UNBOUND Gravel 2021 by The Emporia Gazette

UNBOUND STAFF Ben Sachs Kristi Mohn Treva Worrel Michelle Duffy Carli Powers Ben Pickel Matt DiMola Ryan Cross Amanda Bowyer PUBLISHER Chris Walker

INSIDE 7

WELCOME TO EMPORIA LELAN DAINS SHIFTS ROLE AS UNBOUND STAFF MEMBER TO VISIT EMPORIA DIRECTOR

GRAVEL FOR YOUR EARS

THE STORIES BEHIND THREE POPULAR GRAVEL POCASTS

RIDING OUT CANCER RIDES OUT CANCER TO PREPARE FOR UNBOUND 200

THE FLINT HILLS BEFORE GRAVEL RACING

ORANGE MUD FOUNDER REFLECTS ON GROWING UP IN THE FLINT HILLS

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ZWIFTING ON GRAVEL GROWING GRAVEL IN VIRTUAL COMMUNITY.

DON’T MISS RACES GRAVEL’S NEWEST DONT MISS EVENTS

LIFE TIME FOUNDATION MAKING A DIFFERENCE BY IMPROVING SCHOOL FOOD

EDITOR Ashley Walker ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Montana Cushing ART DIRECTOR & DESIGN EDITOR Gisela Swift Mark Swift CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ryann Brooks Janeen McCrae Chris Walker PHOTOGRAPY Tim Mohn Jason Dailey ADVERTISING DESIGN Dan Ferrell Margie McHaley COVER DESIGN Shawn Honea UNBOUND Gravel Magazine is produced by the White Corporation. All content is copyrighted. No part, features, or look and feel of the magazine can be copied or duplicated without prior authorization.

For more information send certified mail to: UNBOUND Gravel Magazine, 517 Merchant, Emporia, KS 66801

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome to Emporia! I sure hope it feels good to hear that, because I know it feels great to be able to say it. It’s been too long since we last were able to welcome the gravel community into our humble home. And we’ve felt it. It’s not the same without the electricity we feel with all of you coming to take in our community and ride in our backyard. Or the energy we get from seeing cars lining Commercial Street with bike racks slightly obscuring the out of state tags. Yet here we are, and it just feels right. Normally, I’d be welcoming you into town as the Event Director of UNBOUND Gravel. However, it is now as the Director of the Emporia Convention and Visitors Bureau that I welcome you back. Our little “Gravel Capital” has achieved so much. It has done so primarily on the character of the people that live here and you all that have come to visit. Yet, I see so much more on the horizon as we set our sights ever higher. It is with that idea of pushing our community further that I accepted this new position. Have no fear, this is far from goodbye. You better believe I will be right there welcoming you back to town after a hard-fought day in the Flint Hills. I will still be heavily involved with UNBOUND Gravel as I work to partner with Life Time to create lasting memories of your time here. I’ll also be dreaming up more ways that have you coming back, so I can yet again say, “Welcome to Emporia.”

Le Lan Dains LeLan Dains Director of Visit Emporia

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Riding Out Cancer

Nobody would have blamed Lyn Blubaugh if she decided to sit out 2020 UNBOUND Gravel. In fact, her doctors weren’t even sure if she would feel up to getting into a regular training routine — at least not one that would prepare her for a 200-mile gravel endurance race across the Flint Hills.

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By Ryann Brooks

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But after an aggressive treatment regimen for colon cancer that included surgery and chemotherapy, the 52-year-old Madison, Kansas resident was back on her bike just a few weeks after getting the all-clear from her doctor in Feb. 2020. Blubaugh is not the type to shy away from a challenge, especially not when it comes to her health. “I just wanted to prove a point,” Blubaugh said with a laugh. “It was like, I'll prove a point to my doctors, prove a point to my family, that I'm not gonna let cancer run my life.” A seasoned endurance athlete, Blubaugh started riding in 2013. Over the last eight years she has trained consistently, moving from the 50-mile course to becoming one of the first riders invited to try the inaugural UNBOUND XL in 2018, a brutal 350-mile gravel grinder that is just as mentally exhausting as it is physically. For someone who is used to pushing themselves to the limit, it had been a relatively natural progression.

