EIGHT LEZYNE AMBASSADORS HEAD TO UNBOUND GRAVEL
Bella Slosberg, last year’s youngest-ever Unbound XL female participant, shares an update on her preparation for this year’s event. She also highlights our other ambassadors taking on the world’s biggest gravel race, each for very different reasons.
On May 30, 2025, I took on one of the most challenging and rewarding adventures of my life: a 350-mile unsupported gravel race through the rolling hills of Emporia, Kansas. In just a few weeks, I’ll toe the Unbound XL start line once again.
Something incredibly special about Unbound is the large variety of riders it draws in. Whether you’re a pro, beginner, or ultra seeker like me: there’s a distance and adventure for everyone.
For the Lezeyne crew, Lance Haidet (fresh off a podium at BWR California) will be taking on the 200 mile elite race. His goal is to have a clean race and pull off a top 15 finish in one of the most competitive fields gravel has to offer. As Lance put it, Unbound is special because it’s “a race that requires so many things to go right,” and one that increasingly “favors the bold rather than the ‘favorites.’”
Tudor Pro Cycling’s gravel riders Jan Stöckli and Clara Koppenburg will also be taking on the 200 mile elite race, and Ben Delaney will be on the scene with his Radar Drive equipped gravel bike getting content for his Youtube channel “The Ride.”
Previous Unbound 200 winner and Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame inductee, Alison Tetrick is returning to Emporia with a deep love for both the competition and the community surrounding Unbound.
“Unbound has given me purpose. It has given me belonging,” Alison shared. “I still love racing hard and competing at the front, but what matters just as much now is showing up in other ways, like Racing the Sun, getting more kids on bikes, and for the second year, More Women More Miles, which creates space for more women to step up to this start line and pacing them along the rolling emerald ribbons of the Flint Hills.”
Voler Factory Racing’s Jack Spang is part of the Life Time U23 series. At Unbound, he'll compete in the 100-mile race against some of the strongest young riders in the sport, with his sights set on a win in the U23 category. "I want to come in completely prepared with close to every situation thought out," Jack shared. His plan is to "never give up and focus on what’s important in the moment." In addition to striving for a first-place finish, Jack hopes to enjoy the adventure to Unbound and have fun after countless hours of preparation and hard work.
Meanwhile, Becky Gardner is coming into Unbound from an entirely different discipline. With a downhill and enduro background, she’s using the event as an opportunity to test herself outside her normal lane and build endurance for race season. In her words, “I just get to enjoy the ride, suffer a little, see some insanely strong endurance athletes, and have fun doing it.”
And then for me, it’s Unbound XL round two.
Unlike the rest of the gravel races at Unbound, riders taking part in the XL must be fully unsupported. No on course sag team. No musette bags. No gear swap if something goes wrong, making full confidence in your gear extra important.
While I won’t be getting support in the typical bottle hand-up type of a way, it would be a lie to say that I’ll be taking on this feat alone.
For the past few weeks, it has been an all hands on deck effort getting everything ready to tackle the 350 mile challenge. From the crew at Lezyne dialing in my light setup and repair kit, to my incredible team and the folks at Cannondale setting me up with the ideal bike for this type of race, the leadup to Unbound has been shaped by so much support and countless people helping me get to the startline with every piece of gear carefully dialed so when raceday comes, I can put all my energy into riding 350 miles of Kansas gravel.
With just a few weeks to go until the XL, I’m feeling a mix of excitement, gratitude, curiosity, and nerves. Events like this demand so much physically and mentally, and there’s no way to fully predict how 350 miles will unfold. But that uncertainty is part of what keeps drawing me back. Soon enough, all that will be left to do is roll away from the start line and settle into the adventure ahead.
