Peter Sagan to ride Unbound Gravel

Three-time World Champion and teammate Daniel Oss to ride the 100-mile gravel race in Kansas on June 4th

Peter Sagan
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) today revealed that he's headed to Emporia, Kansas, to tackle the 100-mile gravel race at Unbound Gravel.

Formerly named Dirty Kanza, Unbound Gravel is considered the world's premier gravel event with thousands of amateur lining up alongside World Tour roadies, gravel privateers and professional mountain bikers. 

While the 200-mile course through the Flint Hills is the perhaps the most famous, the 100-miler has grown increasingly competitive with the likes of cyclocrosser Stephen Hyde, World Champion trackie Ashton Lambie, WorldTour roadie Lauren Stephens and Rebecca "the Queen of Pain" Rusch take the top step of the podium at past events. 

Sagan, a three-time former world champion will be lining up alongside his Italian teammate, Daniel Oss. This break from his road season is tied to his long-time sponsor, Specialized, with whom he helped develop its flagship gravel bike, the Diverge

"Daniel Oss, our friends from Specialized, and I look forward to seeing all of you at the Unbound Gravel and having fun together on the 100-mile ride!" the 32-year-old Slovakian said on social media.

"I'm happy to be back in the USA to meet and have a good time with all my American friends and fans!"

Sagan, one of the most powerful and versatile riders in the peloton, began his cycling career in mountain biking as junior, and returned to XC mountain biking for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio

He has long expressed a desire to do more off-road racing, and hosts his own gravel
event alongside the Sagan Fondo, in Truckee, California.

Now in its 15th year,  the Garmin Unbound Gravel will see nearly 4,000 riders compete across five distances on June 4th. The 200-mile event is also part of the inaugural LifeTime Grand Prix series, In which a cast of 60 handpicked WorldTour roadies, track world champions and MTB Olympians are competing for the $250,000 prize purse across six gravel and mountain bike races. 

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Anne-Marije Rook
North American Editor

Cycling Weekly's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.

Originally from The Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a cycling journalist for 11 years.