In 2019, she competed in the XL for a second time. Just a few weeks later on June 20, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Blubaugh hadn’t felt sick at all before the diagnosis — she had simply gone in for a routine colonoscopy at the advice of her primary care provider.

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Colon cancer symptoms can vary, with people sometimes experiencing fatigue, weight loss, abdominal discomfort or changes in bowel movements. Having just finished a rigorous training season, Blubaugh said she would have been attributed to her fatigue and any other symptoms to that. That rigorous training schedule gave way to aggressive

oncology treatments through the University of Kansas Medical Center. Blubaugh underwent six months of chemo and surgery to remove a grape-sized mass from the rectal portion of her colon in Dec. 2019. “I went back for my six-week check up and I was already walking four miles a day and my surgeon was like, ‘I've never had anyone like you,’”

Blubaugh said with a laugh. Her surgeon confessed that he had never had a patient push themselves as hard as Blubaugh before. “I just wanted to build my cardio back up and he was only letting me walk,” she said. “It didn’t hurt, so it was all I had for awhile.” When she was given the green light to start training on a bike again UNBOUND GRAVEL 2021

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in early 2020, Blubaugh started slow — shooting for a combination of 30 minutes rides, strength training and trainer intervals throughout the week. Four weeks into it, Blubaugh had worked her way up to 90 minutes rides. Many of those miles have been completed inside on a trainer due to ongoing neuropathy in her hands and feet — a lingering side effect from months of chemotherapy. It was a far cry from what she was used to, something that she struggled to come to terms with at the beginning. But then, something started to change. Blubaugh started feeling stronger. By March, Blubaugh was riding upwards of 70 miles per week — a little less than half of what she had been riding in March 2019. Still, knowing that she was working toward rebuilding her fitness level again was exhilarating. “Exercise makes me really happy and excited,” she said. “I'm a happy person, anyway, but inside, just knowing that I'm rebuilding my fitness makes me extremely happy. And, I love being on the bike. Even just being on the trainer, that makes me happy. I’m definitely finding things out about myself that I maybe had pushed back and now I have to look at it based on what’s in the mirror because there's some insecurities there.” That drive is what pushed Blubaugh to sign up for the UNBOUND 200 in 2020, even as people around her asked if she was going to UNBOUND GRAVEL 2021

ease back into riding with the 50. But, that’s just not her style. Originally, Blubaugh had planned on training for a finish. Then when the race was initially postponed, she began training to beat her fastest time to date, when in 2017, Blubaugh finished the 200 mile race in 15 hours and 18 minutes. When the 2020 race was canceled altogether, Blubaugh took it as an opportunity to rebuild her stamina and focus on her body’s needs. “I went vegan so with my diet I’m losing things that normally would keep me from cramping, like sodium. In training, I’ve had to learn and adapt to that and learn how to let that be fun instead of being competitive all of the time,” she said. “That year off during COVID was really great for that, but now I feel like we can really focus on the strengthening part. Now I've really started to climb hills better. Now my nose is really back to the grindstone.” Her goal for the 2021 UNBOUND is to be as fast as she was in 2017, or maybe even beat it. “If I don’t? I’m OK. I really just enjoy being on my bike,” Blubaugh said. “I feel like the ‘old’ Lyn.”

