Unbound Gravel lottery opens November 1, Gravel Worlds triples prize purse - North American Roundup

The lottery for participation in 2025 Life Time Unbound Gravel will be open on November 1 through November 15 with the winners announced on November 21.

Individuals bid to enter one of five ride distances - the XL is the longest at 350 miles and takes place on Friday, May 30, 2025 in downtown Emporia, Kansas. The other distances - 25, 50, 100 or 200 miles - start on May 31 from the same location. Individuals with Life Time Club memberships of six months or longer have early access to registration.

Next year all routes will again be routed to the north from Emporia across the Flint Hills of Kansas, known for its punchy climbs, steep ravines and sharp-edged rocks. The official routes will be finalised at a later date.

Life Time announced earlier this month that the signature event for elite riders, Unbound Gravel 200, will offer a new $30,000 prize purse for men and women, split evenly.

Gravel Worlds in Nebraska triple prize purse

The elite prize purse for the 2025 Lauf Gravel Worlds, August 23, will more than triple from the previous year, making it the largest single-day payout for a gravel race to date. Organisers announced that men and women in the pro fields will share in a $100,000 prize pool. Previously one of the richest earning opportunities in gravel racing was the 2023 USA Cycling Gravel National Championships, when $60,000 was on offer for elite riders.

Event sponsor GoodLife Brands, a company that works with farmers and partners to provide sustainably-sourced meats and proteins, will provide the funds for the prize purse, which in turn, according to organisers, keeps the cost of registrations from increasing and retains a high-end ride experience.

Each winner in the elite men's and women's races, held across 150 miles and 10,000 feet of climbing from Lincoln, Nebraska, will now earn $17,500 each, while second-place riders earn $12,500 each. The payouts go 10 deep. 

Last year Lauren Stephens (Cynisca Cycling) won Gravel Worlds for elite women for a second consecutive year, while Simen Nordhal Svendsen (PAS Racing) won for elite men. In addition to the pros sharing in a $20,000 prize purse, the women shared in an extra $10,000, with $500 paid for each woman in the top 20 to arrive at a second checkpoint ahead of racers in the general field.

Registration for amateur divisions at the 2025 Gravel Worlds is now open, with a discounted fee available through November 1 (1 a.m. ET). 

Gran Fondo Hincapie raises $750,000 for hurricane relief

Organisers of Hincapie Events, which manages Gran Fondo Hincapie, confirmed that close to $750,000 had been raised so far this month with their 13th annual cycling event, auctions and special activities to assist Polk County, North Carolina residents and businesses affected by the devastation from Hurricane Helene. The funds for hurricane relief, expected to reach $1 million, will be provided to the Polk County Community Foundation, which had hosted the fondo the past dozen years and was one of the hardest hit areas in western North Carolina from the September storm.

"This year's Gran Fondo Hincapie was a last-minute shift in focus, but it quickly became a full-scale fundraising effort," said Rich Hincapie, president of Hincapie Events. "Once we decided to pivot, George, myself, and the whole family started reaching out to our networks. It was incredible to see so many people come together for the fundraising events, which spanned four days. Raising the amount we have so far is my proudest accomplishment in cycling."

Olympic gold medal cyclists Jolanda Neff and Sir Bradley Wiggins as well as Michelin star chef Matt Accarrino were part of the festivities. Former road pros Sir Mark Cavendish, Jan Ullrich, Bobby Julich, Christian Vande Velde and Victor Hugo Peña were also part of the programming. 

On Saturday night during the After Party, artist Jared Emerson created a live speed painting of Cavendish, the Tour de France stage win record-holder, which was signed by the cyclist and auctioned for $92,500. 

At a separate gala in downtown Greenville, hosted by a Canadian philanthropic club, Les Domestiques, George Hincapie's bike which he rode to second place in the prologue of the 2006 Tour de France was auctioned for $45,000. This event alone raised more than $240,000.

"The bike I rode to second place in the 2006 Tour de France Prologue in Strasbourg - missing the win by just one-one hundredth of a second - will always be one of my most prized possessions," said Hincapie. "Auctioning it off was a reminder of how hard work and pushing just a little harder have always been key to reaching my goals. It's an important reminder for many aspects of life: if we can push harder, we can achieve anything—even to reach our goal of raising a million dollars."

Pas Normal Studios looks for development team riders

Pas Normal Studios, which operates an 18-rider PAS Racing squad focused on gravel events, will launch a PAS Normal Studios Development Team in 2025. Up to three athletes, a combination of men and women with ages ranging from 18-21, will be selected and announced in February 2025.

Applications are being accepted online through November 11. Interested athletes are asked to answer questions about past performances, interest in Pas Normal Studios and provide a two-minute video about themselves which should describe their interests in being part of the development team. 

Development team members will receive 'full support', according to the Pas Normal Studios website, including race expenses, training camps, technical apparel and equipment.

“As the driving force behind the Pas Normal Studios Development Team, I’m passionate about creating opportunities for young talented cyclists to take their racing to the next level. This programme is designed not just to develop elite athletes but to cultivate well-rounded individuals who embody the spirit of gravel racing," said Sune Nicolajsen, US general manager.

"We’re building a team that’s committed to pushing boundaries and fostering a community that thrives on competition and camaraderie.” 

Among the successful PAS Racing athletes on the roster in 2024 are Karolina Migon, winner of The Traka 360, and Chad Haga, second at Unbound Gravel 200.

Seven US women win medals at UCI Gravel World Championships

While Dutch riders Marianne Vos and Mathieu van der Poel stole the headlines at this year's UCI Gravel World Championships in early October, four US women scored gold medals, creating a sweep of age divisions from 60-64 to 80-plus, and three others earned bronze.

Laura van Gilder (Cresco, Penn) rode solo for the gold in the women's 60-64 age division. Van Gilder's first world championships came on the road in 2002, which was also in Belgium. She had twice competed at Cyclocross World Championships, finishing in the top 20 in 2009 in Hoogerheide. In 2018 she won a second master's division title at the US Cyclocross National Championships. 

Vanessa Cooney earned gold in the 70-74 division and Wendy Skean took the gold In the 80+ division. In the women's 65-69 division, USA had two riders on the podium, Ruth Clemence with gold and Lillian Pfluke with bronze. Two other US women took bronze medals, Amy Phillips in the 50-54 division and Tracey Jacobs in the 55-59 division. Jacobs was on pace to score a third gold medal at Worlds, but suffered a mechanical and settled for third.

There were a total of 2,183 riders who qualified for the age group races in Belgium this year, having finished in the top 25% of their age group in the TREK UCI Gravel World Series or taken wins at national championships. The men over 65 and women over 50 had a direct finish after the 88km in line from Halle to Leuven. Women categories under 50 and men between 50 and 64 had to do another 47km local loop for a total distance of 136km on Saturday.