By Jason Strohbehn
Thoughts Following a Grassroots Gravel Event
This past weekend, I attended the third annual Louisville Gravel Grinder in Louisville, Nebraska.
Organized by a local cycling club out of Omaha, the event offered 50K and 100K distances and
served as a perfect early-season kickoff for gravel riding in the region.
With around 200 participants from across the Midwest, the event carried an undeniable sense of
community from start to finish. In just its third year, the passion behind the Louisville Gravel
Grinder is already evident. From promoters welcoming almost every participant personally, a
rider meeting that can fit inside a small venue, and volunteers who welcome you with a smile.
When nearly every person helping with the event has a direct connection to the organizers, you
feel it in every interaction. There’s an authenticity that can’t be manufactured in small events like
Louisville Gravel and those hundreds of grassroots gravel events around the world. First and
foremost, congratulations to the entire promotion team on another successful year and anyone
interested should look Louisville Gravel up on Instagram or Facebook.
Vibes Of A Small Event
Louisville Gravel race day was like many grassroots events. Showing up only an hour before the
start line, getting checked in, and putting the number plate on was stress-free and relaxed. The
laid-back feel of a small event is palpable from entering the parking lot. No need to struggle for
parking or worry about where to go, you just go to the address, unload your bike and you’re
basically at the start line. Shortly after getting the bike ready, every single participant went into
the venue for the rider meeting. There’s something special about gathering 15 minutes before
the start, where you can literally see almost every volunteer and every participant standing shoulder to shoulder. It’s a great place to run into new and old friends you’ve seen at previous races and make eye contact with those you’ll see throughout the day.
Shortly after the start, the field spreads out. You settle into long stretches of solitude,
occasionally riding alongside someone new. But even in those quiet miles, you never truly feel
alone. There’s always a checkpoint ahead with volunteers and stocked snacks, a rider within
reach, or the reassurance of a support vehicle behind you. Especially for newer participants,
that feeling matters. It builds confidence and reinforces one of the core truths of gravel: showing
up means you’re part of something bigger.
Out on those roads, I kept coming back to one thought: we need to take better care of our small
events. As an event promoter of one of the largest gravel events in the sport, I know the
success of Gravel Worlds comes from the events that help foster the next generation of gravel
cyclists.
Also on my mind while riding is the cold, hard reality that gravel event promoters are getting
burnt out. As the more formalized sport of gravel cycling is getting 20+ years old, time can start
taking its toll. Across the region, long-standing grassroots events are beginning to disappear. In
Nebraska alone, we’re losing Solstice Gravel after ten years and the Lazy Horse Gravel Grinder
at the end of this season. Both of these events have welcomed riders from around the world to
experience small grassroots gravel. They’ve introduced countless people to our sport and
inspired them to take on bigger challenges. And now, some are fading away.
Experiencing the Louisville Gravel Grinder was a reminder that if we want the sport to continue
growing, we have to support the foundation it’s built on.
The Power of Proximity
At smaller events, the best parts of the gravel community come to life. Without the scale and
intensity of major races, the connection to your fellow athlete becomes clearer and more
natural. More people are seen. More conversations happen.
At the start line, into a headwind, or at the finish, you’re not just another number. You’re talking
with someone whose name you just learned or reconnecting with a familiar face from a past
event. That proximity creates a different kind of camaraderie. I’m not saying you don’t get this at
larger events, but with larger events comes more pressure. It’s easier to start focusing on finish
times or nutrition or tire choices or checkpoint strategy or aerobars or, or, or… Small events take
that pressure away and help us reset to get closer to the feeling of simply riding your bike with
friends.
The Grassroots Gateway
Small events are essential to the future of gravel cycling. While many do, most riders don’t
begin their journey at large event like Gravel Worlds, Unbound, or SBT Gravel. The scale alone
can be intimidating. The logistics, the price, the crowds, the pressure, it’s sometimes enough to
keep someone from ever signing up.
My story in this sport started at a small grassroots event called Odins Revenge(2013-2016) with
a simple hello and invitation to join a group at their table. That simple hello changed the
trajectory of my life and, to this day, fuels a passion for this sport. I know I’m not alone.
Grassroots gravel events are something special that I hope this article can encourage more to
experience.
Grassroots events remove barriers. They offer a manageable environment where riders can
build confidence, learn, and feel welcomed. They are where people discover what gravel is all
about. They are where riders learn that fixing a flat is part of the experience, not a failure. They
are where someone hears a genuine “thank you” from a race promoter and realizes they
belong. They then take these lessons and passion and help mold the experience of the larger
events. At almost every angle, the growth, experience, and culture of large events are molded
by the work being done by those putting on grassroots events.
These events also serve experienced riders who aren’t chasing distance or prestige. Not
everyone is looking for the biggest stage. Many are simply looking for a good ride, a strong
community, and a meaningful experience.
And just as important, smaller events are often more affordable. Without the scale and overhead
of larger productions, they keep the sport accessible. That matters.
These events are the bedrock of gravel cycling.
A Note To Big Events
As a promoter of a large gravel event, I know I’m talking to myself. I do genuinely feel Gravel is
a place where community thrives, even at big events. It’s what makes the sport so special to
many. What I encourage everyone “at the top” of our sports, as event promoters and athletes, is
that we never lose sight of what truly makes our sport what it is. The People.
The human element is what has helped gravel cycling thrive and welcomes every type of athlete
to the finish line. At most gravel events, you are welcomed into the finish line with pomp and
circumstance, regardless if you’re first or last. Often at gravel events, last place is the biggest
celebration with DFL Parties(Dead Freaking Last) that welcome in last place with the largest
cheers of the race weekend.
I know, behind the scenes, event promoters of large gravel events are working hard to celebrate
the everyday rider and make every person feel welcomed. What I encourage is that we take a
moment to realize that the culture we’re all trying to build starts before most participants ever
sign up for a large event. Very often, that culture is being built at the start lines of grassroots
gravel events where the start list is in the tens or hundreds and not thousands.
My urge to promoters and people of influence in our sport is not to lose focus on small events.
Use our energy and resources to help athletes and events who ultimately help you thrive. Small,
grassroots events like Louisville Gravel are the engine of our sport that make it what it is.
Invest Where Passion Begins
The takeaway from the Louisville Gravel Grinder is simple.
Big events showcase the sport on a global scale. Small events sustain it. Both are critical for the
long-term success of gravel cycling and together we can continue to make gravel cycling one of
the best genres of sport in the world.
If we care about the future of gravel cycling, we need to support the places where people first
fall in love with it. Riders, promoters, sponsors, and storytellers all have a role to play.
These grassroots events are not secondary. They are essential.
Because in gravel, bigger isn’t always better.
Sometimes, smaller is exactly what matters most.