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The Flint Hills BEFORE

Orange Mud Founder reflects on growing up in the Flint Hills

Gravel RACING By Ryann Brooks

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Decades before the UNBOUND Gravel started attracting thousands of gravel grinding enthusiasts to the area year after year to prove their mettle and might against a sometimes unforgiving terrain, Josh Sprague was exploring the Flint Hills of Wabaunsee County on a 10-speed mountain bike. “I learned to ride on gravel, which is actually kind of funny to think about in today’s world,” Sprague, who grew up halfway between Paxico and Eskridge, Kansas, says. “I had long term injuries from riding on gravel as a kid that lasted years before they went away.” An endurance athlete, Sprague says growing up in the heart of the Flint Hills has done everything from shape his worldview to inspire him to invent a hydration vest perfect for runners and cyclists, and with it, Orange Mud, a thriving sporting goods business that expanded and consolidated its operations to Round Rock, Texas in 2019. “Growing up, I didn’t really have a way of hanging out with my friends given that they were all a long way aways from me,” he said. “You know, I’m [43] years old so when I was a kid there was no such thing as the internet and cell phones. Even the way the phone lines were laid out, I couldn’t even call my friends two miles down the road because it was a long distance call.” Sprague filled his time exploring the terrain, hunting, fishing and wading through creeks and trekking through pasture land. The outdoors became his most constant companion, something he could turn to when no one else was around to play. “At times I guess I could get a little bored of it where I’d want to play a video game or something,” he laughs. “But my parents were really strict on that. I really only got to UNBOUND GRAVEL 2021

play video games like 30 minutes a week or something like that. So, I just really goofed off riding my BMX bike and eventually my mountain bike on gravel roads.” One day, Sprague and a cousin took off toward Alma. By road, it was an 18-mile trek, but Sprague knew the pastures like the back of his hand. “We bushwhacked it and road cattle trails for at least a few miles of it, jumping fences and worked our way to town,” he said. “I don’t even remember why we went — probably for a bag of Cheetos or something. I don’t think we even brought a backpack or anything. We definitely didn’t take any water. We would have drank from the streams en route.” The boys, by Sprague’s best guess, were between 10 12 years old at that time. Memories of that orangish-red gravel would stay fresh in Sprague’s mind over the years, even through several moves around the country. “To this day, I’m just so proud of growing up out there,” he said. “That’s something that’s a part of me on a daily basis. When you are out in a landscape like that, you’re forced to immerse yourself in it and not your phone. I think that’s something people don’t have the ability to do anymore.” But, with a little help from Orange Mud, Sprague is hoping to get more people enjoying the landscape — whether it’s the Flint Hills or not — with a line of gear designed with endurance athletes of all shapes and abilities in mind. It all started with the HydraQuiver vest pack that Sprague invented after years of adventure racing, staring at his teammates’ backs and wondering if

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there was a better way for athletes to hydrate during long endurance events. “You kind of watch how movement works in relation to a backpack, and one thing I always noticed was if I kept that backpack high up on the shoulders, it wouldn’t bounce and it wouldn’t move,” Sprague said. “That was totally different than anything I found on my market.” A month or two after competing in the St. George Iron Man event in Utah in 2011, Sprague said he found himself in his garage one evening creating what would become the first HydraQuiver prototype. “I went for a run with it and it was awesome,” he said. “I came in and told my wife, ‘Hey, we’re going to start a company.’” Orange Mud was founded in January 2012. The name, Sprague said, was a play off of his middle name, Clay, as well as that orangey-red landscape of the Flint Hills. Since his wife, Beth, wouldn’t agree to giving the name to a child, Sprague said the next best thing was finding a way to incorporate it into a business. Nine years later, Orange Mud has grown to offer a number of products geared to runners and cyclists. The products can be customized to fit a variety of sizes and body types. For Sprague, it’s not about creating products just for elite, top-tier athletes. Instead it’s about opening up opportunities for endurance sports to anyone who wants to take part in them. Orange Mud uses models of all shapes and sizes to advertise its products, too. “We would love to see everybody out on a bike, on foot, on a trail,” he said. “We will never charge a premium to customize a pack, to get someone the opportunity to get outside. My passion is getting the everyday athlete outside. That’s the whole goal of what we’re doing and that’s the root of everything that we’re doing. The elites may be the

ones getting the press and the glim and the glam, that’s never been our focal part and that’s the fun part about what we do.” Products are constantly being perfected. In fact, Sprague’s team took the opportunity to improve on design and fit during nationwide COVID-related shutdowns in 2020. “We ended up updating a lot of our packs with some small changes that were a big impact, in they were just little features that we dialed in to change how they improved their fit a little bit,” he said. “It’s really cool because it’s something I didn’t get to work on for quite awhile.” In between running the business and raising his kids, 9-year-old Jax and 7-year-old Lexi, to appreciate the outdoors, Sprague is also getting ready to ride the UNBOUND 100. While he had originally planned to ride the XL in 2020, the year off from his typical training routine was rough and he’s logged far less miles on the bike than he’s accustomed to. “I'm not in shape,” he said with a laugh. “I just figured, let's have some fun with it. I'm doing the Cannonball 550 in September so I have to actually start riding my bike. It is what it is.” Sprague said he’s looking forward to getting back into that routine again and using his products out on the

