This August I had the opportunity to ride in an extraordinary gravel race in what is arguably America’s greatest college sports town. Lincoln, Nebraska, is the midwestern city that has been selling out an 85,000-seat football stadium since 1962, while building one of the nation’s most dominant women’s volleyball programs. And, it hosts the Lauf Gravel Worlds, now a tenured gravel cycling event that represents the latest chapter in this prairie capital’s ongoing story of athletic excellence.
While Emporia, Kansas, may hold the crown for sheer size with Unbound Gravel’s massive field of 5,000+ riders, Lincoln has carved out its own niche in the gravel world by offering the advantages of a large network of wide gravel roads, plenty of affordable hotels, and more city resources, integrating international-caliber gravel bike racing into an established sports ecosystem that includes some of the most passionate and knowledgeable fans in college athletics. It creates something that feels both revolutionary and natural for a community that celebrates athletic achievement at the highest levels and also has a lot of outdoor and open spaces to celebrate, including an ideal race venue just 15 minutes from downtown Lincoln. With a metropolitan population of 340,000 spread across Lancaster County’s 407,000 acres of farmland worked by more than 3,000 people, Lincoln serves as both Nebraska’s capital and second-largest city.
Now in its 16th year, Gravel Worlds has grown from humble beginnings as the “Good Life Gravel Adventure” in 2008/2009 into a four-day festival that attracts roughly 1,500 athletes and 6,000 total people across multiple disciplines, offering a $100,000 total prize purse that draws elite international talent to Nebraska’s rolling country roads. What started with 100 of founder Corey Godfrey’s closest friends riding unmarked courses with only gas station lottery tickets as proof of completion has evolved into a globally recognized championship while maintaining its grassroots authenticity.
The livestreamed, flagship course covers 151.8 miles through southeastern Nebraska’s unique terrain, featuring over 10,000 feet of climbing and eight miles of MMRs (minimum maintenance roads) that, like Unbound, turn from dirt and gravel into chain-clogging mud depending on weather, as this year’s competitors discovered when overnight rain transformed manageable sections into race-defining obstacles. Beyond the 150, Gravel Worlds offers distance options ranging from a 35-mile introductory route to the masochistic 300-mile “Long Voyage” that pushes ultra-endurance athletes to their limits across relentlessly rolling farmland.
“Our place in the greater gravel ecosystem is that we can be a legitimate competition and still celebrate every type of rider, and now every type of athlete, since adding the run in 2021, and the triathlon this year,” Jason Strohbehn, the event’s Chief Experience Officer and Lead Promoter, explained to me during our interview at the Sandhills Global Event Center.
Strohbehn, who has been in Lincoln for 18 years (including attending UNL and playing in the marching band) joined the Lauf Gravel Worlds in 2019, before becoming the lead promoter. The event was sold last year to another local family that embodies the grassroots feeling that keeps Gravel Worlds authentic despite its growth into a global championship event. The event secured its trademark in 2019, protecting the “Gravel Worlds” name that started as a joke when there were road, mountain, and cyclocross worlds but nobody knew about gravel cycling.
“We try not to compare ourselves to others, but do want to grow it,” he told me, explaining how the event has expanded from cycling-only to include running and triathlon, creating what they now call the “Gravel Family” of events. Lincoln provides advantages that many smaller communities can’t match, he says, while maintaining the welcoming atmosphere that attracted roughly 2,000 participants this year, not including their support networks and event sponsors. The event features a DFL (Dead Freakin’ Last) award where the final finisher gets celebrated with 40 bottles of champagne, embodying gravel racing’s inclusive spirit where every athlete is celebrated. Overall I was blown away by the progressive and welcoming people I met during my three days on the ground, experiencing the gravel and everything else Lincoln has to offer, from nightlife to fine dining to sold-out collegiate sporting events.
Race Day
Gravel Worlds offers distance options for every level, including a 10-mile intro course, a 35-mile route, and a 75-mile challenge, to the flagship 150-mile race and the overnight 300-miler. The running series includes 5K, 10K, 25K and 50K options, plus a triathlon that serves as the USA Triathlon Gravel National Championship. The event maintains its self-supported format with no team cars or handups, staying true to its grassroots origins despite the $100,000 prize purse split across categories. Pre-race day shake out rides were also a blast.
