The 2024 Unbound Gravel had opened the possibility of a rule change to eliminate drafting between riders of different categories. However, concerns about enforcement apparently blocked the move, and gravel stalwart Sofia Gomez Villafagne (Specialized) lamented the decision.

"I truly believed that Lifetime Grand Prix/Unbound Gravel would find a way to provide elite women with a race where they would be protected from start to finish and men would not affect the dynamics or outcome of the race," the 2022 winner and 2023 runner-up said in an Instagram post.

"While I appreciate the separate start implemented in 2023 and the addition of a time buffer to be implemented in 2024, we still have a long way to go.

Drafting between categories can occur throughout the field, and Rule 10 clearly states that "drafting to other event participants is permitted." While staggered starts are becoming more common, solo races for women or professional athletes only are still rare in gravel. Therefore, interactions between categories can have a significant impact on the power structure of the top riders in a race.

Carolyn Schiff, winner of last year's Unbound, scored her victory from the lead pack of pro women with 60 miles to go. Of course, many of the chasing women also joined the men's pack to the finish.

In 2023, when Villafane finished second unbound, organizers tried to mitigate the impact of the mixed categories on the women's race by setting the elite women's start time two minutes behind the elite men and eight minutes behind the amateurs. Still, it did not take long for the categories to mix, especially in the tough muddy conditions of last year's event.

This gap was widened in 2024. The elite women will start 5 minutes after the elite men, and the rest of the 200-mile field will start 25 minutes later. According to organizers, the decision to extend the start time was due to lessons learned from last year and feedback from the elite women.

Feedback was also sought on the possibility of implementing a no-draft rule. However, an email received from Unbound on Friday, which Villafane shared on Instagram, noted that concerns about effective enforcement were the main obstacle to change. She added: "It is heartbreaking to read emails like this one." Ultimately, I feel like it's just a logistical inconvenience to give women the race they deserve." Cycling News reached out to Ambound for comment.