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UNBOUND course. After all, that’s how Orange Mud started in the first place. “I can’t have a bad day when I’m riding my bike,” Sprague said. “At the end of the day, I hope people don’t see me as some CEO-type just sitting in a boardroom all day. I’m out there actually using and testing out my products. I’ll be right there in the middle of the pack with them the whole time, and I’ll be right there listening to their feedback. That’s what it’s all about.”

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GRAVEL By Janeen McCrae

FOR YOUR

EARS The start corral at any gravel ride can look a lot like a bag filled with mixed marbles. You’ve got your streamlined, fast-at-the-front racers, your here-forthe-party dirt lovers, your out-all-dayand-lovin’ it warriors, and everything in between. The same rings true in the gravel podcasting world. Everyone has a different approach, but the outcome is the same—the love of gravel always shines through. Question is, whose podcast will your ears ride with?

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The stories behind three popular Gravel Podcasts King of the Ride Host: Ted King

king ride OF THE

Launched: May 2018 Listen for: Conversations with athletes, personalities, and regular riders with occasional tips on crushing gravel. Start with: Episode #21, Kate Courtney Available on: Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms. Learn about Ted’s event at rootedvermont.com THE EX-PRO When Ted King first hit the gravel scene, heads turned. “What’s he doing here? This interloper, infringing on our party?” Retired World Tour pro, Ted King would like it known that he is 100% here for the party. In fact, he respects the party so much he’s even introduced Mullet Protocol to his Rooted Vermont event. You know— business at the front, party at the back, let’s go!

L Over the years, Ted has worked diligently to smooth the gap between two worlds, bringing his laidback approachability to the gravel world. Which is way it seemed like a natural next step to jump on the wheel of the podcasting peloton, using his ‘Johnny on the spot’ access to share stories and gravel love via the King of the Ride podcast. “I knew I had interesting people with whom I could connect, especially at that transformative time in my career when I could be talking to World Tour pros, coaches, and nutritionists, etcetera,” he says. “I don't talk exclusively to cyclists, but the common thread is the bicycle, one way or another.” While he may be embarrassed to list easy access to athletes and events as an obvious advantage, we’re not complaining. Listening in on conversations with a wide

range of guests, all delivered with Ted’s boyish charm, is a treat. But that’s not to say he doesn’t get those pre-interview nerves. He recalls his chat with Nordic Skier and Olympic Gold Medalist, Kikkan Randall, as being one he was slightly anxious about. “I didn't want her to sit down and be like, who is this dummy that I'm talking to?” Ted also lists his talk with World Champion mountain biker, Kate Courtney, as another favorite episode but confesses, the one he holds closest to his heart is his recent interview with his dad. World champs, everyday riders, interesting people—there’s something for everyone on King of the Ride. Pre-pandemic, Ted was a face-to-face interviewer with a simple recording approach—be nimble and pack light, a pro-racer mentality that has served him well. With the UNBOUND GRAVEL 2021

I think the world is a better place with bikes and I try to have a really diverse variety of guests, from chefs to authors to…, insert whatever I'm forgetting here.”