Gravel Worlds delivered drama with conditions that transformed straightforward dirt sections into treacherous mud that would ultimately define the longer courses, thanks to rain that rolled in through the night and turned eight miles of MMRs scattered throughout the 151.8-mile course into the kind of challenge that separates pros from weekend warriors.
In a recap of their breakaway one-two finish from CORE4 a week earlier, Germany’s Rosa Klöser and the Netherlands’ Geerike Schreurs broke clear of the field after one of the MMR sections that wreaked havoc on the peloton. The pair would ride together for roughly 120 miles, pulling well ahead of the rest of the women in the race.
As she did at Unbound last year, Klöser would best her fellow European in the sprint, earning a $17,500 winner’s prize check. After the race Klöser would praise Schreurs’ sportsmanship, as the German had lost both her bottles and Schreurs gave her one to tide her over until the pair got to the first checkpoint. The two would stop at both checkpoint aid stations, but were still able to pull well clear of the rest of the women, even after a group of about six finally reformed after being split up by the challenging MMR sections. This year’s Unbound champion, Karolina Migon, would break from the chase group to take the final spot on the podium, finishing over 10 minutes behind the leading duo.
As with the women’s racing, the MMR sections would prove critical for the men as the race turned into a battle of attrition based on who could negotiate the various mud sections best. South Africa’s Matthew Beers would win the sprint to the line over his Cape Epic partner, Keegan Swenson, after the pair broke away from the final group of four that had survived the last of the MMRs relatively unscathed.
After the first MMR shattered the large peloton, about 20 men made it to the first checkpoint together. That group would eventually be whittled down to about eight before the final muddy section saw a few riders go down, including Aussie Brendan “Trekky” Johnston, who would lose lots of time as he was forced to fix his bike. Beers and Swenson quickly realized that the only two men who also made it through the final muddy section to remain at the front, Unbound champion Cameron Jones (NZL) and Adam Roberge (CAN), were struggling to hang on. The pair pulled clear to set up the dramatic sprint, won by Beers in 6:58:40. Jones would take a sprint for the final spot on the podium.
The start in complete darkness creates this surreal hour of racing with only bike lights cutting through the Nebraska night before sunrise reveals the farmland and crops around you. There’s a good sized expo with plenty of high quality vendors such as Hunt Wheels and The Coffee Ride coffee, nice camping and RV sites out back, and what they call “an epic last place finisher party,” because this event genuinely celebrates everyone who shows up.
Beyond the Gravel
Lincoln surprised me with attractions I never expected. The American Museum of Speed spans 240,000 square feet and houses everything from the world’s largest pedal car collection to vintage race cars and Buck Rogers memorabilia. Founded in 1992 by “Speedy” Bill and Joyce Smith, the museum preserves American hot rod and racing history with over 135,000 square feet of displays including the world’s largest collection of American racing engines, showcasing the quest for speed that has captivated Americans since the automobile’s dawn. It’s serious automotive and cultural history, and the scope is rather mind blowing.
The real surprise however was Robber’s Cave, Nebraska’s only cave and definitely its weirdest attraction. Our guide literally wrote the book on this place, and the stories are incredible. This sandstone cave sits 62 feet deep and stays 55 degrees year-round, with expansive carvings dating back to 1875 (that would take 31 hours to read completely).
From Lincoln’s first brewery, a brothel, to serving as Jesse James’s gambling hideout, you quickly see where it got the name Robber’s Cave. During Prohibition it was a speakeasy with a wooden dance floor where flappers danced underground. The Scarborough family tried mushroom farming, followed by decades of UNL fraternity parties that made it Lincoln’s most notorious party spot. By the 1980s it had become a giant underground club. They sealed it with a giant concrete slab in 1999 due to safety concerns, but reopened it for tours when it made the National Register of Historic Places after a million-dollar cleanup. The guide’s knowledge of this underground timeline shows Lincoln is way more interesting than most people realize.
Visiting the Nebraska State Capitol was an emotional, breathtaking experience. Bertram Goodhue designed this Art Deco masterpiece in 1932, complete with the nation’s only unicameral legislature and a 400-foot tower topped by the bronze “Sower” statue. Standing 19 feet tall and weighing 9.5 tons, the Sower represents Nebraska’s agricultural heritage and faces southeast toward the rising sun. The building required 450,000 tons of Indiana limestone and features intricate mosaics depicting Nebraska’s natural history spanning 2.5 billion years. Its unique design eliminated the traditional dome in favor of the soaring tower, making it visible for miles across the prairie. The 14th-floor observation deck gives you panoramic views that show how the city fits into all that surrounding farmland.
