Pro cycling World Champions, National Champions and World Record holders like Stephen Hyde, Ashton Lambie and past Hard Way guest Rebecca Rusch are among the legendary winners of the Unbound Gravel 100. Held annually in Emporia, Kansas it’s one of the most prestigious and competitive gravel bike races in the world In 2022, multi-time cycling road race World Champion Peter Sagan, who has won 17 stages in cycling Grand Tours and has also won the Green Jersey at the Tour de France seven times, will toe the line.  In 2015, I got second at the Unbound 100 for the second year in a row riding with my good friend, training partner, content marketing ace and now rising TikTok star @blakeoftoday. If you’re new to Choose the Hard Way, go back to episode 19 to hear about the first time I got second in the Unbound 100 in 2014. Severe food poisoning, the generous wisdom of Chris Carmichael, a magical tiny screwdriver purchased at Rite Aid wielded in a scene from Game of Thrones in the middle of the race, aerobars, the revelation of the actual physical location in the human body of the Spirit of Gravel--this experience had it all.  Losing isn’t fun, but it’s often funny. Sit back and listen to this tale of two humans who did everything to win and lost anyway.  This episode is part of Life Cycles, a new series I’ve launched within Choose the Hard Way. Conversations in this series cover the topics you’ve come to expect from Choose the Hard Way with guests whose lives and careers have been shaped by cycling or whose lives and careers have shaped the world of cycling.  If you have a great story about losing, I’d love to hear it. Hit me on Twitter or Instagram @hardwaypod. If you enjoy this episode, please give it a five-star rating on Spotify or Apple podcasts, subscribe and forward it to a friend. That helps the show surface higher in search so more people can find the inspiring stories of my guests, and I really appreciate the support.  Go to www.choosethehardway.com to sign up for the newsletter. To suggest a guest or be in touch, reach out to [email protected].