Pachamama: Tears of Joy
Pachamama: Tears of Joy
Emporia, Kansas is a small town in the Midwest of the United States. At first glance, it seems like a quiet town, where calm normally reigns, but when June 4th hits, the town transforms. Hundreds of gravel enthusiasts flood the streets to enjoy Unbound, one of the largest, most diverse and dignified races that you can find in this discipline. It breathes all things gravel.
The town fills with color when the event arrives. People of all regions come together to enjoy the wonderful, natural spaces that Emporia and its surroundings have to offer. There’s no better metaphor for what gravel means than what Unbound has represented for 15 years: people of different ages, nationalities, cultures and physical skills pedaling on the same path, enjoying biking. Emporia is gravel, and gravel is diversity.
A race will always have that competitive element, but races like Unbound show us that there are countless ways to embrace a challenge. The experience in Emporia is a realization that gravel and competition complement each other, create a community and connect places and people.
Pachamama = Earth Mother. An experience so intertwined with nature that cycling and the trail blend together into one horizon.
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