Life Time Debuts Unbound Gravel Event

 NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....

Life Time events, the owner of the former DK200 event, has announced its replacement, called "Unbound Gravel".  While Life Time is soft-billing this as "Same Race, New Face" they may as well drop that and admit to what this actually is- it's not a rebrand- its a brand new event. 

The old Dirty Kanza 200 was Jim Cummings' (and Joel Dyke's before he left the event), and his personality infused the event from top to bottom. All the marketing for the event mentioned Jim and lauded him as the face of the event and the heart of the event. The propaganda machine built up by the DK Promotions team never left any doubt as to the importance of Jim Cummings to the Dirty Kanza and he was ALWAYS front and center in everything the event did. 

Obviously Jim's social media miscue was cause for his dismissal and that and the name change issue combines to make anything smacking of the DK200 a bad deal. So any connection to the past seems......not very genuine? I think this "Same Race, New Face" is a weak attempt at keeping the heritage that suits their agenda and dumping what doesn't, and if that is true, it stinks. 

But be that as it may, the name change that was promised has now happened. The diversity committee that was promised is supposedly being assembled. There will be 'changes' made. So, how is this the same event with a new name? That's easy- it isn't the same event. It shouldn't be either. If Unbound Gravel, (Maybe it should be Unburdened Gravel?), tries to reach back into any of the 15 years of Dirty Kanza 200 heritage, I don't see those efforts as being very genuine at that point. Life Time cut ties to Jim and the name. In my opinion, it's all or nothing, and the table was set on that by the whole dismissal of Jim and the cultural heritage issues as well. You cannot have your cake and eat it too with this deal. 

There will be elements that are similar, of course. The 200 mile course, the same venue, and many of the same trappings will be pulled over, but this event is not anything like its predecessor just because it starts in the same city and uses the Flint Hills for its course. Just ask the promoters of La Grind, another gravel event based in Emporia, Kansas. 

I'm not saying Unbound Gravel cannot be a good time, a successful event, or as influential as the DK200 once was. It could be all those things and more, or not. Unbound Gravel will have to live or die on its own merits. 

Enough of that. What about the name? Ah.........well. Here's my take. The email I read from Life Time states that "Our summer was spent building a task force full of Emporia businesses and locals, media personnel, professional and passionate cyclists, and many of our partners to create a new name worthy of the magic that the gravel roads in the Flint Hills hold." That's a fancy way to say 'design by committee', and of course, the new name had to be one that couldn't possibly be construed to be offensive to anyone. So, hoping that you'd get any other flavor here than 'vanilla' is just insane thinking. 

It's on the same page as "Mid-South" is to my way of thinking. If anything, the logo and the name are about as corporate-think as one could get. Think of the branding opportunities! In fact, the email I received already was trying to sell me stuff. " We would love for you to share your excitement with us! Visit our partner Gravel City Adventure and Supply to pre-order some new UNBOUND Gravel merchandise." Yeah.... We're sorry. But we've changed! Buy our stuff! 

I apologize if I am a little cynical, but this all just sits cockeyed to me. I'm hoping that this awkward moment passes by and Unburdened.......sorry.... Unbound Gravel makes a splash and saves some of the benefits that the DK200 brought to Emporia and its residents. The tragedy that could happen would be if all this 'changing' combined with COVID ruins the financial windfall that the DK200 was to this area. Not to mention the cultural shift in thinking that the DK200 brought to the residents of Emporia concerning cycling and health and well being.

And speaking of COVID. Yeah, who says that Life Time will even be able to hold a mass start event in early June of 2021? I'd be surprised if that was a good idea by that time seeing as how we aren't any closer to getting through this than we were last June. Hopefully it's all behind us then, for the benefit of Unbridled.....sorry....Unbound Gravel, and the rest of us as well.