Defending Unbound 200 Champion Will Race a 32-Inch Gravel Bike in 2026

Scott has announced that two of its athletes will be riding prototype 32-inch gravel bikes at the 2026 Unbound Gravel. Cam Jones, who won the 2025 Unbound 200, and Robin Gemperle, who won the 2025 Tour Divide, will ride the unreleased bike at the 2026 Unbound Gravel 200 and Unbound XL, respectively.

The bike is still a prototype, but unlike many of the frames and bikes shown at Sea Otter in April, Scott’s 32-inch gravel bike appears to be a much more modern, production-level product. It is a full-carbon frame, without any lugs or adjustable tubes, and features slight aero shaping throughout the design.

The two bikes even have bespoke paint jobs that look like they could be launched as production colorways, with Gemperle riding a silver and green frame, and Jones on a silver and pink. While 32-inch mountain bikes have been raced and won, at high-profile races like Cape Epic, having last year’s Unbound 200 winner on a 32-inch gravel bike is a significant step forward for the technology.

“This bike makes you feel like you’re levitating over the surface,” Cam Jones said in the press release. “I’ll be experiencing a road race while everybody else is racing on gravel. The driving traction and cornering grip are revolutionary. I’m genuinely scared how fast I’ll be able to corner once on a course with proper descents.”

Unbeknownst to the public, Jones and Gemperle have been riding 32-inch prototypes since last year. Cam Jones, for example, headed to Emporia for Unbond recons after Mid South Gravel this March, where he could put the 32-inch bike through its paces before confirming the bike would be used in his title defense.

Both riders have seen the concept grow from an unfinished product to the race-capable prototypes that will be on the start line this Friday and Saturday in Emporia.

“We started by riding an unfinished bike, with crucial parts still developing,” Robin Gemperle said, “But ever since, I‘ve known that even if there wouldn’t be a single additional test ride, I’d immediately take it to racing once granted permission.

“There were plenty of additional rides, and the project found its final shape, which cemented the feeling that this big boy is the actual size gravel racing, and especially Unbound Gravel, was waiting for.”

For Scott, this is the final step of its R&D process on bringing a 32-inch gravel bike to its lineup. Racing the bike at Unbound, with all of its unpredictability, roughness, and speed, is a true stress test of the bike that should inform both Scott and the interested public what the viability of 32-inch gravel bikes as racing machines truly is.