Matej Mohorič will debut his rainbow jersey from the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships on the most well-known race on the gravel circuit subsequent week when he toes the road for the Unbound Gravel 200 in Emporia, Kansas.
After successful the world title in Veneto in his gravel debut, the Slovenian will compete alongside teammates Matevž Govekar and Lukas Wiśniowski within the 203-mile (327km) occasion on June 1 as a part of a area of 137 elite males.
“I’m excited to participate within the ‘Unbound Gravel 200’ for the primary time. It will likely be solely the second gravel race of my life, so there are nonetheless quite a lot of unknowns,” Mohorič stated in a Bahrain Victorious press launch.
“I do not know what to anticipate, to be sincere! It’s fairly a bit longer than final yr’s Gravel World Champs” – the place riders solely needed to cowl 169 kilometres. “It’s double the space, double the time, and double the elevation achieve, so it fits riders with extra endurance and stamina. I’m unsure how I’ll go in opposition to the others, however I’ll positively do my finest, and luxuriate in my day trip within the rainbow jersey as the present World Champion.
“It will likely be a once-in-a-lifetime, distinctive expertise, and I’ll profit from it.”
Mohorič will likely be amongst a big contingent of present and former street execs, together with Joris Nieuwenhuis, Lawrence Naesen, Daniel Oss, Jan Bakelants, Greg Van Avermaet, Chad Haga, Nicolas Roche, Alex Howes and Niki Terpstra, and former roadies turned gravel privateers like defending champion Keegan Swenson, Peter Stetina, Laurens ten Dam, Ian Boswell, and Nathan Haas.
They’ll even be up in opposition to completed gravel racers like Torbjørn Andre Røed, winner of Big Sugar Gravel final season, 2023 Gravel Locos winner Adam Roberge and Mattia De Marchi, winner of the Utopia Gravel Fest this yr.
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“Lukasz and Matevž will likely be with me, and we’ll make it an unforgettable day on the market. It will likely be tremendous lengthy and loopy exhausting, however we’ll try to go for it; why not,” Mohorič stated.
Unbound, with its virtually fully gravel course, presents one of the crucial difficult off-road race routes with tire-splitting flint gravel, water crossings and relentless climbs totalling greater than 10,000 ft of ascending.
The race might come as a giant shock for Wiśniowski, who will likely be racing gravel for the primary time.
“I’ve by no means competed on gravel, and I do know little or no in regards to the race itself, however I do know that my function will likely be to guard our chief Matej, help him, and assist him on the course nonetheless I can,” Wiśniowski stated. “I’m actually glad as a result of it is my first massive gravel race, so although I’m not so younger, I have to be taught on a regular basis, and I’ll do my finest on the day!”
Unbound Gravel 200 is basically self-supported with two feed zones, the place riders can refuel, however riders are allowed to assist one another, which makes having teammates much more vital than in a typical street race.
“I’m actually excited to attempt my hand at ‘the gravel race of all gravel races’, however on the identical time I’m frightened due to how lengthy it’s,” Govekar stated. “I’m fairly younger however I already know it is a actually massive problem bodily and mentally. I’ll attempt my best possible within the race in fact, and also you by no means know what may occur!”