The 32-inch wheels have already achieved their first major international victory. Swiss rider Robin Gemperle has won the Unbound Gravel XL 2026, the most extreme event of the Emporia weekend, after completing the 350 miles (563 km) course on the revolutionary SCOTT RC Gravel 32, the prototype developed by SCOTT to explore the limits of this new wheel size.
Robin Gemperle wins the Unbound Gravel XL 2026 and gives 32” its first major victory
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Gemperle crossed the finish line after 21 hours, 20 minutes, and 4 seconds of competition, at an average speed of 26.9 km/h, becoming the first rider to achieve a victory of this level on a 32-inch gravel bike.
The Unbound XL started many hours before the flagship 200-mile event and once again demonstrated why it is considered one of the toughest ultra-endurance races in the world. The rain recorded during the night transformed numerous sections of the course into genuine mud traps, causing falls, mechanical failures, and withdrawals among several favorites.
One of the most notable names that dropped out of the race was Peter Stetina. The American later explained that the nighttime storm completely changed the course of the event as riders passed through the Eureka area, approximately 190 kilometers from the start. There, a leading group had formed that also included Gemperle, Alex McCormack, and Victor Bosoni.
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Shortly after, already at night and on completely muddy terrain, Stetina suffered a hard fall that caused a deep wound to his knee and forced him to withdraw. Another big name in the XL, Ted King, also ended up retiring after suffering another accident under the same weather conditions.
While some of his main rivals disappeared from the fight for victory, Gemperle consolidated his position at the front of the race during the early morning. Although he later declared at the finish that he had a night full of problems where he had to walk and run for about 20 km and suffered from gastrointestinal issues.
The victory finally came after more than 21 hours of continuous effort on one of the most demanding gravel courses in the world.
The race is still ongoing.
The first major victory of the SCOTT RC Gravel 32
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The triumph represents a huge boost for one of the most exciting projects seen in gravel in recent years.
SCOTT chose the Unbound Gravel as the stage to officially debut its new RC Gravel 32, a bike developed around 32-inch wheels and specifically created for long-distance competition.
The choice of Unbound was not casual. The Flint Hills trails represent one of the most aggressive environments in the world for any bike, with sharp stones, mud, constant vibrations, and hundreds of kilometers of broken terrain. Precisely for this reason, the brand considered it the ideal setting to test the true potential of the 32 inches.
Setup of Robin Gemperle's SCOTT RC Gravel 32
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Robin Gemperle's bike was built around a platform completely developed around SRAM.
His SCOTT RC Gravel 32 Prototype was equipped with a 13-speed SRAM RED AXS XPLR electronic groupset, accompanied by SRAM RED XPLR cranks with an integrated power meter and a 46-tooth chainring. The setup was completed with a 360 mm Syncros HB-R 100 Alloy handlebar and prototype 32-inch wheels fitted with 50 mm Schwalbe RX tires.
Gemperle had already explained before the race that he began testing the bike when it was still in a very early stage of development, with several key components still unfinished. However, from the very first tests, he knew he wanted to race it.
Now, after winning the Unbound XL, the Swiss rider has also given the 32-inch wheels the result they needed to prove that this size has a real future in competitive gravel racing.
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