The 2022 edition of Unbound Gravel may have been wet and messy but in 2023 the degree of difficulty presented by the conditions reached a whole new level, with an early, new section delivering 'peanut butter mud' that left many riders running and equipment clogged.
Riders, still packed in a large group, left the firm-packed gravel roads after the Emporia start and barrelled straight to 'D Hill' at mile 10. This hill had not been used since 2015, when it became a mud pit eight years ago because of heavy rain. That flashback became reality again as days of rain storms in eastern Kansas created sludge again, sparked chaos and split the race.
