Unbound Gravel 2023

[rice rocket]

Originally Posted by BumbleBeeDave

What is the prize money for Unbound?
BBD

​​The Life Time Grand Prix℠ will pay out to the top 10 based on highest cumulative points following the conclusion of the 7th and final race of the series. The total purse will be $250,000, split equally between men and women.

Place Amount
1 $25,000
2 $20,000
3 $16,000
4 $13,000
5 $11,000
6 $10,000
7 $9,000
8 $8,000
9 $7,000
10 $6,000
Total $125,000


Edit: for clarity, that's for winning the series, of which Unbound is part of.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . for winning or placing in an individual race of the series? I know the elites likely have sponsorship deals that pay them as much or more than any race prize money. But what about a privateer winner? Anything?

BBD

[prototoast]

I get that most of the top riders have sponsors as their primary source of money, and for some, making any money for riding their bike feels like a win, but as a boring person with a boring regular job, it's amazing to me that lifetime touts their big prize purse, when maybe one or two riders win enough in prize money to offset their travel costs for the series.

[spoonrobot]

Some of the events have cash prize purse but IIRC they're all pretty low.

One of the top grand prix riders said they spent around $40,000 on all the travel and lodging to do all the races in the series last year. On the other hand he said if he had won Unbound he'd probably be able to get sponsor contracts around $100k.

Apparently there's a lot of ways to earn money as a top gravel racer, winning prize money generally isn't a big part of it.

[rice rocket]

It used to have a prize purse iirc, until Lifetime bought up the event.

They don't really need to pay out individual events anymore, as an amateur, you're hoping to get on the invite only list to compete for the purse.

[KonaSS]

DK/Unbound has never had a prize purse. In the beginning, it was a fun amateur challenge and no one ever questioned a prize purse. Now, it is such a big race, that they don't need to pay a prize purse to attract riders. Winning it can make any rider's year.

[Peter P.]

Originally Posted by Mikej

Was he racing an MTB with drop bars������? ...

What's the difference?!

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE!

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by spoonrobot

Hauswald only did the XL once, he went back to the 200 the next two years and then shorter distances. Rusch pretty much retired after the 2018 XL.

Better examples would be Matt Acker and Mat Stephens - two riders who were in the top 10 at the 200 in 2017. Acker won the XL in 2018, 2nd in 2019. Stephens was 2nd in the 200 in 2017 and then 5th in 2018/15th 2019 - before going to the XL and getting 3rd in 2021 and 5th in 2022. Of course Taylor Lideen went from 8th in the 200 in 2018 to winning the XL in 2021. There's isn't really anyone else from the modern era. Jay Petervary was on the podium at the 200 pre-2017 and won the XL in 2019 but he's always been a ultra-endurance racer so the application doesn't seem to apply.

It's a shallower talent pool for physical ability but at that distance other factors have a bigger relative impact which is why the most likely option for riders who lose relative standing in the 200 is to do other events (Geoff Kabush) or keep doing to 200 while dropping places every year (Dylan Johnson).

The majority of riders who've done the XL haven't done the 200. The ratio increases each year the further out from the initial event - the XL is coming into it's own as an ultra-endurance race and not a gravel race or next step up from the 200.

Well... you're clearly done your homework .

I guess I think it's a good thing if the XL comes into its own, and not just a fallback for those who can't cut it in the 200, but I suspect it'll always be a second tier in terms of publicity and notoriety to the 200.

[djg21]

Originally Posted by KonaSS

DK/Unbound has never had a prize purse. In the beginning, it was a fun amateur challenge and no one ever questioned a prize purse. Now, it is such a big race, that they don't need to pay a prize purse to attract riders. Winning it can make any rider's year.

Prize money aside, it launches careers and starts endorsement dollars flowing.

[spoonrobot]

Lachlan Morton has an interesting set-up - 29x2.1 in the front 700cx40 in the rear. I've been experimenting with a similar set-up and had pretty good results. I don't think front and rear rolling resistance is 1:1 and a much bigger tire up front is a lot less detrimental than expected.

[weisan]

[rice rocket]

Averaging 15 mph with 3 hours of walking is silly fast.

[spoonrobot]

Weigh in from Sofia Villafane - 2nd in the women's race this year

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vil...nd-gravel-200/

“My idea is we race 175 miles. So by the time the elite women finish, it’s perfect. We don't have the same numbers, they [elite men] have 140 or so and have less. So we would actually start Friday morning for women only. And then when the women finish, the XL 350 will have just gone off, right? And then the pro men have their own start [Saturday]. Then amateur women can pick, do they want to be part of the women-only start, or do they want to race the whole 200?

“For me, equality doesn't mean that I can do the same thing as a man. For me, equality means having equal opportunity for us to show what we're capable of. And I think the race here is still too long, that we don't have the strength in numbers to be out there for 12,13, 14 hours. So I think I would advocate for a shorter race.”

[mstateglfr]

Originally Posted by Peter P.

What's the difference?!

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE!

Your angry and uninformed view is noted.

[BRad704]

Originally Posted by spoonrobot

As an armchair Unbound follower who's never been there... that line on the left looks perfectly rideable IMO.