‘I am in love with Unbound Gravel’ - new documentary celebrates three unsung and behind-the-scenes heroes of race

Whether you’re a professional or amateur cyclist, there are certain roles in the cycling space that we may at times take for granted: the photographers who capture our epic race photos, the bike mechanic who saved the day and the person or people who put the entire event together, among others.

Shimano’s new documentary ‘Unsung’ turns the camera away from the athletes and toward some of those behind-the-scenes roles, following a sports photographer, bike mechanic and event organizer before and during the 2024 Unbound Gravel weekend.

Linda Guerrette: Sports Photographer

Unbound Gravel photographer and Gravel Hall of Fame inductee Linda Guerrette moved to Colorado 30 years ago to pursue a career in the ski business but eventually added freelancing photography to her repertoire. According to her biography, she aspires “to have viewers take a personal journey through my images by having them feel, explore, imagine, connect, see the world’s magic…see what the eyes can’t see.”

“If you come [to Unbound Gravel] unfit, you’re not going to be able to capture what you probably want to capture,” Guerrette says in the documentary. “We’ve got to do all of the things that the athletes have to do because really [the supporting staff] are athletes as well.”

Guerrette’s shots of Unbound Gravel this year included everything from portraits of cows to ground-level flowers to mud-splattered cyclists smiling, crying, and everything in between at the finish line.

Wayne Smith: Bike Mechanic

Wayne Smith, who has been gravel pro Pete Stetina’s personal mechanic for five years, says that the first thing he does when he gets a new piece of bike equipment is he takes it apart.

Smith wants to know how things work so that he can fix them when needed, which makes him the consummate bike mechanic.

When Smith is at a race like Unbound Gravel with Stetina, he’ll prep Stetina’s bike for race day, spending hours making sure the pro’s bike is as ready as it can be to handle the elements. Smith will also move between aid stations to assist Stetina as efficiently as possible should he need it.

“The biggest challenge for Unbound Gravel is preparedness,” Smith says in the film. “[I want to make sure] there are no questions left unanswered when Pete hits the start line.”

In 2024, Stetina finished 16th overall in the 200-mile route at Unbound Gravel.

Michelle Duffy: Event Organizer

Michelle Duffy works as an event organizer for Unbound Gravel’s parent company, Life Time. Duffy manages the logistics that make an event as big and complex as Unbound Gravel go off without a hitch - sometimes, she’s even behind the social media that fans enjoy pre-, during and post-event.

“Unbound is a living, breathing, life-changing [event] for some people,” Duffy says in the documentary. “And that’s what keeps me here [in my job]. I am in love with Unbound Gravel.”

Duffy is herself an avid gravel cyclist when she isn’t on the other side of things and planning events for others. She is also a fierce advocate for getting more women into cycling and supporting women and men equally in the sport.

Unsung | SHIMANO - YouTube

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