Greg Van Avermaet won the lottery to earn his debut spot on the start line at the upcoming Unbound Gravel, which will be held on June 1 in Emporia, Kansas. The former Olympic gold medallist, Tour de France stage winner, and Paris-Roubaix champion admitted that he doesn't know what to expect and that he is a little 'scared' but hopes to channel his wealth of experience in cobbled one-day racing into the rough and rugged 200-mile event.
"I’ve trained as much as possible to ensure I'll be ready for Unbound, and I'm looking forward to competing at this level of racing. The event has been in my head to try for a few years now, and having retired from the road last year, it's nice to be able to do more adventure stuff like this and try something different," Van Avermaet said.
"I'm a little scared of the distance, and it'll definitely take me out of my comfort zone, but as a road rider, I was always strong in the longer, one-day races, and I will do my best and try to enjoy it as much as I can.
"I still need to properly look at the route, but I think one of the most important factors in having success in this type of race is to try and limit the amount of mechanicals you have and to not panic if and when you do have them. We'll see how things go, but I'm really looking forward to it."
Van Avermaet spoke with the press on Wednesday, just over a week ahead of Unbound, and has had a chance to preview some of the sections of the race, looked at images of the gravel roads and is studying the route to gain as much knowledge as possible.
He won Paris-Roubaix in 2017, and while he has never raced Unbound, likened the challenges of gravel racing to that of competing at the Hell of the North, particularly when it comes to luck.
"I think the course, when I saw from the pictures, it really looks rough, and it scares me a little bit. You have to be careful with your bike. On the road bike. I could handle my bike quite well on the cobblestones," Van Avermaet said.
"I was really careful not to have flats, like in races, like Roubaix. I did it, I think, 12 or 15 times, I don't know, but only one time I had a flat tire on all those races. Gravel racing is more with luck, also. So you have to be lucky. "
Van Avermaet said the equipment, support and mechanical knowledge are also important aspects that can help in a long race like Unbound.
"If you can keep your material in top shape, I think you can get far. I had to learn how I can plug tires, of course, but yeah [also knowing] how big is the hole and what's the tire look like?" Van Avermaet said.
"I think a good preparation and a good recon could help a lot in making good decisions. And, yeah, then just being careful about what you're going to do. And then, in the end, also still have legs."
Van Avermaet retired from professional road racing in 2023 but said he always wanted to compete in gravel events, which he could not do while road racing. He has since finished fourth at the UCI Gravel World Championships and then won SGRAIL100, a gravel triathlon in Spain.
Van Avermaet competed in the Traka 200 in Girona, Spain, in May. He finished seventh, 1:35 behind winner retired pro road racer Petr Vakoc (Canyon Integray). He said that he hopes to be in the front group with Vakoc at Unbound.
"He won Traka, and he has been everywhere on the podium the time he was racing. And he's also still motivated. When I talked to him, he had really good preparation, and he looked forward to the Unbound adventure. And, of course, I think it's more like a relationship where we can help each other," Van Avermaet said.
"I have experience, of course, from road cycling, but he has a lot more experience on the gravel, so I think it's a good combination. I was a bit sad that I didn't make it to the first group in Traka, but I hope to be there with a longer distance and a different course, to be there with him in the group in front and see how it goes."
