Greg Van Avermaet has named Gravel World Champion Matej Mohorič as the favourite for the men’s 200-mile Unbound event but the former Olympic champion and Classics rider is hoping to finish in the top ten if he can avoid punctures and bad luck.
Van Avermaet is part of the growing group of current or former European road pros who are racing gravel and targeting the elite men’s Unbound race. These include Joris Nieuwenhuis, Lawrence Naesen, Daniel Oss, Jan Bakelants and Niki Terpstra, plus former roadies turned gravel privateers Peter Stetina, Laurens ten Dam, Ian Boswell, Chad Haga, Alex Howes and Nathan Haas.
Mohoric travelled to Kansas with two Bahrain Victorious teammates, Lukasž Wiśniowski and Matevž Govekar. The 200-mile (327) km event will only be Mohoric’s second gravel race after last October’s UCI World Championships but his bike skills and WorldTour talents make him a natural contender for victory against the more experienced US-based privateers’ and European rivals.
"Matej Mohorič will be the rider to beat,” Van Avermaet told Belgian television channel Sporza.
“You notice that if you have been a professional yourself. If a road rider competes, they’ll always be a favourite because they have that power."
Van Avermaet also rates 2023 winner Keegan Swenson, and veteran Laurens ten Dam who was fourth last year.
Mohoric has fitted Unbound into his busy WorldTour road racing calendar. Afterwards he will quickly return to Europe to ride the Tour of Slovenia and then focus on the Tour de France where he won a stage in 2023.
"If it fits into your road calendar, it's fun to do,” Van Avermaet said of gravel racing.
“I did the World Championships two years ago and the Belgian and European Championships. With your road racing legs, you can always make a difference.”
“Mohoric has an advantage by having two teammates at Unbound. You can change wheels with teammates here and if his teammates really sacrifice themselves for him, he has a big advantage. They are in good shape and will certainly still be with him if he needs a wheel, which is why he is the perfect favourite."
39-year-old Van Avermaet retired from WorldTour racing after the 2023 season but has continued to race gravel events at a high level. He finished fourth at the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships and in the Traka 200 in Spain in May he was seventh, just 1:35 behind winner and fellow retired pro road racer Petr Vakoc.
“I saw the Unbound happen every year and always thought it would be fun to participate. I’m hoping to do well. I’ve trained specifically for it, although it will be important not to have bad luck,” Van Avermaet said.
Van Avermaet won Paris-Roubaix in 2017 and learned the art of avoiding punctures. However he fears the flint gravel that so often affects the racing at Unbound.
"The gravel is a lot rougher here," he admitted after doing two 100km recon rides after travelling from Belgium at the start of the week.
"The tracks are wider and slightly less technical. In that respect it is really about the riding. But there are a few sections that are on the limit in terms of the risk of flat tyres and mechanical problems. Not having any problems will be a big factor.”
The new northern course means no one has a significant course experience advantage.
“Unbound is 327 km of slowly dying,” Van Avermaet said, succinctly summing up how it felt to race such a tough offroad event.
“There are no real benchmarks. The strongest will emerge. I'm not afraid of that. This suits me. Years of training are still in my legs."
“As the race progresses, that will be an advantage. It is a matter of not suffering any problems or being able to fix them quickly. If I don't have any problems, I think I can finish in the top 10.”
"Just like in Paris-Roubaix, in the end it is no longer about riding fast, but about having enough energy to win the race."