exception of an editor, he does all the work himself, conducting interviews, writing the episode notes, and doing all his own research. In the podcasting world, there are no domestiques and Ted King fixes his own flats, so to speak. “It sounds kind of daunting,” he says, comparing the process of starting a podcast with bike packing. “But until you take that initial

step, until you go for your first overnight bike trip or a long ride—until you hit record for the first time—it almost seems impossible. But once you're doing it, it's way simpler than it seems.” He’s come a long way from the guy who recorded the intro of his first episode 75 times just to get a usable take. His nerves have calmed, his angst dissipated, and the awkwardness of holding a microphone in someone’s face, gone. Now it’s just fun—an easy way to share the joy of gravel. “I always say you're not going to jump into a criterium and think, ‘This is for me!’ whereas gravel has that draw that’s potentially for everyone. Yes, I like being competitive, but I don't want racing to be the prominent feature. It’s to have a blast and be part of the party before, during, and after the race.” But it’s more than just where or what you pedal to Ted. “I think the world is a better place with bikes and I try to have a really diverse variety of guests, from chefs to authors to…, insert whatever I'm forgetting here, and those experiences are meant to be as welcoming as gravel is welcoming. Hey, I just made that one up on the fly!”

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The Community Stokers “We’ve never met in real life.”

Girls Gone Gravel Hosts: Kathryn Taylor and Kristi Mohn Launched: April 2020 Listen for: Motivating, inspiring chats with women athletes, riders, and adventurers. Start with: Episode #48, Alison Tetrick Where to listen: Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms Join the Girls Gone Gravel Facebook group, Women Gravel Cyclists Both Kathryn Taylor and Kristi Mohn, cohosts of the Girls Gone Gravel podcast, laugh at this. But that two people who have such an easy rapport—one that suggests a lifelong friendship—have never met is more surprising than amusing. An unintended side-effect of 2020, the year that wasn’t. The brainchild of Kathryn Taylor, a triathlete turned gravel cyclist, Girls Gone Gravel

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encounter with UNBOUND’s Race Director, Kristi Mohn, and everything fell into place. “I think it's so important to collaborate,” says Kristi. “[So when Kathryn] asked if I had any good co-host names, I was like, ‘Well, what about me?’ I'm talking to so many women already, and just having an opportunity to get it out there on a broader scale felt like a really easy fit.” One of the strengths of the show is obvious from the first listen, but this easy, conversational style is no accident. As Kristi explains, it was an intentional choice from the start. “It's not super structured,” she says. “Personally, I wanted it that way because I felt it was less intimidating to just be listening to two women have a conversation, and then having some other women join them.” Kathryn continues: “I think for both of us it’s like, it's not my community, it's not Kristi’s community, it's all our community. We just get to be the hosts of this, we're not the stars. It’s a place for everybody—a place where you can belong.”

wasn’t always a podcast. The idea of Girls Gone Gravel was born of an observation—a frustration really—that she noticed while working in a bike shop for two years in Atlanta. When it came to cycling, she observed, certain players were missing from the board. “When I started gravel cycling,” she says, “I was like, where are the women? I couldn't find any women to ride with.” Fortunately, Kathryn Taylor does not sit on her hands. She started the popular Girls Gone Gravel Instagram account first, in an effort to inspire and show women what was possible, plus give them the support they were being denied in the scene. Before long, the question, “Are you going to start a podcast?” started popping up, and with the support of Live Feisty Media, the answer soon became yes. There was just one vital piece of the puzzle missing—Kathryn needed a co-host. A chance

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If Girls Gone Gravel has one claim to fame, it’s this: it’s the only gravel podcast that caters specifically to women, and while there’s no real criteria for who they’ll invite on as guests, they do gravitate toward those who will inspire listeners to push themselves into adventure in some way. “For me, the Girls Gone Gravel community has always been about women chasing adventures,” says Kathryn. “For some people adventures are starting lines, or starting a local group in their community, or even going on a bike packing trip. I want people to walk away [from the podcast] and go, ‘Oh, that person did it, I can do it, too. I can chase my adventure’.” While they do get to talk to pros and ambassadors of the sport, they also strive to find balance. Says Kathryn: “We try to highlight stories of what women are doing in their community, because that's where the next generation of cyclists are going to come from, right? They're not showing up at the UNBOUND starting line—they’re showing up at their local group ride with all the wrong gear and no nutrition. Then they do that first group ride, fall in love with it, and then start learning all the things.” With a fast-growing Facebook community to keep the conversation going, feedback has been motivating. But what they’re really looking forward to these days is that first, face-to-face meeting, hopefully at UNBOUND in Emporia.

