Racing For a New Friend
Migration Gravel Race 2024
Photos: Chiara Redaschi
Migration Gravel is not quite like other gravel events on the calendar. The event consists of 4 stages of semi-supported racing across the wilds of the Maasai Mara, Kenya. 650 km with 8,000 meters of elevation gain.
This year, PAS Racing rider Chad Haga, along with teammate Amity Rockwell, friend of Pas Normal Studios Luise Valentin and Enough Cycling's Mattia de Marchi were amongst the participants. For Chad Haga, the event capped off a long block of racing and travelling, resulting in a sudden change of plans after stage 1.
"My race did not start well, and it got worse as I became increasingly homesick at the end of a long racing and travel block. I gave up on my race after stage 2, going to bed that night almost certain I would skip the next stage. But I resolved to ride stage 3 for the joy of riding in cool places and got my head on straight in the process."
"Searching for motivation, I found it in Mattia's race, where he was leading but under heavy attack. We weren't teammates, but I wanted to help my friend. The first 2 hours of the final stage, I was on. He was having a bad start and I frequently had to wait, but eventually, we found our groove with Tsgabu Grmay."
- Chad Haga
"Then my back gave out after an accumulated 23 hours of jackhammering by the unrelenting Kenyan roads, and I was desperate for Mattia to just leave me behind, but he kept refusing. We were two battered friends, helping each other through our bad moments. Eventually, the suffering ended and I could just lay in the soft grass. We were unsuccessful in defending his lead but succeeded in cementing our friendship."
- Chad Haga
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