Unbound Gravel organizers have announced two new rule changes that will directly affect elite riders in the 2023 200-mile event.

Elite riders will no longer be able to use aero bars or bar extensions, and elite male and female riders will start separately from amateur riders.

"Pro riders will not be allowed to use aerobars," this is what Unbound Marketing Manager Christy Mohn told past Unbound 200 men's champion Ian Boswell on his podcast, Breakfast with Boz, on Tuesday. He said these simple words.

"The emphasis is on the traveling athlete. That's the spirit of Gravel."

In a written statement to the media, organizers cited reasons for the new rule changes for the Unbound Gravel 200, which has gained attention and prestige as one of the seven pro events in the Lifetime Grand Prix Off Road series.

This year, instead of more than 4,000 riders starting on Main Street in Emporia, Kansas, the elite men will start first, followed two minutes later by the elite women.

Then the amateur riders start another eight minutes later.

"This change will greatly affect the early stages of the race. There are a few small changes that will affect the main pack," Seymour said on the podcast.

"We've removed some rules from the unbound rule book that weren't really enforced. If they are not enforced, why have rules at all?"

He added that organizers "vetted" the elite field for the 200-mile race and "reserve the right to contact them and ask for credentials in order to start in this field."

Both new regulations were confirmed to address safety issues.

"For the first time in Unbound's history, the 200 will have a wave start. At this point we are planning three waves," Kimo Seymour, president of Lifetime Events, which owns and operates Unbound Gravel, said in a podcast.

"The idea is to send out the elite men and they will go first. We want to keep a little distance from the elite women, who start two minutes after the elite men, for safety reasons. The idea is to create an opportunity for the elite girls where we can highlight and introduce them to what is happening on the front end of the women's field.

"For years we have considered banning aerobars for all participants. Amateurs are there for much longer periods of time. In most cases, they spend most of the day alone. We don't want to take that away from them if there is a special position that would help them be a little more comfortable and reduce the strain on their shoulders and neck, which is what it takes to accomplish something like the Unbound 200."

Both Seymour and Mohn agreed that they wanted to preserve the "gravel spirit" and allow amateurs to take the time needed to complete their bucket list events (which can be 20+ hours instead of the 9-10 hours of the pros).

"All amateur riders will get a mass start. This will not affect "finishers." The start will be about 8 minutes later. It will allow the elite girls to be far enough ahead to get out on the course," Seymour added.

"First and foremost, the conversation always revolves around safety. This is an inherently risky sport. We can't prevent every accident that happens at our events, but we look at risks that can be controlled or at least mitigated. The first hour is chaos. We felt we had a responsibility to make it safer."

Other popular off-road events like Gravel World and Crusher in the Tusher have tried to do things differently at the start, with elite women now starting first.

Seymour said the first 12-15 miles are fast on pavement and especially effective in the Crusher because of the large climb that quickly divides the field. He said he might consider changing the starting wave for the 100-mile event in the future.

Ahead of last year's unbound gravel, there was a heated discussion about the use of aero bars in off-road racing.

Cycling News listened to many of the top elite riders, and they all spoke of issues related more to safety than comfort. Most male riders took the side that no one in the lead group should use aerobars, but female riders were less definitive, pointing out that a "gentleman's agreement" was not enough and that clear rules were needed from the event organizers.

"I have no idea why this is not an issue on the women's side, or why they don't want it to become more contentious with some confrontation. I don't know," Amanda Nauman, a two-time winner of the Unbound Gravel 200, told Cycling News in 2022.

She did not use aerobars in her two Unbound 200 wins, but did use them when she finished second in the 350-mile XL event in 2021.

2022 women's 200-mile champion Sofia Gomez Villafane felt that a professional could safely manage the use of an aerobar, so she did her homework and adjusted her positioning several weeks in advance.

"The first hour or hour and a half I was running with the elite men, I didn't use TT bars because it was a big group. The drafting is already a big advantage," Gomez Villafane said before winning by nine minutes over previous winner Lauren de Crescenzo.

However, the new rule that the professional women will be drafted separately from the men will eliminate the early drafting opportunities that were common in previous mass starts.

Boswell had expressed concern about the use of aerobars prior to the 2022 Games. His reaction to the new rules.

"I think this is a great rule."