Around mile 23 on day two of camp, I saw the riders ahead of me dismounting and moments later felt the grinding, sticky resistance. I got off the bike. Mud fully coated my tires. Even the slick section down the middle. My fork and chain stays were already clogged with it. This is the infamous Flint Hills peanut butter mud you hear about when anyone talks about Unbound. I scraped it off with a paint stick packed for exactly this purpose, hoisted my bike over my shoulder, and hiked until it seemed rideable. I was on and off the bike like this for about a two mile stretch.
My experience at Unbound training camp revealed that this race is less about the distance and the hills – as difficult as they are – and more about overcoming frequent obstacles and choosing to get back on the bike again and again. I came to Emporia to test my fitness and my plans for race day. I left having learned more in three days than in the previous three months of training — and had so much fun riding out there that I left and registered for the XL (350ish miles).
Here’s what 138 miles in the Flint Hills actually taught me about Preparing for Unbound 2026:
1. Strategies for managing unpredictable weather at Unbound
Day one, I arrived in the afternoon to a warm, sunny, beautiful spring day. Overnight, a thunderstorm rolled in. The next day was soggy and chilly. My last day in Emporia started cold with a full day of rain expected and ended with a sunburn from the hot sun. In three days, we got all of it. Locals will tell you “if you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes”.
If you’re spending energy in the weeks before Unbound worrying about the forecast, redirect it. Your job is to be ready for all of it. Instead of hoping for good conditions, be indifferent to bad ones by knowing how to handle them. Over the course of such a long day, covering such a large area, you’re likely to see a variety of weather.
Practical note: layering matters more than any single piece of gear. My kit includes:
- A lightweight but long-sleeved jersey with SPF (sunscreen won’t last)
- Bib shorts with cargo pockets
- A light rain jacket that can be stuffed into a jersey pocket
- A neck gaiter that can be worn over the ears, as a cap, or around the neck for sun protection
- Gloves
2. Unbound tire choice: Choosing wider tires over concerns about mud clearance
At camp I rode a 50mm front tire and 45mm rear tire. For race day, I’m switching to 2.25” front and rear. My bike clears up to 2.4” and the decision comes down to this: I’m optimizing for comfort and confidence for the majority of the course, not just for mud clearance on the sections where the course gets sticky.
Here’s why: when the mud was bad at camp, tire size didn’t seem to matter. The mud stuck to the 45mm tire and clogged the chainstays just as much as the 50mm and the fork. There was a wide variety of tire choices at camp and everybody seemed to be in about the same boat when it came to handling the mud.
Wider tires at lower pressure means more contact patch, more compliance over chunky gravel, less fatigue transferred to my hands and lower back over a day that could run up to 36 hours. For the way I ride — prioritizing comfort and longevity — 2.25” is the answer while still giving me a bit of a buffer on clearance.
3. Training for the hilly Unbound course
What to consider when choosing your gravel race tire:
- Wider = more comfort, better grip, more “suspension” vs. Narrower = better clearance for mud, some gravel bikes don’t have wide clearance
- Endurance casing = provides better flat protection vs. Race casing = often faster, with better grip
- Nobby = better grip vs. slick = faster on pavement
The constant undulating hills of Unbound was one of my bigger sources of anxiety going into camp. I live and train in Chicago. It’s hard to find even a single hill to train on – let alone plan long ride routes with similar amounts of hills as Unbound.
The routes I rode during my training camp were mostly gradual grades. There were a few steeper sections. After 138 miles over three days, I felt ready to ride more.
You don’t need to live somewhere mountainous or hilly to prepare for a course like this. If you also live somewhere flat and are struggling with how to train for a hilly race, think outside the box. I often add mountain biking to my training because that bike is heavier and MTB trails have more ups and downs. Another training tool I use is to add even more resistance by riding my mountain bike with my 25-lb toddler in tow!
Read more about my training plan building up for these hills here.
4. Prepare for mechanicals at Unbound
Back to the mud. Many roads don’t feature that sticky, peanut buttery mud and remain rideable in the wet. But the low maintenance roads are different. I felt a subtle resistance from the drivetrain starting to clog. I wanted desperately to not get off my bike again so I soft pedaled a few more rotations. And then felt the chain drop.
It’s exhausting work and by the sixth time you’re cleaning mud off your bike, you just want to say screw it and ride on no matter what happens to your beloved bike. I was lucky to not be the one who snapped their derailleur clean off, and turned a ten-minute inconvenience into a day-ending mechanical. At Unbound, that can be the difference between finishing and not finishing.
The lesson isn’t about the mud specifically — it’s about being prepared to handle mechanicals. And not just one flat tire – but five flat tires and a snapped chain. That means understanding your drivetrain, carrying the tools to address basic mechanicals, and being willing to get off and walk at the first sign of trouble rather than gambling.
Practical tip: here’s what I’m packing for my Unbound maintenance kit:
- Mud stick
- Small drive train brush
- Super glue
- Duct tape
- Zip ties
- Tire levers
- Spare tubes
- Tubeless plug
- Tire boot
- Mini air compressor
- Hand pump
- Extra valve cores
- Extra chain links and master links
- Multi tool with chain breaker
- Wet lube
5. Why I’m Going XL for Unbound 2026
I was nervous leading up to camp of what I would find out about my fitness and preparedness. What I didn’t expect was to finish day three and want more.
Not in a “I survived and feel relieved” way. In a genuine, “I loved this and want the most adventure out here possible”. This somewhat random area of Kansas is truly, unexpectedly wonderful. Wide open, relentlessly rolling, fragrant and green. After 138 miles I was tired and satisfied and not done.
350 miles was not the plan when I drove to Emporia. 200 miles was the plan. But somewhere on day three, I was riding with so much joy, and feeling so confident in how my body felt after three long days, that I decided to go for it.
Four Weeks Out
Unbound XL is May 30-31. Between now and then: one more block of long rides, a taper, and a lot of eating.
If you’re riding Unbound this year — any distance — I hope some of this is useful. I’ll be following this up with my taper plan, nutrition plan, and a full review of my Unbound XL rig. Stay tuned!