Unbound Gravel 200 LIVE: A stacked line-up and an increased prize pot at the US' premier gravel race
Stay up to date with all of the action from the elite women's and elite men's Unbound Gravel 200 as they tackle more than miles of gravel grinding for a signature event in the Flint Hills of Kansas
Women's race
In the women's side of things, Gomez, Lance, De Crescenzo, Kloser, Frain, Decker, Hartog, Schreurs and defending champion Migoń all among the big contendors.
Men's race
Straight onto the gravel and it looks very dry despite that storm. The riders are pushing hard on this early part of the race as they look to make the selection early.
Men's race
Racing begins for the men with over 200 miles/333km of racing on the menu with moves off the front already.
If you are new to gravel racing, Cam Jones won last year with Matthew Beers, Keegan Swenson, Torbjørn Røed, Alexey Vermeulen, Lachlan Morton are all big names to look out for with former WorldTour road riders like Romain Bardet, Thomas De Gendt, Simon Pellaud and Mads Würtz Schmidt all racing with the last two being big favourites for this race.
Men's Race
The men set off on their neutral zone in the dawn light. The neutralised section is around 3 miles long to just get them out of Emporia before they race.
The riders are all lined up in Emporia. It is currently dry but there was apparently a big storm in the night with mud looking like it could be a real issue.
There have been changes made to the way the support stations work with the pros and amateurs with the elite riders getting their own areas to avoid the chaos of previous years.
Last year's winner, Cameron Jones, is for the changes and told Cyclingnews: "The first year out at the feed zones really opened my eyes – just how many people were at the feed zones, it was like a whole city long, four or five blocks, and you're trying to watch out for your people," He said.
"So, last year was a lot less stressful being in a small group. I think it's a good call that they've split them up from the amateurs, because we're coming through with a lot more urgency than the age groupers. It's nice to have a bit less going on, less distractions."
>>> Unbound Gravel organisers rein in support station chaos, adding feed zones for elite fields only
A mechanics job isn't an easy one at the best of times, but for gravel mechanics, it is a whole other ball game as it is just you against the terrain with no big team of mechanics around you. Cyclingnews spoke to mechanics of Alexey Vermeulen, Carolin Schiff and more.
The startlist is a blend of former and current road riders, gravel specialists and the odd full blown all-rounders in both the men's and women's lineups.
The race has upped it's prize pot for this year with $60,000 being split between the top five riders in both the men's and women's races.
Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live updates of the 2026 Life Time Unbound Gravel presented by Shimano.
The 200 mile/333km race is the one that starts very soon. However, yesterday saw the start of Unbound XL, a 300 mile epic that is still racing now after an all nighter on the brutal gravel. They set off 3pm local time and are due to finish in around four to five hours time.
