428: How to Successfully Race a Gravel Event with Lauren de Crescenzo

[upbeat music] Hey, everyone.

Welcome to Fast Talk, your source for the science of endurance performance.

I'm your host, Chris Case, here with Trevor Connor.

A few days before this recording, the 2026 edition of Unbound took place on a wet and muddy day.

The event has become one of, if not the, premier gravel event in the world, and with the rise in popularity of gravel racing in the last decade, that makes it simply one of the premier events, period.

Unbound, with its 200-mile race on primarily rolling gravel roads, is known for being an extraordinarily tough day in the saddle.

This year, over 3,200 athletes lined up, but a lot fewer finished.

The only guarantee when you line up for that race is that things are going to go wrong, something on your bike is probably going to break, it's going to be a constant struggle to ingest food, and it's definitely going to be a long day in the saddle.

But it is also a fun and inclusive environment where everyone rolls out together and generally supports one another.

It's a fantastic race.

While Unbound is unique for its difficulty, uh, the description applies to just about any gravel race and is a big part of what has attracted so many riders to the gravel scene.

Preparing for a gravel event isn't the same as the local crit or a two-hour road race.

That's because equipment, food, training, all that has to be looked at a little bit differently.

Here to help us navigate preparing for and racing for gravel events are two seasoned experts.

Lauren De Crescenzo is a legend in the gravel world, having won most of the big events, including winning Unbound in 2022, and she finished sixth this year.

Joining Lauren is friend of the show, Ben Delaney, who has spent the last few years reporting on gravel races for his YouTube channel, The Ride, but he also never misses an opportunity to participate, and he has won several of the biggest gravel races in his age group.

They're going to talk to us about what it's like to race gravel at the pro level, but more importantly, how to enter the scene if you're a new amateur just looking to try it out.

We'll talk about the different types of gravel events and which ones to start with, what you have to do to get through a 100-plus mile gravel event successfully, what sort of gear and grub you should take, and finally, why racing in mud and cow poop for 200 miles has additional challenges.

[upbeat music] Hey, everyone.

Welcome to Fast Talk, your source for the science of endurance performance.

I'm your host, Chris Case, here with Trevor Connor.

A few days before this recording, the 2026 edition of Unbound took place on a wet and muddy day.

The event has become one of, if not the, premier gravel event in the world, and with the rise in popularity of gravel racing in the last decade, that makes it simply one of the premier events, period.

Unbound, with its 200-mile race on primarily rolling gravel roads, is known for being an extraordinarily tough day in the saddle.

This year, over 3,200 athletes lined up, but a lot fewer finished.

The only guarantee when you line up for that race is that things are going to go wrong, something on your bike is probably going to break, it's going to be a constant struggle to ingest food, and it's definitely going to be a long day in the saddle.

But it is also a fun and inclusive environment where everyone rolls out together and generally supports one another.

It's a fantastic race.

While Unbound is unique for its difficulty, uh, the description applies to just about any gravel race and is a big part of what has attracted so many riders to the gravel scene.

Preparing for a gravel event isn't the same as the local crit or a two-hour road race.

That's because equipment, food, training, all that has to be looked at a little bit differently.

Here to help us navigate preparing for and racing for gravel events are two seasoned experts.

Lauren De Crescenzo is a legend in the gravel world, having won most of the big events, including winning Unbound in 2022, and she finished sixth this year.

Joining Lauren is friend of the show, Ben Delaney, who has spent the last few years reporting on gravel races for his YouTube channel, The Ride, but he also never misses an opportunity to participate, and he has won several of the biggest gravel races in his age group.

They're going to talk to us about what it's like to race gravel at the pro level, but more importantly, how to enter the scene if you're a new amateur just looking to try it out.

We'll talk about the different types of gravel events and which ones to start with, what you have to do to get through a 100-plus mile gravel event successfully, what sort of gear and grub you should take, and finally, why racing in mud and cow poop for 200 miles has additional challenges.