Thursday at 3:30 CDT the official sign concerning the 2025 Unbound Gravel lottery was delivered on social media from Life Time, “It is time to examine your e-mail… the outcomes are in”.
Life Time Occasions, which owns and operates Unbound Gravel, delivered e-mail confirmations the afternoon of November 21 to 1000’s of expectant riders, elite and novice alike, from world wide, answering the burning query about who could be heading to Emporia, Kansas for one of many premier gravel occasions on the worldwide calendar.
Former footballer Jelle Van Damme, now an envoy for BMC, obtained his ticket for a second go to to Kansas. Final yr he accomplished the 200-mile occasion within the elite males’s division, ending 94th in 10:46:52. And Laurens ten Dam, 3 times within the prime 4 at Unbound 200, was confirmed to tackle Unbound XL for the primary time. Like so many others, the e-mail began with “You might be headed to the capital of gravel driving, Emporia, KS, for the 2025 Life Time Unbound Gravel offered by Shimano”.
The lottery window for the 2025 occasion was open from November 1-15, moved two months sooner than earlier years, and included all 5 race distances – 25, 50, 100, 200 and 350 miles. Organisers mentioned they hoped this would supply extra time for coaching for any athlete.
The longest route, Unbound XL at 350 miles takes place on Friday, Could 30, 2025 in downtown Emporia, Kansas. The opposite 4 distances, together with Unbound Gravel 200 which is a part of the Life Time Grand Prix, begin on Could 31 from the identical location.
For these people who weren’t chosen within the random lottery, there are some business sponsor allocations on the market, with three-time prime 10 rider Peter Stetina anticipated to line up that route, and qualifiers, which opens the door for extra amateurs.
Following the lottery winner’s announcement on Thursday, Life Time revealed 5 gravel races that may function qualifying occasions for Unbound Gravel. The primary occasion, the brand new Life Time Sea Otter Traditional Gravel race in California on April 11, 2025, may have 50 spots obtainable for subsequent yr’s Unbound. The opposite 4 occasions will function 2026 qualifiers.
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“Because the demand for Life Time UNBOUND Gravel continues to rise, we’re excited to introduce new alternatives for athletes to safe their place at this world-renowned gravel biking expertise,” mentioned Michelle Duffy, senior advertising and marketing director for Life Time Athletic Occasions.
Three of the 2026 Unbound qualifiers are Life Time occasions in america – Crusher within the Tusher in Utah, Rad Dust Fest in Colorado and Massive Sugar Gravel in Arkansas – with Heathland Gravel in Lindberg, Belgium returning for a second time.
“Heathland Gravel and the Life Time Rad Dust Fest had been the primary to function qualifiers in 2024, however this expanded lineup will broaden the probabilities for entry. We’re wanting ahead to the unequalled power and competitors that make race week in Emporia, Kansas so particular.”
Different riders can achieve entry by means of a first-come, first-serve foundation within the Unbound Gravel Coaching Camp offered by Shimano, April 3-6, 2025. Registration is proscribed and is now open.
Assured entries at Unbound 200 had been offered to the 44 elite riders named to the early choice for the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix, returning males’s collection champion Keegan Swenson and girls’s winner Sofia Gomez Villafane as properly new Grand Prix riders corresponding to Traka 360 multi-time winner Mattia De Marchi and Australian gravel champion Courtney Sherwell. New for 2025 will probably be a $30,000 prize purse for elite women and men, cut up evenly.
Subsequent yr all routes will once more be routed to the north from Emporia throughout the Flint Hills of Kansas, identified for its punchy climbs, steep ravines and sharp-edged rocks. The official routes will probably be finalised at a later date.
Unbound Gravel qualifiers
- April 11, 2025 – Life Time Sea Otter Traditional Gravel (90 miles) in Monterey, California
- July 12, 2025 – Life Time Crusher within the Tushar (70 miles) in Beaver, Utah
- August 10, 2025 – Heathland Gravel (100 miles) in Lindburg, Belgium
- September 27, 2025 – Life Time Rad Dust Fest (70 and 110 miles) in Trinidad, Colorado
- October 18, 2025 – Life Time Massive Sugar Gravel (100 miles) in Bentonville, Arkansas
