Photos: Ian Matteson/ENVE
As I write this, Unbound Gravel is only a few days away and I’m freaking out. To help calm my nerves and organize my thoughts, I’m writing down a plan for my the Unbound weekend.
When you read this, I’ll already be on the road, or I will have long since finished. Hopefully, I haven't made any dumb errors. I would like to do this race again someday (maybe next year?), so having this all written out should help me dial in my plan for future attempts!
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Before I Leave for Kansas
My wife and I are headed out to Emporia, Kansas on Thursday Morning (June 1) at 8:00 AM so we need everything to be ready to go the night before. Here’s what I’m tackling Wednesday night:
- Wash the bikes
- Clean and lube drivetrains
- Check/tune shifting
- Do a bolt check
- Top-off tire sealant
- Check/stock our flat kits
- Pack drop bags
- Pack (3) riding kits
- Fill the car with gas
This is all basic stuff. My bike is solid, and I’m not making any major changes now. I just need to ensure it’s in perfect running order.
My Unbound Gravel Crew-For-Hire
You’ll notice that I’m packing drop bags. That’s because I’m using a crew-for-hire this year. Last year, my wife performed support crew duties (very well, I might add). But this time around, she’s racing too, so we had to enlist some outside support. Support crews are required at Unbound. There’s no neutral support, so if you need to drop out, your crew is the one coming to rescue you.
We choose to use 3 Feet Cycling’s SAG Support rather than Unbound’s own crew-for-hire services. It’s nearly twice as expensive, but after speaking to some experienced riders, 3 Feet came highly recommended. Its checkpoints are staffed by gravel riders and racers, many of whom have experience riding Unbound. Many riders actually use them because they prioritize efficiency to help you hit your time goals. They provide “real food,” can fix or service your bike, and know how to help if you’re experiencing gut distress, cramps, or other common issues.
My Unbound Gravel Lodging
Finding lodging is actually one of the most stressful parts of getting into Unbound. Last year I stayed at the Emporia State University dorms. We got a private room with two beds and A/C, plus breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the cafeteria. This was an awesome option, especially since the dorms are only a 10-minute ride from the start/finish line.
Unfortunately, the dorms sold-out within 5 minutes this year. As usual, all the local AirBNBs and hotel rooms were booked up. My wife and I ended up reserving a trailer with Pork Belly Ventures who are best known for providing support for RAGBRAI. The trailers have outlets and A/C, and there are hot showers and coffee on site.
If you ever plan to do Unbound in the future, I highly recommend booking lodging as early as possible. I know many who book before they even know that they’ve gotten in. After sleeping on a floor in Lawrence in 2017, I’ve learned that having a place to sleep in town reduces stress A LOT.
My Unbound Gravel Recon Plan
Gotta scope that terrain.
I plan to use a similar recon strategy to what I did last year. On Friday morning, the day before the race, I’ll drive to the main drag in Emporia to pick up my race plate and hand off my drop bags. Then I’m going to load up the course on my Garmin and ride the opening 20 miles.
This is VERY important. After getting my GPX file corrupted in 2017, I make a point of checking BEFORE race day that the route is uploaded on my head unit and that it works.
I’m going to ride the opening 20 miles because this is where riders will experience the biggest groups and the most chaos. Having the opening fresh in your mind can help reduce stress and help you make good decisions. Last year, I rode through an early water crossing and saw a line off to the side. During the race, the bunch slowed to a stop and riders dismounted, but I was able to ride around them all and latch on to a faster group.
I’ll also use this time to finalize my tire pressure choice and hopefully sort out any niggling issues with my bike or gear. I run 23/25 PSI here in Colorado, but I might want to go up a bit in Kansas.
I don’t do any leg openers, but I’ve found over the years that my body likes getting some amount of load in the lead-up to a big race. I’ll ride the opening 20 miles then double back, getting 40 miles total. This is long enough to get my body revved up for the next day but short enough for me to recover and feel fresh.
Prep the Night Before
The night before the start, I’ll do the last few things to prepare my bike:
- Attach race plates
- Charge head units
- Charge AXS derailleur batteries
- Clean and lube chains
Of course, I’m planning to eat A LOT of carbs in the days before the race. The night before any race though, my traditional meal is a nice burger with fries. It works for me, and doesn't mess with my stomach, so I’m not going to change it now.
Another trick I’ve picked up over the years is to "pre-hydrate." I actually plan to start doing this during the drive into Kansas by regularly drinking water and electrolyte mix, but the night before I'll be drinking extra. It will set me up for Saturday morning so I hopefully won’t have to smash water and then visit the bathroom multiple times before the start.
