Words & Photos: Taylor Chase | Lezyne

Thunderstorms and flooding set the stage in Emporia, KS for Unbound Gravel 2022. Every type of rider quickly filled Commercial Street at 5 AM on June 4, 2022. WorldTour pros, first timers and five-time finishers all lined up shoulder to shoulder at the start. A train blows through town and the race begins. 200 miles to win, to ride, to have fun, to get lost and to find your way. Unbound tests all and favors none. The following 50 photographs are my experience of Unbound 2022, chasing athletes and Lezyne products for 200 miles.

The start line fills out early and fast. Signs are posted in 100-yard increments with expected finishing times for the riders to stage at. Racers enjoy one last moment of stillness before the next 200 miles of effort.

Lance Haidet and fellow L39ion of LA teammates stage at the front of the start; strategizing to the last second if they are carrying too much food, not enough or just the right amount. A top tube bag is tossed aside right before they roll out, proving the fuel wasn’t worth the weight.

A KTV Drive Rear and M-Caddy accompany Lance’s Specialized Crux

Alison Tetrick is all smiles, a Queen of Unbound. Her goal this year was to lead a group on a pace to “Race the Sun” and raise money for the local NICA Coyote Composite team with the sale of her bandanas.

Due to a train delay (not rain delay) the race starts seven minutes past schedule. Alison is excited despite knowing the path ahead is anything but smooth.

Course conditions were anything but ideal. Mud and water were a plenty, as seen here from the Sunrise Spin for Mo Wilson held the day before the race. 

The course is never really flat, you’re either always going slightly up or slightly down. Snaking through the hills, the racers slowly spread out.

The race tip toes through open roads, and some riders adorn LEDs alongside their helmets for extra safety.

Maybe he was bored, maybe he was delirious, whatever it was, this racer gave me a power slide and a smile before tackling another hill.

The race wasn’t only for cyclists. A horde of image makers were racing the leaders in jeeps, motos and drones, all trying to get “The Shot.” Navigating the Flint Hills seemed just as hard for the media, getting lost and popping tires, just like the cyclists.