'You have to have luck here' - Petr Vakoč hopes third time is the charm in Unbound title pursuit

Petr Vakoč arrives in Emporia, Kansas, ahead of this weekend's Life Time Unbound Gravel 200 presented by Shimano, as the bookmakers' favourite for the men's title. The Czech racer came agonisingly close two years ago when Keegan Swenson pipped him to the win after more than 200 miles of mud-covered racing came down to a seven-rider sprint.

A ripped tyre in the 2024 edition quashed any hope of an immediate redemption for Vakoč, a former road pro and 2016 Brabantse Pijl winner. However, strong performances on the gravel so far this season suggest he has what it takes to take that all-important extra step up the podium.

The 32-year-old has not finished lower than seventh across all 12 of his racedays so far this year. He kickstarted his campaign with a string of second-place finishes at La Bescanonina Gravel, Santa Vall, and Sahara Gravel, before fourth spots at Life Time Sea Otter Classic and The Traka 200, and then clinched The Gralloch in Scotland earlier this month. 

That first win of the season could prove influential for Vakoč as he approaches his key season target, but don't just take our word for it, Cyclingnews caught up with the rider ahead of the biggest race on the calendar to discuss his form leading into this year's race, what sets Unbound apart from anyother race, and which riders he believes will pose the biggest threat on Saturday.

Cyclingnews: In two trips to Emporia, once you were close and the second time you had bad luck. You can't plan on 'luck', of course. What have you done this year - training, equipment, mindset - specifically with Emporia in mind to repeat on the podium?

Petr Vakoč: In terms of physical preparation, what I’ve done previously has always worked really well for me, so I’ve stuck to similar plans in the build-up of training and racing. The one thing I have changed through and I think will really help me, is I’ve focused more on heat training - I’ve done one block earlier in the season and another about three weeks leading up to Unbound. 

This involves riding some of my favourite workouts on ROUVY on the indoor trainer for about an hour a day, three times a week, without a fan and in multiple layers of clothing. This helps prepare me for the hot conditions that are forecast for Saturday. Riding on ROUVY like this also allows me to be very specific and controlled with my training.

In terms of equipment, I went safe again as I had some bad luck last year. I think I’m physically fit for the race, so I just need to minimise the risk of having a flat, so I came with wider and more robust tyres again this year. You have to have luck here, but I hope that this will help play its part in me racing for a podium or, even better, for the win.

CN: Your season so far has been very strong, including a win at The Gralloch. There you went two spots better for the win, so is that a good indicator of your form?

PV: My season has been really good. I've been very consistent, always up there, always in the mix for the win, for the podium, and yeah, the recent win and The Gralloch, that was great. After being very close several times, I finally got this win, and in a sprint too. So that's a big boost for my confidence, both in terms of my condition and also that I'm able to win a sprint finish, which is quite likely for a race like Unbound without any steep climbs in the final. So, that's a good indication, and I think I'm physically as ready as I can be, as well as mentally.

CN: No Gravel Locos, so was the week leading up to Unbound to get more time for recovery?

PV: I decided to come here a little bit later than I did last year. As I mentioned, I did my heat adaptation back home on ROUVY rather than come here early, also because it's quite rainy and cold here at the moment, so I wouldn’t have the same preparation. And it helps for my recovery, too, yes. I also did not want to get here too early to end up in between the time zones, because we will have to wake up very early, like three, maybe 3:30 latest, on the morning of the race. So it's actually kind of an advantage to come from Europe about a week before so that I can try to stay on the very early schedule.

CN: You told me in San Diego that Unbound was very different from The Traka, mainly because of the remoteness of the roads through Kansas prairies and not many towns. For our readers, describe what sets Unbound apart from the races in Europe.

PV: Here, everything is very remote, and you have a lot of white gravel roads, which are roads that are normally used by cars, but they are gravel. We don't have many of these in most parts of Europe, and our gravel roads are way smaller and more twisty.

This means in the race there’s usually something happening all the time, as it's narrower. It’s much more variable here with forest roads, too. Also, what's specific for Unbound is the higher risk of a mechanical because the stones are sharp here, very sharp. So it's hard on your equipment. So you need to have some luck.

Unbound is longer than most races, but it's still got the strongest field of the year. It's getting more and more tactical, especially with the wide roads without any significant climbs in the final, more just rolling hills.

The first time I raced here, I was surprised how nice it was on these rolling roads, with everything around you so green. There are less of the long straight roads that we have in Europe, too, which is nice, and the time flies quite fast, even though it's over 300 kilometres of racing!

CN: Have you made any special plans for nutrition/tech support at the aid stations this year in Kansas? Who is your mechanic?

PV: This will probably be very similar to what I always go for. Mostly just making sure to stay hydrated and to have enough carbs. I will have some solid food as well, which I generally don't do, but for nine to 10 hours of racing, you need to eat something as well. And yeah, we'll have a similar setup as last year, with great support of Canyon at the feed stations and at the checkpoints, too.

CN: And who would be 1-2 other riders for you to mark during the race this year?

PV: The riders to mark, apart from Keegan, who is the obvious choice, I think Matt Beers is a rider who can definitely win solo, as he’s super strong. So he will be one of the main favourites for me. Mads Würtz Schmidt, the winner of The Traka 200, will have the support of a strong team of PAS Racing, and I think that can make a difference. So those two riders I would pick as the biggest threats for the win.

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