With just about a week to go until Garmin UNBOUND Gravel Presented by Craft we wanted to share some exciting news about how you can watch Unbound Gravel, even if you aren’t able to make it to Emporia this year. Today, Life Time has kicked off an exclusive two-year partnership with FloSports, a leader in sports streaming and original content. FloSports will serve as the exclusive, Official Media Partner, broadcasting the 2021 UNBOUND Gravel event weekend through 2022. This will mark the first time a U.S. gravel race has been broadcasted.
During the upcoming gravel race June 4-6, FloSports will stream over 200 miles of racing across 7 hours.
The broadcast will be hosted by former professional cyclist and Olympian Frankie Andreu and Janel Spilker, the broadcast will kick off at 12 noon CT on Saturday, June 5, coinciding with the expected finish time of the 100-mile race participants, and will continue as the UNBOUND Gravel 200-mile distance Elite Men and Elite Women complete their final 25 miles and cross the finish line.
In addition to coverage on the race course, viewers will also be transported to historic downtown Emporia for an in-depth experience featuring exclusive interviews with athletes and spectators and updates from more than 160 booths at the All Things Gravel Expo.
“We are very excited that FloSports has made the decision to provide this first-time opportunity to bring Garmin UNBOUND Gravel to the masses for the next two years, which is symbolic of the boom in gravel cycling,” said Kimo Seymour, President of Events and Media at Life Time. “The gravel scene is different from any other kind of cycling, and participants train for UNBOUND for months after anxiously awaiting to hear the lottery results. For many, it is a bucket list accomplishment. I’m grateful that, through FloSports, viewers from all over will be able to experience our event, celebrate with athletes, and hopefully be inspired to try gravel cycling for themselves.”
“FloSports is honored to partner with Life Time for UNBOUND Gravel and we believe this will be one of the most exciting broadcasts this year for fans that love cycling as it marks the first time gravel racing will be produced at this level,” says Ryan Fenton, Director, Global Rights Acquisition at FloSports. “Gravel racing is one of the intriguing disciplines in cycling and UNBOUND has become a premiere event in the sport. This partnership reaffirms our commitment to leading and investing in the growth of the sport of cycling and elevating the visibility of these athletes. This first-of-its-kind broadcast, in addition to the unmatched coverage of top-tier events around the world, has been integral to the success of FloBikes. More to come!”
Formerly known as Dirty Kanza when the event began in 2006, owners Life Time rebranded the event as Unbound Gravel last fall, after the 2020 event was rescheduled, and then cancelled, due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. There were 4,000 participants registered for races last year.