Cyclocross racers 'chase where the money is' at Unbound Gravel 200

A friend of cyclocross racer Caroline Mani asked her why she was riding her first Unbound Gravel 200 race this weekend, knowing the five-time French champion usually competed in the winter in the much shorter cyclocross calendar, where events are 50 minutes, not 10 hours. When Mani explained that the event is popular and good for sponsorship, her friend was not convinced, asking, 'Would you ask a sprinter runner to become a marathon runner?'

Mani still has a lot of explaining to do, as do a dozen or so cyclocross specialists who are competing in the Unbound Gravel 100 or 200 this year. Most of them are in Emporia, Kansas for the longer event because it is part of the Life Time Grand Prix. Invitations were sent, and the challenge was accepted.

Among the field in the 200 are Pan-American cyclocross champions Raylyn Nuss and Eric Brunner, US cyclocross single speed champion and runner-up, respectively, Kerry Werner and Tobin Ortenblad, perennial US mainstays Rebecca Fahringer and Crystal Anthony as well as Mani. Three-time Canadian 'cross champion Maghalie Rochette made the trip to Emporia, but has pulled out of a start due to a lingering back injury. 

Why the crossover from 'cross to gravel? It is about economics.

"Cyclocross, it seems there's just less money in it. So if you're a bike racer, and you want to make a living being a bike racer, you got to chase where the money is, at the moment that is with gravel, and with a lot of this endurance, off-road event stuff," Amanda Nauman told Cyclingnews. She made a name in cyclocross including three top 10s between 2016 and 2019 at the national championships but has since gone fully for gravel.

Nauman is an Unbound Gravel legend, having won the 200 twice, finished second in the XL 350 and is an official member of the Gravel Grail, also known as the 1,000-mile club, but is racing the Unbound 100 this time out.

"Cyclocross racers are just inherently bike racers and they want to make a living doing it. Ten years ago it was cyclocross. I think that everything is cyclical - it'll eventually come back and cyclocross racers can make a living just being 'cross racers again."

Caroline Mani

Mani won the silver medal for France at the 2016 UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Zolder and has had a wealth of success in the US, winning the US Cyclocross Series the last two seasons. But as manager of her Groove Auto Off Road Racing team, she signed up for the Life Time Grand Prix as it "would be helpful for the team and get some more exposure".

"I thought putting my name in the Life Time Grand Prix. It seems like it's the 'hot thing' to do at the moment and they do a great job at promoting it," Mani told Cyclingnews.

"I also thought it would be a different challenge for me to get into endurance events and a series like the Life Time Grand Prix. I wondered if I was in my right mind when I applied for it! Everyone is surprised because it's not a secret that I love short intense events."

She said she didn't know what to expect but had done some gravel events in the past, but never committed to a lot of training for the discipline. For Unbound, she hopes to enjoy Saturday's adventure and not have a day of suffering.

"My career has for sure taken a turn since I decided to not compete internationally anymore. Not going to Europe this winter was really hard and I think I'm still grieving this part of my life. I call it my 'half retirement' because we do know at 36 years old I'm probably close to the end," she said.

"The Grand Prix goes on pretty late in the season and I wonder how it's going to impact my cyclocross fitness. If everything goes well for the next four events, I may be able to skip Rad Festival in Trinidad [Colorado]. But we have to be at the last event of the series Big Sugar, so I will skip a weekend of cyclocross."

Raylyn Nuss

Nuss, the two-time cyclocross Pan-American champion from the US, isn't new to gravel. She's ridden a few Belgian Waffle Ride events and has competed at Unbound Gravel 100, since Emporia, Kansas is geographically 'close' to her home near St. Louis, Missouri.

She said her experience in the Flint Hills, and the wickedly humid and hot weather conditions will give her a slight advantage over other riders.

"I will say I think the biggest advantage honestly, is being accustomed to the heat and humidity. I think that's probably the biggest [advantage] over people that are coming from elevation or dry air like desert or even California. I think that'll be the biggest hit for them, it is shocking how humid it can be," Nuss told Cyclingnews.

Like Mani, she runs her team, the Steve Tilford Foundation and took on the Life Time Grand Prix to benefit the team.

"Cyclocross is so much more fun and explosive, and the better spectator sport. But, I really think the [Life Time GP] format is interesting, breaking it up with mountain biking and some longer events," she said.

"I feel like I need to embrace what's happening in the industry. My sponsors all love gravel. And I felt like if I just applied to Life Time, it would also make my life easier in terms of having to choose the races to do because now there are so many gravel events. It's competitive and there's a good payout. This could be actually good for me if I train and race properly, even for cyclocross."

One of the differences Nuss sees with the long-distance gravel events is related to the demands of focusing for hours upon hours, and the lack of an energy boost from spectators along the course.

"When you have six rows deep of people screaming and cheering and you can kind of feed off of that energy," Nuss observed.

"In 'cross, that energy [from the crowd] truly helps. At the Worlds in Fayetteville, everyone was screaming 'USA' any time a US rider would go by, it would be electric. Gravel is a little more soul-searching. You dig deep and you go into dark places at times.

"And obviously, I've never done anything much over eight and a half hours, so Unbound is going to be a whole new chapter for me. I think it's just taking it one hour at a time, tricking your mind a little bit. You don't want to burn all of your matches in the first 50 miles. You have to be smart."

Kerry Werner

Werner has been racing cyclocross for 12 seasons and signed on for the Life Time Grand Prix this year. He said he can't wait to find out what happens this season, as the earning opportunities with cyclocross became a very narrow path and he wanted a bigger bandwidth.

"I think the biggest reason is sponsor requests/opportunities. Unfortunately, the CX vibe is not well and alive in the US," Werner told Cyclingnews.

"With gravel sucking the lifeblood out of all the other sports and USAC doing things like putting $60K up for a Gravel Nationals prize purse it seems like all other disciplines of the sport pale in comparison to the gravel craze right now.

"I think CX is taking an especially heavy hit, which is unfortunate because it is still my favourite discipline to race. The courses are spectator-friendly, races are only an hour long, and the racing is tight and tactical. It's a slugfest of repeatability, coupled with technical skills and a lap that is constantly changing. I love all the variables and the focus it takes to be at the pointy end of the races," Werner said about his racing mainstay.

He signed up for the Life Time Grand Prix looking for a new competitive challenge as well.

"I am a firm believer in pushing comfort zones and doing the same stuff on a bike for five-plus years was just getting stale," he admitted. "It definitely gave my calendar direction. I am prioritizing Life Time races and peppering in a few other races that are somewhat local and are fun. I think the exception to that is Finland Gravel [FNLD GRVL]. That came about as a friends-and-family trip that we were able to tie a bike race into. Two birds with one stone kind of thing."

Don't think of Werner as just a one-hour 'cross racer. Last fall he took on a fastest-known-time (FKT) attempt on the Rockstar Gravel Trail a 252-mile trail from Roanoke, Virginia to Harrisonburg and back, with 25,000 feet of climbing. The previous FKT was 18:43:10 and Werner pounded out an incredible effort that stopped the clock 2 minutes and 30 seconds better.

"Personally, I love a challenge. The process and training for Unbound is my favourite part. I love spending all day on the bike. Big rides are my favourite and getting home salty and crusty makes me feel good."

Werner said he would most likely skip Crusher in the Tushar, in Utah in July, as it competes with the US Mountain Bike National Championships, which will be in his home state of Pennsylvania.

"I won the U23 title and got second the next year in elites the last time it was at this venue. I grew up 40 minutes from the championships venue so it's a hard one to pass up," Werner said.