At the request of Paul Lange Hungary, we also got involved in promoting Rebound gravel. After a joint meeting at Gellért Square, we sent everyone off on gravel bikes for distances of their choice, then waited for them with coffee and cake at Grinta.
WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?
Rebound is a self-supported cycling event similar to KLND Instant, held on the day of the world's largest gravel race, Unbound. You get it: Rebound, a spin-off of Unbound. 🤔
But let's take it one step at a time. Unbound is a gravel race held in America, the home of gravel cycling. It's a real celebration, with thousands of gravel riders taking part. It's held in the middle of nowhere, on the slopes of Kansas, so the community is probably its biggest attraction.
The first race was held here in 2006, then under the name Dirty Kanza. The name change was a turbulent story, more info here – but the bottom line is that the event, which was already a huge business at the time, was eventually renamed Unbound.
Starting with junior and family distances, races are held over 25, 50, 100, and 200 miles, but since 2018, an XL distance of 350 miles has also been added.
Today, this event is considered the highest-quality gravel race in the world of cycling. It is part of the Life Time Grand Prix series, and in recent years, it has become a trend for the world's most serious professional cyclists to pay their respects: Matej Mohoric (as gravel world champion), Tim Declerc, and Thomas DeGendt have all competed in Kansas.
REBOUND
Rebound was originally launched during the coronavirus pandemic by the Dutch Live Slow Ride Fast team, led by former pro Laurens ten Dam, to allow participants anywhere in the world to experience the "atmosphere" of the American Unbound event close to home. It later became official with the addition of Shimano as a completely free gravel event: all participants can ride on a route of their choice and connect with the community online.
When is it? In line with the Unbound date, it starts at 6:00 a.m. on a day in late May. The start time is the same for everyone, but the location is up to you.
How does it work? After registering for free, you can participate in the community event as described on rebound.cc. You can choose from distances ranging from 15 to 350 miles, corresponding to the distances of the original event. (25 km to 570 km) There are no entry fees, time limits, or mandatory sponsorships, but there are valuable prizes, including an entry to Unbound for the following year. A unique and cool rule of the event is that it is mandatory to celebrate your achievement!
Participant statistics In 2024, more than 300,000 cyclists participated, covering a total of approximately 4,789,142 miles.
HOW DID WE GET INVOLVED HERE?
In 2025, we entered into a partnership with Paul Lange, the representative of the domestic Shimano and Lazer brands. As part of the partnership, we pledged to work together to promote domestic gravel riding, exploration, and cycling. One of Rebound's global sponsors is Shimano, hence the connection.
Fortunately, good partners allow us to develop and promote cycling movements based on self-fulfillment, such as Rebound. Based on our joint plans, we organized a group meeting and started group cycling from there.
We expected less interest in the first year, but to our delight, nearly 30 people took part in the challenge and registered on the international website. These were the people who got on their bikes on May 31st for the biggest global gravel movement and completed one of the optional distances. We are delighted to be able to bring such international movements to our country, and we hope that this is just the beginning of a long story.
At the event, Lili Chripkó photographed a small group who, after cycling, enjoyed a meal at Grinta thanks to the support of the guys from Paul Langes.
This article was written by Marcell Gangel, who was not at the event but really regrets it! He'll be there next year, we would like you to join us as well!