Broadcasts Will Bring The World’s Premier Gravel Grinder To The Masses For The First Time Ever Featuring Never Before Seen Coverage Live From The Event On June 4-6
FloSports Continues To Bolster Wide Ranging Cycling Programming With The Addition Of
Garmin UNBOUND Gravel
EMPORIA, Kans., June 1, 2021 — Life Time, owner and producer of the Garmin UNBOUND Gravel Presented by Craft, has kicked off an exclusive two-year partnership with FloSports, a leader in sports streaming and original content. FloSports will serve as the exclusive Official Media Partner broadcasting the UNBOUND Gravel event weekend in 2021 and 2022 on its FloBikes platform, considered one of the leading destinations for live and on-demand cycling races, content, news, and analysis. During the upcoming gravel race on June 4-6, FloSports’ broadcast of UNBOUND will mark the first time a U.S. gravel race has been delivered live and on-demand to cycling enthusiasts worldwide.
“We are very excited that FloSports has made the decision to provide this first-time opportunity to bring Garmin UNBOUND Gravel to the masses for the next two years, which is symbolic of the boom in gravel cycling,” said Kimo Seymour, President of Events and Media at Life Time. “The gravel scene is different from any other kind of cycling, and participants train for UNBOUND for months after anxiously awaiting to hear the lottery results. For many, it is a bucket list accomplishment. I’m grateful that, through FloSports, viewers from all over will be able to experience this special event, celebrate with athletes and hopefully be inspired to try gravel cycling for themselves.”
The UNBOUND Gravel event was founded in 2006 at a time when gravel grinding was just beginning to catch the interest of the endurance cycling community. The event resides in a remote region of Kansas called the Flint Hills, and cyclists around the globe transcend upon these roads to tackle the hilly, tire-shredding, sunbaked gravel that makes the event infamous. UNBOUND features multiple categories for riders at various skill levels and draws nearly 3,000 participants of all ages annually riding in a single-loop format through some of the most uncompromising terrain among gravel races. Most of the course is gravel or dirt roads, some which receive little to no maintenance throughout the year and are primitive in nature. Inclement weather can turn these gravel and dirt roads into mud roads and riders are encouraged to prepare their bikes, their bodies and their minds for all possible conditions.
This year’s broadcast will be a first for UNBOUND, and FloSports and Life Time have collaborated to present this unique race to fans globally in a compelling and exciting format both live and on-demand. The rough and remote terrain that makes UNBOUND Gravel so unique also presents challenges for live streaming.
This first-of-its-kind presentation of the race will include a continuous live stream of the final 25 miles, real-time mid-race images from various locations along the course (as technology permits), GPS tracking of competitors, special content and more. Hosted by former professional cyclist and Olympian Frankie Andreu and former professional cyclist Janel Spilker, the broadcast will kick off on FloBikes at 12 noon CT on Saturday, June 5, coinciding with the expected finish time of the 100-mile race participants, and will continue as the UNBOUND Gravel 200-mile distance Elite Men and Elite Women complete their final 25 miles and cross the finish line. To ensure continuous entertainment for viewers when the race is outside of coverage areas, viewers will also be transported to historic downtown Emporia for an in-depth experience featuring exclusive interviews with athletes and spectators and updates from more than 160 booths at the All Things Gravel Expo. A finish line camera will remain live throughout the race until the last competitor crosses the finish line. More than seven hours of coverage is expected.
“FloSports is honored to partner with Life Time for UNBOUND Gravel and we believe this will be one of the most exciting broadcasts this year for fans that love cycling as it marks the first time gravel racing will be produced at this level,” says Ryan Fenton, Director, Global Rights Acquisition at FloSports. “Gravel racing is one of the most intriguing disciplines in cycling and UNBOUND has become a premiere event in the sport. This partnership reaffirms our commitment to leading and investing in the growth of the sport of cycling and elevating the visibility of these athletes. This first-of-its-kind broadcast, in addition to the unmatched coverage of top-tier events around the world, has been integral to the success of FloBikes. More to come!”
The deal represents significant ongoing investments by FloSports into the sport of cycling allowing for wider distribution of prestigious races to global audiences through FloSports’ award-winning digital platform. FloSports recently announced a long-term partnership with UCI and added other popular cycling events to its programming including the Flanders Classics and the 2022 Fayetteville Cyclocross Championships. Other live programming available on FloBikes include WorldTour races such as the Tour Down Under, Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne, Women’s WorldTours including La Course by Le Tour de France and Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta as well as Asian/European Tours such as the Tour of Oman, Tour de Hongrie and Paris-Tours. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the global cycling event schedule, FloBikes has experienced an incredibly successful 2020 cycling season with average event viewership up 352% over 2019 and a year-over-year subscriber growth increase of over 122%.
Life Time has also partnered with five local restaurants in Emporia to host watch parties for fans and community members. The 2021 All Things Gravel Expo will kick off on June 3 at 3 p.m. CT. In an effort to limit the number of people on the start line at one time, the Juniors, 25 and 50 races will take place on Friday, June 4, while the 100, 200 and XL races will start on Saturday, June 5. For more information, please visit unboundgravel.com or follow along on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
To access 2021 Garmin UNBOUND Gravel coverage from your home, visit FloBikes to become an annual PRO subscriber. The annual subscription unlocks access to premium content and live events across the entire FloSports network. Watch the events across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, the App Store, and Google Play Store.
The Garmin UNBOUND Gravel event is owned and produced by Life Time, the premier healthy lifestyle brand. It is among more than 30 premier athletic events owned and produced by the company across the nation, which also operates more than 150 athletic resorts and spas in the U.S. and Canada. Life Time strives to produce exceptional event experiences for both participants and spectators as an extension of its Healthy Way of Life philosophy.
About Life Time®, Inc.
As a wellness pioneer, Life Time is reshaping the way consumers approach their health by integrating where we play, work and live – all with the primary objective of helping people lead healthy, happy lives. With more than 150 destinations in 41 major markets across the U.S. and Canada, Life Time operates luxury athletic resorts, owns and produces iconic athletic events and is expanding its brand though Life Time Work premium coworking spaces and Life Time Living high-end leased residences. For more information visit lifetime.life.
About FloSports
Founded in 2006, FloSports is a subscription video streaming service dedicated to sports, offering live and on-demand access to hundreds of thousands of competition events across 25+ vertical sport categories in the US and abroad. FloSports’ vision is to give underserved sports the love they deserve. With a growing library of more than 300,000 hours of premium content including news, expert commentary, films, documentaries and more, FloSports has established itself as an innovator and leader in sports streaming. Finally, your sport has a home. For more information, please visit: flosports.tv.