A friend of cyclocross racer Caroline Mani asked her why she was riding her first Unbound Gravel 200 race this weekend, knowing the five-time French champion usually competed in the winter in the much shorter cyclocross calendar, where events are 50 minutes, not 10 hours. When Mani explained that the event is popular and good for sponsorship, her friend was not convinced, asking, 'Would you ask a sprinter runner to become a marathon runner?'
Mani still has a lot of explaining to do, as do a dozen or so cyclocross specialists who are competing in the Unbound Gravel 100 or 200 this year. Most of them are in Emporia, Kansas for the longer event because it is part of the Life Time Grand Prix. Invitations were sent, and the challenge was accepted.
