The Weekly Dirt: From the Ground Up season three, Mid South reg, and Canada’s new marathon champs
A weekly roundup of what's happening in the off-road.
The Mid South is a 100-mile gravel race held on the red clay roads around Stillwater, Oklahoma. On dry years, it’s a blazing fast and tactical competition; on wet years it’s a muddy adventure with the sticky clay transforming bikes and bodies. Promoter Bobby Wintle is the driving force behind the event, playing guitar, hosting pre-race parties, screaming exhortations on the microphone and hugging each and every finisher he can get his hands on, from the winners to the very last person to finish around midnight. Past winners include Lauren De Crescenzo, Cole Paton, Payson McElveen, Hannah Finchamp, Amanda Nauman, and Mat Stephens, among others. Here is the story of The Mid South.
A weekly roundup of what's happening in the off-road.
After a three-year retirement, the iconic and irreverent chaise lounge made an appearance at the Mid South. What is the future of gravel's favorite furniture?
Heidi Myers, co-founder of the Rasputitsa Spring Classic, reflects on her time volunteering at the Mid South.
The 2023 edition of the Oklahoma gravel festival delivered a veritable smorgasbord of bike riding, racing, running, partying, and overall good vibes
De Crescenzo repeats after 2022; McElveen adds 2023 to his 2019, '20 wins in Oklahoma.
It's not just a bike race. It's a vibe.
A weekly roundup of what's happening in the off-road.
Guest contributor Molly Lofton takes us inside the irreverent Stillwater, Oklahoma event
The Oklahoma gravel race will award free race entry, travel, accommodation, and a $500 stipend to 10 qualifying athletes
Wintle and other race organizers traveled to Vermont to experience the iconic race's unique vibes.
Shakeout rides — the group rides that happen before and after an event — are wildly popular in gravel. I went on three of them at The Mid South to find out why.
Race promoter Bobby Wintle is the volcanic center of energy at The Mid South, which kicked off the gravel season in earnest on March 12.
SRM power-meter pedals compared to Stages, new S-Works tires, Cadex carbon-spoked wheels, and more.
Saturday's Mid South was Jeanson's longest ride, time-wise, since 2005.
A suspension post, a frame-mounted hydration reservoir, and a front brake – to make race organizers comfortable.
I did three group rides in the snow and slush on Friday and then raced the 50 miler on Saturday. Here are some gear highlights.
Newsom rides to sixth at The Mid South after a cyclocross section shatters the front group of men and women racing together.
EF Education-TIBCO-SVB rider finishes sixth on old bike after new bike shows up the night before.
3D-printed aerobars (one of which came loose), oversized pulley wheels, and slick tires for the 103-mile gravel race.
Current and former WorldTour racers, Red Bull athletes, and 2,500 others motor around Oklahoma.
McElveen broke his collarbone and injured his left hand in the crash.
Moriah Wilson outsprints Savilla Blunk — partner of the men's winner Cole Paton — to round out the podium.
Dennis van Winden and Adam Roberge compete the men's podium.
From the hyperlight and anodized to the unicorns and bananas, The Mid South opens its wide tent.
'If conditions are really volatile, the race is not going to go smoothly for anyone. So then it's just, who can deal with that the best? Who can have the best mindset when things are going sideways?'
$3,499 aluminum bike features RockShox Rudy XPLR 40mm fork, dropper post, ample mud clearance, and an option to switch to singlespeed.
Every participant will receive a copy of the 64-page book that prominently features Indigenous narratives and cultural and environmental histories amid information about the event.
Newsom wants to win every race she enters, including The Mid South this Saturday. But she knows her pro license doesn't guarantee a thing.
WorldTour riders, Red Bull athletes, and gravel specialists to face off in Stillwater, Oklahoma on Saturday. Here's a look at some of the course features.
The former rowing world champion says he wants to take gravel seriously. "But at the same time, I don't want to take it or myself too seriously. A whole lot of people are doing this as recreation; this is their outlet."
The red-orange clay of Oklahoma is calling. Will it be a mudder this year?
Both races will offer discounted entries for any distance for riders under 18 years of age.
Independent promoters pair up for 250 miles of riding and 62 miles of running, set up on two weekends.
Registration for the March 12 event opens October 24, with priority given to those registered for the 2021 race.
The experience of the masses outweighs the need to enact new rules to govern a few elite racers, organizers say.
The Mid South gravel race will cancel its 2021 in-person race and instead hold a stay-at-home event for its 2,200 participants.
Check out Brad Kaminski's author page.
And Bobby Wintle from The Mid South has been advising him along the way. Here's how the two plan to tackle the Arkansaw High Country Race.
Inside the last American race held before the COVID-19 shutdown.
As Life Time commits to a name change for the DK, The Mid South’s Bobby Wintle explains his journey from ignorance to accepting change.
Unlike many other race organizations out there, NICA offers equal opportunities for girls to race.
Betsy Welch and Ben Delaney picked out gear for 104 miles of Oklahoma mud at The Mid South. Find out how it all fared.
On this week's episode we discuss The Mid South's decision to continue amid the coronavirus pandemic. We also speak to race winner Hannah Finchamp.
The Mid South Gravel Race went off in the muck and mud last week in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Here's the gear we chose to get us through the slop.
Payson McElveen's normalized power was 323 watts for his winning ride. Hannah Finchamp's normalized power was 202 watts - for 8 hours.
Despite rain storms and coronavirus warnings, more than 1,200 riders took the start at The Mid South, March 14. Wil Matthews was there to capture the action.
On race day in Stillwater, bikes, bodies, and gear were plastered with Oklahoma mud. But the day before, VeloNews took a look at what individual racers and brands brought to the 103-mile gravel race.
Payson McElveen overcame mud and cold conditions to win The Mid South gravel race in Oklahoma.
It's been a long, strange trip for many who are in Stillwater for The Mid South gravel race, but spirits are high even as mud is likely.
Rain, orange mud, and riders with Paris-Roubaix and Tour de France experience all scheduled to descend on the first Monument of Gravel.
For our final Monument of Gravel, our voting pool was deadlocked between Rebecca's Private Idaho and Crusher in the Tushar. Now, you can vote for one of these events to help us complete our Monuments of Gravel list.
Oklahoma's The Mid South is fast and tactical when dry and a muddy slog when wet. And every finisher gets a hug from Bobby Wintle.
Riders like The Mid South because of the event's production and founder, and because the 100-mile course is short enough to actually race.
We went in search of the Monuments of Gravel: the five gravel races that carry the most prestige to win. This week we will be rolling out stories around each race and why our panel of experts voted it onto the list.
Oklahoma gravel race to change name in bid to bring awareness to oppression faced by minority groups.