2015 Unbound Gravel 200 - Joe Meiser
Please note: This blog post has been updated to reflect this event’s current name.
This year Salsa is sending the nine riders down to the 2015 Unbound Gravel 200. Salsa Product Manager Joe Meiser is rider Eight.
At what point does the idea of the event transcend the event itself? In 2010, the Unbound Gravel 200 started fewer than 500 riders and I thought that was big for a gravel event. Big…as in…I had never been at a gravel event with more than 100 riders at that point in time! This year, in its tenth edition, Unbound Gravel will have close to 1500 riders. It is a festival, it is the epicenter of gravel racing, and gravel racing is just getting started!
As I think about the upcoming Unbound Gravel event I’m thinking less about 200 miles on the bike and more about the community of Emporia, riders from all over the world, new friends, old friends, and the opportunity to be a part of something that is challenging, fun, and special for so many reasons. Jim Cummins, Kristi and Tim Mohn, Lelan Danes, and entire community of Emporia are creating a community around gravel riding and for one weekend we get to be a part of it.
I’m excited to be on a Salsa Warbird Carbon, one of the first from the molds when they were cut so many months ago for testing and evaluation. It will be a long day on the bike an opportunity to let my brain wander uninterrupted while I take in the open prairie and sound of wheels on dirt. When you see me out there, I’ll be speaking to horses and cows. I’ll be watching the wind over the grass.
This will be my fifth Unbound Gravel 200 representing Salsa Cycles. Each year the experience is better and I expect that this year will be no different. While I am stoked to be on the bike out in the open prairie, I’m even more excited for the experience on Main Street, in and around the Granada Theatre.
I’m looking forward to seeing familiar faces and making new acquaintances. Stop by the Salsa space and say hello.
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Four and Five: Jay & Tracey Petervary
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