Another fascinating tour, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium becomes the largest city in Nebraska on game day, and I finally understood why this place is sacred ground standing on the turf and taking in the grandeur. Founded in 1869 as the state’s land-grant institution, UNL serves 25,000 students and has produced notable alumni including Warren Buffett, Johnny Carson, and Nobel Prize winner George Beadle. The Cornhuskers have won five national football championships, and they’ve sold out every game since 1962, 403 consecutive sellouts and counting. The stadium is 100 years old, yet it continues to evolve with modern facilities, such as the new $180 million Osborne Legacy Complex that includes a 31,000 square foot weight room, one of the country’s largest, plus cutting-edge sports medicine facilities for research, rehab, and concussion studies. In 2023 UNL hosted Volleyball Day in Nebraska and drew 92,000 fans, a world record for women’s sports and proving Lincoln can draw national crowds for more than just football.
A few blocks away sits Pinnacle Bank Arena, the 15,500-seat venue that anchors downtown’s $344 million redevelopment. It’s home to Husker basketball and designed so fans sit closer to the action than typical arenas. They’ve averaged over 15,000 people per game since opening in 2013, ranking top-25 nationally in attendance. During my visit, the arena hosted the AVCA First Serve volleyball event, featuring some of the nation’s top teams, while Gravel Worlds happened across town. Nebraska volleyball tickets are now harder to get than football tickets, which tells you everything about the program’s success.
What struck me most was how athletics feel integrated into Lincoln’s community. It’s also an unexpected foodie town. The farm-to-table dinner at Prairie Pines Nature Preserve showcased Community Crops, which started with one garden in 2003 and now runs 11 sites plus programs for refugee populations, including Yazidi Iraqis (the largest population outside of Iraq) and Syrians who work small plots serving Lincoln’s Arabic markets. Commissioner Christa Yoakum’s work creating inclusive communities reflects values that make “Nebraska Nice” feel truly genuine.
The city understands something many destinations have forgotten: athletics work best when they’re fundamentally about community, and when you get that piece right, everything else follows. Whether you’re tackling 150 miles of Nebraska gravel or cheering the Huskers in a venue that’s been sold out for six decades, Lincoln offers something rare in sports tourism.
Gravel Worlds 2026 registration is already open with early bird pricing at the same rates since 2022 until October 1. Snag your spot now and lock in the best value for your next big adventure!
2025 Lauf Gravel Worlds Results
Women’s 150-Mile Elite
- Rosa Klöser (GER) – 7:57:07
- Geerike Schreurs (NED) – 7:57:09
- Karolina Migon (POL) – 8:09:42
- Emily Joy Newsom (USA) – 8:12:10
- Danni Shrosbree (GBR) – 8:13:37
- Courtney Sherwell (AUS) – 8:14:09
- Cecily Decker (USA) – 8:16:16
- Jenna Rinehart (USA) – 8:21:53
- Lauren De Crescenzo (USA) – 8:21:53
- Lauren Stephens (USA) – 8:48:11
Men’s 150-Mile Elite
- Matthew Beers (RSA) – 6:58:40
- Keegan Swenson (USA) – 6:58:40
- Cameron Jones (NZL) – 7:01:51
- Adam Roberge (CAN) – 7:01:52
- Simen Nordahl Svendsen (NOR) – 7:04:46
- Torbjørn Andre Røed (NOR) – 7:04:46
- Julien Gagne (CAN) – 7:04:48
- Brendan Johnston (AUS) – 7:09:46
- Andrew Dillman (USA) – 7:11:37
- Chase Wark (USA) – 7:12:06
(photos courtesy of Kevin Mackinnon, Visit Lincoln, and the author)
—Definitely Wild is a column by EO Contributing Editor Aaron Bible. He has been writing for Elevation Outdoors and Blue Ridge Outdoors, among other outdoor publications, for more than two decades, covering cycling, skiing, gear, adventure travel and mountain life. The opinions expressed here are his own. Follow him on Instagram at @DefinitelyWild.
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