A friend of cyclocross racer Caroline Mani asked her why she was competing in the Unbound Gravel 200 for the first time this weekend. When Mani explained that the event is popular and lucrative for sponsorship, her friend was not convinced and asked, 'Are you asking a sprinter runner to become a marathon runner?'

Mani still has a lot of explaining to do, as do the dozen or so cyclocross specialists competing in this year's Unbound Gravel 100 and 200. Most of them are in Emporia, Kansas, for this lengthy event that is part of the Lifetime Grand Prix. Invitations were sent out and the challenge was accepted.

The field of 200 includes Pan American cyclocross champions Raylin Nuss and Eric Brunner, American cyclocross single speed champion and runner-up Kelly Warner and Tobin Ortenblad, longtime American mainstays Rebecca Farlinger and Crystal Anthony, and Mani. Three-time Canadian cross champion Mahalee Rochette made the trip to Emporia, but declined to compete due to a lingering back injury.

Why the "cross to gravel" crossover? It is an economic issue.

"In cyclocross, funds seem to be scarce. If you are a bike racer and want to make a living as a bike racer, you have to go after where the money is. Right now, it's gravel and a lot of endurance and off-road events," Amanda Nauman told Cycling News. She made a name for herself in cyclocross with three top-10 finishes in national championships between 2016 and 2019, but has since turned to gravel entirely.

Nauman is an unbound gravel legend, a two-time 200 winner, second in the XL 350, and an official member of the Gravel Grail, also known as the 1000 Mile Club, but this time she will compete in the unbound 100.

"Cyclocross racers are essentially bike racers and want to make a living at it...Ten years ago it was cyclocross. Cyclocross will eventually come back, and cyclocross racers can make a living as cross racers again.

Mani has had abundant success in the US, winning a silver medal for France at the 2016 UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Zolder and winning the US Cyclocross Series the past two seasons. However, as the director of her company Groove Auto Off-Road Racing, she applied for the Lifetime Grand Prix, saying that it would be good for the team and would give her more exposure.

"I thought it would be a good idea to put my name on the Lifetime Grand Prix. I thought, 'Why not put my name on the Lifetime Grand Prix? It seems like a "hot thing" at the moment, and it would give me some great promotion."

"I also thought it would be a different challenge for me to participate in an endurance event and a series like the Lifetime Grand Prix. When I applied, I wondered if I was on the right track. People are surprised because it's no secret that I like short, intense events."

She wasn't sure what to expect, but she had done a few gravel events in the past, but had never put in a lot of training for that discipline. At Unbound, she hopes to enjoy Saturday's adventure and not spend the day in agony.

"My career has definitely changed since I decided not to race internationally anymore. Not being able to go to Europe this winter was really hard and I think I am still grieving this part of my life. I call it 'half-retirement' because at 36 years old, I know I'm probably nearing the end."

"The Grand Prix takes place quite late in the season and I'm wondering how that will affect my cyclocross fitness. If the next four events go well, I may be able to skip the Rudd Festival in Trinidad, Colo. But I'm going to skip the cyclocross weekend because I have to compete in the Big Sugar at the end of the series.

Nuss, a two-time U.S. Cyclocross Pan American Champion, is not new to gravel. Because Emporia, Kansas is geographically "close" to her home near St. Louis, Missouri, she has competed in the Belgian Waffle Ride event several times, as well as the Unbound Gravel 100.

She said her experience in the Flint Hills, and the terribly humid and hot weather conditions, would give her a slight advantage over other riders.

"Honestly, I think the biggest advantage is being used to the heat and humidity. I think that's our biggest advantage over riders who come from higher elevations and drier air, like in the desert or in California. The humidity is amazing," Nuss told Cycling News.

Like Mani, she runs a team called the Steve Tilford Foundation and took on the Lifetime Grand Prix for her team.

"Cyclocross is a more fun, explosive, crowd-pleasing sport. But I think the Lifetime GP format is interesting because of the mountain biking and the longer events. [I feel we need to embrace what is happening in this industry. All my sponsors love gravel. If they sign up for Lifetime, they'll have a lot of gravel events to choose from and they'll be able to pick and choose their races. It's competitive and the pay is good. Even cyclocross is good for me as long as I train and race properly."

One of the differences Nuss feels in long-distance gravel events relates to the demands of hours and hours of concentration and the lack of energy refueling from spectators along the course.

"Six rows of spectators can shout and cheer and feed off that energy.

"At 'Cross, the energy [from the audience] really helps. At the World Championships in Fayetteville, everyone was yelling 'USA' every time an American athlete passed by. Gravel requires a little more soul-searching. You have to dig deep, and sometimes you have to step into some dark places.

"And obviously, I've never done anything longer than eight and a half hours, so unbound is a whole new chapter for me. I think it's about taking it one hour at a time, tricking my mind a little bit. You don't want to burn all your matches in the first 50 miles. You have to be smart."

Werner has been racing cyclocross for 12 seasons and signed up for the Lifetime Grand Prix this year. He said he can't wait to find out what this season will bring, as his chances of making money in cyclocross have been on a very narrow path and he wanted a bigger bandwidth.

"I think the biggest reason is sponsor demand/opportunity. Unfortunately, we don't have a vibrant CX scene in the U.S.," Werner told Cycling News. [Gravel has sucked the lifeblood out of all other sports, and USAC is doing things like putting up $60,000 in prize money for the Gravel Nationals.

"I think CX has been hit particularly hard. The course is spectator friendly, the races are about an hour long, and the racing is tight and tactical. It's a highly repeatable, grueling competition coupled with technical skills and constantly changing laps. I love all the changes and the focus it takes to get to the top of the race," Werner said of the race's protagonist.

He also joined the Lifetime Grand Prix in search of a new competitive edge.

"I'm a firm believer in pushing the comfort zone, and after more than five years of doing the same thing on a bike, it gets boring. The calendar has definitely given me direction. I prioritize Lifetime races, interspersed with a few other races that I can enjoy locally. The exception would be Finnish Gravel (FNLD GRVL). This was a friends and family trip, and I was able to intertwine a bike race. Two birds with one stone."

Don't think of Werner as just another one-hour cross racer. Last fall, he attempted the fastest time (FKT) on the Rockstar Gravel Trail (252 miles round trip from Roanoke, VA to Harrisonburg, VA, at 25,000 feet elevation). His previous FKT was 18:43.10, but Werner beat that by an astounding 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

"Personally, I love a challenge. Training for unbound is my favorite part. I love being on the bike all day. I love big rides, and it feels good to come home crusty with salt and skin."

Werner said he will likely skip the Crusher because the Tushar in Utah in July competes with the US Mountain Bike Championships in his home state of Pennsylvania.

"I took the U23 title at this event last time and finished second in the elite the following year. I grew up 40 minutes from the championship venue, so it's hard to miss," Werner said.