Smooth. Fast. Fun. - 200 Miles in Kansas

Not many people can ride on gravel for 14 hours straight in the middle of a Kansas summer heat, and those who do usually leave with a host of bumps and bruises to show for it. Parlee Custom Fabrication Manager, Lyndall Robinson, rode the 2025 Unbound 200 alongside Parlee Custom Fabricator, Jordan Trembly. Her experience with the Unbound 200 is in a lot of ways what you would expect from such a demanding race, but in others it stands out as a shining example of where dedication, proper fueling, and superior bike engineering gets you.

If you’ve never ridden your bike on gravel for 200 miles straight, you might be wondering “How do you prepare for that?” And the answer is training, a lot of training. Many boring hours on the trainer in the middle of New England winter, many early mornings and even a few race simulation rides.

Unbound Gravel provides their own suggested training plan that riders can use to prepare, and that’s exactly what Lyndall did, “I tried to follow [the Unbound training plan] as closely as I could. On the east coast it’s cold enough that I needed to do almost all those training miles indoors on Zwift. Some of those 6-hour training sessions made it very hard to stay dedicated. Plus took up most of my free time from February until June.”

Needless to say, the time and dedication required to take on such a demanding race is no small feat.

Come June, thousands of gravel enthusiasts gather in Emporia, KS to ride the 100, 200, or even try their hand at the 350 mile Unbound XL course. The energy radiating from the crowd of riders at the start line is palpable, even so early in the morning.

For many it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a chance to check something off their bucket list. Lyndall recalls her feelings standing at that legendary start line, “[I felt like] I really got myself into something now, and I better finish no matter what. Luckily, I wasn’t riding alone.”

Both Lyndall and Jordan’s bike of choice for 200 miles of unrelenting gravel riding— as well as Parlee Sales Rep, Cary Tatro’s choice for the Unbound 100— was a Parlee Taos.

The Taos’ sloping top tube, tall stack, and slack head tube make it a machine for an epically long day on dirt like Unbound Gravel.  While it’s geometry makes it comfortable for ultra-riding, the Taos’ engineering also makes it a speed demon on the flats, “Those miles until the first fuel stop were fast. [It was] smooth and fun.”

Kansas may be known for being flat, but the Unbound Gravel course is anything but. There are endless rolling hills, and chunky descents— and in this year’s course, pitted out roads from days of rain leading up to the race, “I felt like the Taos gave me a huge advantage in control and confidence on rocky downhills, technical sections, little Egypt, and the ruts left on the course from all the rain.”

A bike that lends it’s rider to steadfast confidence in the face of any terrain is a major advantage in a race like Unbound that requires the mind to be in so many places at once.

“[Unbound is] hugely mental. I think the biggest help the bike may have had was I was confident that I only needed to worry about turning the pedals, fueling, and trying not to overheat. Everything to do with the bike and the build I knew was going to perform, as long as I kept moving my legs.”

Compared to gravel bikes with a more road-leaning geometry, the Taos sails over technical terrain and absorbs small chatter to keep it’s rider fresh and confident (even for 14 hours straight).

“The Taos being lighter and more compliant plus the ability to put wider tires at lower pressure was exactly what I needed for my ride to stay comfortable the whole time. It almost eliminated the normal vibrations from the terrain. I had no worries the bike would carry me through the 200 miles…I have ridden the Unbound 100 on a more road geo gravel bike and I have to say the Taos had a more comfortable position for long distances. A slacker HT angle and longer wheelbase seemed to absorb more of the terrain. Confidence feels fast and that’s what the Taos gave me on those sections, which was not the case with the more road geo gravel bike,” Lyndall recalls.

The Taos’ geometry is polarizing for some, but it was designed it that way for a reason. By prioritizing rider confidence and the bike’s handling through not only tough terrain, but also on smooth hardpack, the result is a supremely capable and versatile adventure gravel companion, “The Taos is the perfect combination of fast and capable for events like Unbound. It really crushed the spicy technical downhills and climbs, but that capability didn’t take away from the fast-feeling flat sections.  All around confidence booster.”

For anyone taking on the feat of any of the Unbound distances, it’s a huge accomplishment to cross that finish line. A bike can make or break that experience, and we’re proud to have been a part of such a big day for Lyndall, Jordan, and Cary.

Thinking of taking on Unbound, or ultra-cycling in general? Some advice from Lyndall, “Plan your fuel and don’t skip training!”