The Knowledge Dropper The Gravel Ride Host: Craig Dalton Launched: February 2018 Listen for: Talks about the people, places, and products that define modern gravel racing. Start with: Episode #74, 5 Gravel Skills to Master Where to listen: Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms Join The Ridership at theridership.com For Craig Dalton, the road to podcast creator and host has been littered with bicycles. From a start in BMX, to racing mountain bikes and triathlon, and to the handful of years spent working in the industry, the bike has always been

a constant presence. But it wasn’t until 2014, while commuting from his home in Mill Valley to San Francisco—on what he describes as “the wrong bike for the job”—that gravel came into sharp focus. The genesis of The Gravel Ride podcast can be directly traced to that “wrong bike.” The hunt for a more suitable bike to replace it opened his eyes to possibilities of the drop-bars-on-dirt lifestyle, and set off a lightbulb moment: what if there was some way to pass this knowledge on? “I was excited about the medium of podcasting,” he says. “I’d really started listening a few years before during my cycling commute, and so I decided ‘I'm going to learn to podcast and I'm going to talk about gravel cycling’, and it took off from there.” The vision was simple: Share his love of gravel cycling and expose the different elements of the sport through the eyes of product designers, event organizers, and professional and amateur athletes alike, all through an interview format. One online podcasting course later, and armed with nothing more than a microphone, laptop and enthusiasm, Craig Dalton launched Episode 1 of The Gravel Ride podcast, February 2018. UNBOUND GRAVEL 2021

“I've got a consistent bag of questions that I like to ask my guests to give the listener a sense of that individual's background as a cyclist,” he says, explaining his process. “But I think one of my strengths as a host has always been the fact that I'm not overly technical. I'm genuinely curious when I'm talking to a product designer about what their approach and vision was. “I try to keep it concise and informative—I want listeners to take a journey with me. This includes inviting a wide range of guests on, from athletes,

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designers, and event organizers, to give a broad view of gravel and how it can fit into their lives.” Three years in, and the show is continually evolving and now includes a bi-weekly, co-hosted show called In the Dirt, which became not just an outlet to share opinions, but to also cover the smaller subjects that might not sustain an entire episode. “Like Dynaplugs,” says Craig, laughing. “People swear by Dynaplugs but I'm not sure I could make a whole episode about it.”

The addition of In the Dirt also became a jumping off point for The Ridership, an online community started by Craig as a way to connect riders visiting an area with locals, sharing routes and knowledge. Many of the episode topics and questions for The Gravel Ride have actually come from this community, completing the knowledge circle. With no end in sight to the launch of new bikes and equipment in gravel, plus the burgeoning popularity of the scene, the future looks bright

particularly as events start to come back into the picture. “I've really enjoyed having technical guests on who can speak in a nontechnical way and really provoke conversation,” he says, talking about his favorite type of guest, but adds that one area he’s looking forward to exploring more is interviewing great storytellers with great experiences. More guests and more knowledge drops—something our ears can definitely look forward to.

Good Luck Riders,

from T E G

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Zwifting on

Gravel By Chris Walker

Indoor riding trainers saw explosive growth over the last year due to COVID. For gravel riders who want to bring the gravel experience to their trainers, Zwift has a solution. Zwift partnered with UNBOUND Gravel this year to promote their gravel experience on indoor training. We talk with Chris Snook, Senior PR Manager at Zwift, about Zwift’s focus on gravel as well as the growth of indoor trainers. What interested Zwift in partnering with UNBOUND Gravel? Gravel is a booming sector and it is an audience that we haven’t catered to the in past. But we saw that lots of gravel riders and mountain bikers that were using Zwift and we really wanted to be able to deliver something for that audience that felt a little bit different. We will be focusing on gravel and off-road riding for many years come so it will be

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Growing Gravel in a virtual community

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interesting to see what new experiences we'll be able to bring to the platform through the partnerships. As an UNBOUND partner, you unveiled UNBOUND kits that are available. How do riders get those? The UNBOUND kits can be unlocked for your characters. All kits are unlocked typically for completing a dedicated group ride, ride series or a challenge event.

