Tom Dumoulin and David Millar bring curiosity, not pressure, to Unbound Gravel races

For a pair of former WorldTour stars, gravel racing offers more questions than answers. David Millar and Tom Dumoulin, both in Emporia for the 2025 edition of Unbound Gravel, arrived not as favourites but as curious adventurers seeking new challenges, new perspectives, and, above all, the simple joy of riding.

Millar will ride Unbound Gravel 200, while Dumoulin expects to line up for the 100-mile race. For both riders, gravel offers a return to the basics and a break from the hyper-professionalism that they experienced on the WorldTour. 

“It feels a lot more relaxed here,” said Millar, standing at the Factor Bikes pop-up the day before the race. “In Europe, it can feel forced sometimes—too many people transferring their road racing mindset into gravel. Here, it feels more inclusive, more natural.

“It’s a completely different sport [gravel]. I don’t feel like I’m coming back into my world. I don’t feel threatened by it. I don’t feel I have anything to prove, which is lovely.”

Dumoulin echoed that sentiment, even as a recon-ride crash left the former Giro d'Italia champion with an injured hand and scrapes across his knee. 

“It’s not about performance anymore. It’s just about me enjoying the bike, like when I was a kid,” he said. “This is just for the experience.”

For Millar, now 48, Unbound isn’t just a race, as it’s a product launch in the real world. The Factor co-founder and former pro is using the 200-mile race to test the brand’s new prototype gravel bike, the Aluto, and he will share the "experience" with Rob Gitelis, the CEO of Factor, who will also be on a prototype bike. The two have made a habit of taking on big challenges together, from last year at the Migration Gravel Race in Kenya to this year at Unbound.

“It’s genuinely the first time it’s going out into proper race testing. It’s a lovely all-round race bike,” Millar said. “It’s an opportunity to do something different, to push ourselves, and to have fun along the way.”

The Aluto he will ride is designed as a race bike that’s capable of handling the demands of 'American gravel', offering clearance for up to 50mm tires, shorter chainstays for agility, and less aerodynamic focus than Factor’s Ostro Gravel model. 

However, getting the bike to Kansas wasn’t easy. Millar endured a 25-hour travel ordeal, complete with missed connections and lost luggage. “It was one of those shitty trips.  Our bike and luggage weren’t here when we arrived. It’s just arriving now.

“It’s a bit ridiculous,” he laughed about lining up in the elite men's field Saturday for the biggest gravel race of the season. “I’m definitely no longer elite; I’m older and I don’t train enough. But I figured it would be fun to hang on for a bit, see what it’s like, and get a bit of a head start on the chaos.”

He’s under no illusions about how long he’ll last: “Maybe two kilometers, maybe 20, maybe 50. Who knows? Makes no difference to me.

“I’ve never done American gravel before,” he said. “I think this Aluto is designed to cope with these big, extreme events, so it’s exciting to test it here.”

Dubious start already for Dumoulin

Dumoulin’s Unbound 100 experience hasn’t exactly gone to plan. During a recon ride earlier in the week, the former Giro star and Olympic silver medalist slid out on loose gravel, injuring his hand and bruising his knee. Still, the 34-year-old remained hopeful he could line up for the 100-mile race.

“I wasn’t feeling great already that day - felt sick in my stomach, so I probably wasn’t paying enough attention,” he admitted. 

“The hand is going to be a problem. I’m not sure if it will hold up for Saturday. For now, I hope I’m still able to ride. Otherwise, I’m going to be traveling all the way just sitting around here."

Since stepping away from the WorldTour in 2021, citing burnout and a loss of joy, the Dutchman has reconnected with the sport in a different way. 

“I try to remind myself: it’s not about performance anymore,” he said. “It’s just about me enjoying the bike, like I did as a kid, before I went professional.”

These days, Dumoulin rides two or three times a week for fun, a far cry from the 30-hour training blocks that once defined his pro career. He also works as a cycling commentator for Dutch television and runs presentations and clinics as a Giant ambassador. He also tours the Netherlands with a live theatre show that unpacks his career relating the triumphs, the failures and the lessons learned along the way. 

“It’s kind of fun. It’s a cool story, and maybe there are lessons in it for non-cyclists too," he said.

Gravel racing, for Dumoulin, is an extension of this curiosity and an opportunity to experience the sport without pressure. 

“This is like a World Championship, the unofficial World Championships of gravel, and I’m excited to be part of it. I want to see how everybody approaches it, how they cope with the conditions. I like to see them stressing out about tyres and all that.”

Dumoulin had hoped to follow the front group for as long as possible in the 100-mile event, but he’s realistic about his form. He said his approach will be one that is resolutely relaxed.

“I’m not unfit, but I’m definitely not doing 160 kilometers every week anymore,” he said. “It’s still a long way. That’s a five-hour ride, maybe four and a half, five.

“I don’t feel like I’m racing. It feels more like I’m doing a gran fondo with 1,000 people.” 

That mindset marks a stark departure from his WorldTour days. 

“I’ve done many World Championships in road cycling, but never in gravel. I just want to see it for myself. It’s not about performance anymore. It’s about enjoying the bike, being outside, like I did before I went pro.”

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