2015 Unbound Gravel 200 - Rider Nine: Steve Yore

Please note: This blog post has been updated to reflect this event’s current name.

This year Salsa is sending the nine riders down to the 2015 Unbound Gravel 200. Steve Yore is rider One.

With ten miles to go at the 2014 Unbound Gravel 200 I stopped my bike at the side of the road and collapsed into the soft green grass of a Kansas ditch. I was crushed. I did eventually rally and finish the race, but it was a long final ten miles.

My simple goal for the 2015 Unbound Gravel 200 is to stay out of the ditch. As a stretch goal, I would like to finish in under 13 hours, beating my two previous finish times.

I’m a dad with two kids and a full-time job. Training rides get bumped for BMX races and soccer tournaments. I am fortunate that I am able to bike commute 32 miles round trip to work most days. I pick a route that has hills and work in hard efforts on the hills. Some weekends I am able to sneak out for longer rides. I did both the Ragnarok 105 and the Miesville 56 gravel races as a part of my training this year. In the weeks leading up to the race I will get another 100 miler in (with my wife on our road tandem at the Fulton Grand Fondo) and plan on another 130 to 140 mile training ride two weeks before the race.

I will be riding my Warbird Ti. The Warbird was designed for races like Unbound Gravel. It’s a stable, supple ride and treats your body well on a 13 hour day. I outfit it with a Relevate Designs Gas Tank and Mountain Feed Bag to keep lots of food within reach; in the end, long endurance racing is nothing more than an eating contest.

I always carry a good luck charm from my kids, in the past it’s been rainbow loom bracelets around my seatpost, or a clay heart made by my preschooler. Legos are big in the house right now so my seven-year old is sending Iron Man along with me to help battle the Kansas wind, heat, thunderstorms or whatever else Unbound Gravel may throw my way. Wish me luck! -Steve Yore

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