My Unbound Breakfast Plan
The morning of, I’ll wake up at 3:45 AM and have some pre-prepared rice and eggs with bacon with plenty of coffee. I’ve been on the rice and egg bandwagon ever since I spoke to Dr. Allen Lim from Skratch Labs about Tour de France nutrition. I can smash almost 1,000 calories after waking up without any negative effects to my gut.
The start is at 6 AM, so after I eat and get caffeinated, I’ll leave our lodging at 5:00. This will give me time to get across town, find parking, and get in line for the bathroom (there will be a line, guaranteed). I won't do a warm-up since I expect the rollout will be pretty mellow.
Dealing With Pre-Race Nerves
Do you feel nervous before races? I get it. When I said “I’m freaking out” in the intro, I meant it. I sometimes feel like I’m on the verge of a panic attack. The good thing is, once I start, it all melts away and I can live in the present of the race.
But how do I manage my nerves leading up to it? Really, just racing a lot has made a huge difference. But I’ve also picked up a few habits that help:
- I use the 4-7-8 breathing technique A LOT. It calms me down instantly. You’ll catch me doing this the night before, the morning of, and definitely on the start line.
- I have a playlist full of upbeat but slow music that I listen to before all of my races. There are songs that have been on it for years. I listen to it with my breathing exercises and it helps me enter a parasympathetic state.
- Approaching with curiosity - I picked this up after listening to Amber Pierce on the TrainerRoad Podcast. It’s a really basic mindset shift that helps me out a lot. Instead of zeroing in on results or what could go wrong, I consciously tell myself that the race is a learning experience where I have the opportunity to discover new things about myself and cycling. It helps put it all in perspective. I chose to do this, and I’m super lucky to be able to experience it. A lot of people don’t get this chance.
- Focus on process goals instead of outcome goals - This is another Amber Pierce nugget. I do have a time goal, but in the lead-up to and during the race itself, I consciously try to focus more on the small elements fully in my control that can lead to success, i.e., servicing my bike, hydrating, sleeping, eating every 30 minutes, or sticking to my pacing plan. These are things I know I can achieve, and staying focused on this keeps my confidence high.
My Unbound Gravel Pacing Plan
My pacing plan for the race is stupidly simple:
- Ride easy
- Try not to chase (too much)
Last year, my biggest mistake was burning matches by chasing riders and groups early in the race. This used up a lot of energy, and after the first checkpoint at mile 80, I started cramping and lost a lot of time when I had to soft pedal to recover.
This year, my ultimate goal is to ride my own race. Of course, for any type-A cyclist, “ride your own race” is easier said than done. That’s why this time around I have a power meter on my bike. This will make it a lot easier to stick to my plan, which is to average between 180-250 watts throughout the entire race.
Of course, sticking to groups helps you go faster. But I’ve decided that if it takes more than 30 seconds at 350-400 watts to latch onto a group, or I’m being forced to ride in the high-200s for long periods of time, then I’ll chill out and let that group go. Hopefully, this leads to a much faster overall time.
My Unbound Nutrition Plan/Drop Bag Contents
- GU Gels
- Clif Shot Bloks
- Rice Krispy Treats
- Oreos
- Stroopwafels
- Doritos
- Kettle Chips
- Swedish Fish
- Turkey Jerky
- Ziploc with Skratch Hydration mix
- Bottles w/ Scratch Super Fuel
- Advil
- Sunscreen
For nutrition, I have an alarm on my Garmin set to go off every 30 minutes. My goal is to take in around 60-90g of carbs / 200-300 calories every hour. I definitely forgot to eat early in the race last year and paid for it later on. I don’t handle big meals well during big rides, so regular snacking throughout the day will be key.
I’ll be carrying my normal riding food — GU gels, Clif Shot Bloks, and Rice Krispy treats — on the bike, plus Scratch Super Fuel in my bottles and Skratch Hydration mix in my hydration pack. At the checkpoints, my drop bags will have more of the same, plus cookies, waffles, and some salty options too like potato chips and jerky.
My drop bag at checkpoint 2 will also contain my secret weapon: a can of Red Bull. Obviously, your mileage may vary, but when I drank a Red Bull at checkpoint 2 last year it was like magic. Suddenly, I could stand on climbs and I felt reinvigorated for the finish.
Other important items include ibuprofen and sunscreen. The ibuprofen is mainly there if I crash and need something to take the edge off. The sunscreen is something I totally forgot about last year. I got lucky because I was covered in enough mud that I didn’t burn, but I’m not going to bet on that this year.
I am far from dialed, but hopefully, my plan is good enough that I’ll have a fun race and finish within my goal time (12 hours). If not, then at least I have a starting point to create a better plan of attack next time. Check back later to find out how my Unbound went!
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