Taking on 350 Muddy Miles at Unbound Gravel XL with the Gates Belt Drive System

‘You’re either a hero or you’re crazy.’ Ultra-endurance racer Chase McElroy found a massive challenge during a particularly muddy edition of Unbound.

Rain, rain, thunderstorms, and then more rain. That’s what awaits ultra-endurance racer Chase McElroy at Unbound Gravel XL, a 350-mile test of mettle through the Flint Hills of Kansas.

Unbound, the largest gravel race in the world, is already a challenge enough when dry, but every few years or so, the skies open up and turn an otherwise dry course into miles-long stretches of nearly impassable peanut butter–consistency goop.

More so than just about any cycling event in the world, what you ride here matters. Riders agonize over every single component, often up until the evening before. At the start line, nerves shoot through the roof. But the one thing Chase isn’t sweating before the ride is their gear choice, highlighted by a Gates belt drive paired to a Pinion gearbox.

This set-up makes for a far simpler drivetrain than a traditional chain-driven derailleur, one that keeps on running in tough conditions like the mud of Unbound. So while they ride through the night, the horizon illuminated by far-off lightning strikes, Chase isn’t worried about the storm that awaits them.

This is their story of taking on one of the toughest editions of Unbound Gravel XL in memory.

Learn more about Gates Belt Drive systems.