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What gravel routes are available on Zwift? Right now the majority of the gravel section on Zwift are in the Mayan jungle. You will need to be on a gravel bike if you want to be competitive. You will roll better on a gravel bike. We do try to bring the gravel feel to life a little bit more. Some trainers have a surface simulation they will give you the feeling of riding off road and vibration through the pedals.

I am sure you are wanting to add new routes for gravel but how are hard is it add new routes and what is planned for new routes? It's one of the most requested features, people love new roads and new routes, but they take a long time to develop. It can take about six months to complete routes. In Zwift everything is built from scratch, whether it be fence posts or leaves on trees, birds flying, those small little details make a better experience. Just riding through it, you would have no idea, but again, it's one of those things that would make the whole environment feel very better and adds to the experience. But all those elements take a time to create. Has Zwift been happy with the response from the the gravel community? Yes, we've been very happy with how the off-road rides have been received. In addition to the dirt roads, we also have gravel-focused training plans like our “Gravel Grinder Plan.” These are multi-week training plans designed to meet the needs of gravel riding and help to ensure you get to the start of your event in the best possible shape.

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What makes people interested in trainers and what growth have you seen? It's a combination of things. I think it’s due to platforms like Zwift creating new experiences that are really engaging and it appeals to all types of riders, whether you're training for an event, a competitor and want to race online, or whether you just want something that's really time-efficient and a fun structured way to train. I think the thing that really sets Zwift apart is the social component. During COVID people really missed riding with people and that is what Zwift gives a rider. It connects people because they feel like they're in an environment with other people. So when you're riding through Zwift there are people around you. You can chase after them if you want, or you can have a chat and that's really a big part of the appeal. Competition on demand is really growing fast. With COVID, competition stopped and with Zwift we were able to continue to offer riders a way to compete on demand. Trainers are also time efficient. You can jump on one over the lunch hour and get a quick ride in. You can race with friends. I have league in Zwift with old collegues so we will all meet up. It has helped keep us together. With the pandemic what types of increase have you seen in Trainers this year? We've seen a pretty steep rise year after year, but this past

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year has been an exception. When things shut down with COVID we saw a huge spike in new subscribers during that period, and a boom particularly in countries like Spain, France and Italy. One thing that slowed some of our growth was the availability of trainers. The trainers sold out almost worldwide. The manufacturers were playing catch up, but, we've grown more than doubled in size in the last 12 months. What technology advances are coming for trainers? Technology will keep improving the trainer experience and give you more immersive experiences. Right now there's a lot you can do and that technology is moving forward as well. Trainers will adjust the resistance depending on riding up a mountain, descending, riding the flats or riding in someones wheel. Some will simulate things like riding on cobblestone which brings a new dimension. Some trainers will even simulate gradient and raise your bike up like the Wahoo Climb. So much is being developed and the latest that you see is with smart bikes coming to the market that are introducing steering as well. Steering is the next interesting thing. As more people have products there will be more opportunities for technology to unlock even more experiences in the the future.

Gravel riding in an amazing place is only part of your day. We invite you to experience it for yourself. TheGravelHouse.com 38

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Big Sugar Bentonville, Arkansas October 23, 2021

UNBOUND GRAVEL 2021

A Weekend

in the Bluffs

Designed to be challenging and rewarding with elevation gain throughout, loose gravel and pavement only at the start and finish, Big Sugar offers something even more — an experience. As the producer of the event, Life Time has curated the course to include various terrains and picturesque views throughout, while taking place during the same weekend as the Outer Bike Festival providing an unforgettable ride and a one-of-a-kind experience. Race Website https://www.bigsugargravel.com/ Community Website https://www.visitbentonville.com/ Michelle Duffy Associate Marketing Director for UNBOUND Gravel shares her insights on Big Sugar.

