Victorious press release.
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"I don't know what to expect, to be honest! It's quite a bit longer than last year's Gravel World Champs" - where riders only had to cover 169 kilometres. "It's double the distance, double the time, and double the elevation gain, so it suits riders with more endurance and stamina. I'm not sure how I will go against the others, but I will definitely do my best, and enjoy my day out in the rainbow jersey as the current World Champion.
"It will be a once-in-a-lifetime, unique experience, and I will make the most of it."
Mohorič will be among a large contingent of current and former road pros, including Joris Nieuwenhuis, Lawrence Naesen, Daniel Oss, Jan Bakelants, Greg Van Avermaet, Chad Haga, Nicolas Roche, Alex Howes and Niki Terpstra, and former roadies turned gravel privateers like defending champion Keegan Swenson, Peter Stetina, Laurens ten Dam, Ian Boswell, and Nathan Haas.
They'll also be up against accomplished gravel racers like Torbjørn Andre Røed, winner of Big Sugar Gravel last season, 2023 Gravel Locos winner Adam Roberge and Mattia De Marchi, winner of the Utopia Gravel Fest this year.
"Lukasz and Matevž will be with me, and we will make it an unforgettable day out there. It will be super long and crazy hard, but we will try and go for it; why not," Mohorič said.
Unbound, with its almost entirely gravel course, offers one of the most challenging off-road race routes with tire-splitting flint gravel, water crossings and relentless climbs totalling more than 10,000 feet of ascending.
The race could come as a big surprise for Wiśniowski, who will be racing gravel for the first time.
"I have never competed on gravel, and I know very little about the race itself, but I know that my role will be to protect our leader Matej, support him, and help him on the course however I can," Wiśniowski said. "I'm really happy because it's my first big gravel race, so even though I am not so young, I must learn all the time, and I will do my best on the day!"
Unbound Gravel 200 is largely self-supported with two feed zones, where riders can refuel, but riders are allowed to help each other, which makes having teammates even more critical than in a typical road race.
"I am really excited to try my hand at 'the gravel race of all gravel races', but at the same time I am frightened because of how long it is," Govekar said. "I am pretty young but I already know this is a really big challenge physically and mentally. I'll try my absolute best in the race of course, and you never know what might happen!"