You have run some test rides over the last couple of years for Big Sugar. How excited are you to run the race this year? We launched the event in 2019 with a test run and then postponed in 2020 due to COVID. We are really stoked to be able to to host our first race ever this year. It's been two years in the making. The cycling community is super vibrant across Bentonville so hopefully, it's a celebration of cycling and fun.

How would you describe Bentonville as a biking community? Bentonville calls themselves the mountain biking capital of the world and really have all disciplines of cycling are super present. You can see that illustrated throughout town. The community has invested a lot of money into biking and there UNBOUND GRAVEL 2021

is an amazing trail system that's connected through town. If you're in downtown Bentonville, you can touch a mountain bike trail within five minutes in any direction.

How is the riding terrain?

Big Sugar

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Big Sugar which is a 100 miles and the Little sugar is 50 miles. The terrain is definitely hilly. It's not an easy course by any means but it's definitely a fun course. Tree canopies cover many of the paths. The course is really punchey and scenic and people will love it.

UNBOUND GRAVEL 2021

The Rad Dırt Fest

Trinidad, Colorado October 2 and 3, 2021

UNBOUND GRAVEL 2021

Be a part of Life Time’s inaugural event in the remote and rugged Spanish Peaks on October 2 & 3, 2021. The ‘Rad Dirt Fest offers 3 different bike course options (165, 90 & 38 miles) and two run courses (50k and Half Marathon). Join us in Trinidad, Colorado, for an eclectic off-road adventure. Race Website https://theraddirt.com/ Community Website https://visittrinidadcolorado.com/ Michelle Duffy Associate Marketing Director for UNBOUND Gravel shares her insights on Big Sugar.

How did the Rad Dirt Fest come together? Rad came together when we were looking at different locations to actually start a trail running event. We saw some articles on Trinidad. They have been investing in there area with Colorado’s newest state park and was really invested in outdoor recreation. We went down to check it out and we realized that this was a hub for both trail running and gravel cycling so it was a perfect fit for us. The community was really supportive and interested in hosting an event.

What is the town of Trinidad Colorado like? It’s a great town with lots of culture and is very historical. Trinidad has more preserved historical buildings than any other town in Colorado and investors are restoring them. They also make bricks in Trinidad so they have these wonderful bricklined streets and all the bricks say “Trinidad” on them, which is really cool. The town is surrounded by mountains and so they are in ever direction that you look.

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The Rad Dırt Fest

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FOUNDATION

LIFE TIME 48

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WHO WE ARE

The Life Time Foundation works to improve school food—and thus children’s health—by strategically partnering with more than 27 school districts across the country, which collectively serve more than 1,658,000 students at 3,554 school sites. The centerpiece of the Life Time Foundation’s work is removing the “Harmful 7” from school food menus, which are: •

Trans Fats & Hydrogenated Oils

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High-Fructose Corn Syrup

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Hormones & Antibiotics

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Processed & Artificial Sweeteners

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Artificial Colors & Flavors

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Artificial Preservatives

•

Bleached Flour

This process is done by providing the expertise of a registered dietitian that works closely alongside each school district’s foodservice professionals to guide the phasing out of these harmful additives, replacing them

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with wholesome ingredients and more scratch cooking processes which tie back to Life Time’s Healthy Way of Life® philosophy. Looking ahead, the Life Time Foundation is excited to announce the expansion of its core work in nutrition to include making kids healthier in other ways, including helping them have access to bikes. Stay up to date with these happenings by signing up for the Life Time Foundation newsletter at LTFoundation.org/Newsletter.

HELP MAKE AN

IMPACT 50

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Did you know you can secure a free entry into UNBOUND and other marquee Life Time endurance events by agreeing to fundraise for the Life Time Foundation? That’s right! Athletes can skip the lottery, be outfitted with a special kit and swag. To learn more about the Life Time Foundation and fundraising opportunities, find our booth at the All Things Gravel Expo during the 2021 Garmin UNBOUND Gravel race weekend. Swing by, say hello, and learn about how to get involved! Or, visit us online at LTFoundation.org/Fundraise.

UNBOUND GRAVEL 2021