The Mid South Gravel Story
Wildfires, evacuations, and the race that never happened.
Mid South Gravel. A weekend I won’t forget maybe ever in my life. It’s my favourite event of the year, a race that was set up to be a classic, but a race that ended with us packing the car and driving away from potential fire.
My previous entry on the race was hastily written. It wasn’t perfect and it’s not my proudest work, but it’s how I felt at that moment in time. In hindsight, it seems obvious that the race was going to be cancelled.
Where do I even start with this one? The race that never happened.
I fly in on Wednesday evening and I’m met by a very lovely local guy called Todd. With public transport a miss in the US, I’d put a shoutout in the local Facebook page to see if there’s anyone willing to give me a lift. Todd comes good, and we end up chatting about all things cycling in the hour drive to Stillwater.
I land at our Airbnb and I’m met by the crew. I’ll be staying with two guys I’ve looked up to for a long time: Alexey Vermeulen and Alex Howes, as well as the content dream team, Avery Stumm and Robert Barranco. I dump my things and it’s immediately out to dinner before settling in for the night.
Thursday brings pre pre-ride. Alexey and I head out for a 95km ride around the course, and the topic dominating conversation is tyre choice. He’s stuck between running the ENVE MOG with 50mm tyres, and his ENVE Fray with 42mm slicks. I’m sitting in the middle deciding on the MOG with 45mm Panaracer Gravelking X1’s.
Later that evening, Dan Hutchinson arrives from my hometown of Grimsby. Hutch has been a friend of mine for almost ten-years, and I flew him out here to try some content stuff. He’d been around the houses that day thanks to delayed flights, missed connections and snowstorms. All that matters though, was that he was here.
As we wake up on Friday morning to pre-ride, the wind is howling outside. There’s talk about the expo being cancelled and we all try to get out the door by reasonable o’clock so we’re not battling the rumoured 50mph winds. I head out with Chris Mehlman, Logan Jones-Wilkins and the Castelli boys Griffin and Cullen Easter, and Hutcho is in the car shooting.
It’s windy, very very windy. But, all is still very normal as we head back to the house to do the normal pre-race day dance of cleaning bikes, waxing chains and eating a bucket load of carbs.
It’s 15:12 when a text comes across from Danni Shrosbree. She’s in Girona, but texts to ask if we’re safe. I’m sitting on the couch, bantering with the boys having no clue what she’s talking about.
At the exact same time, Alexey Vermeulen comes out of his bedroom dressed only in his boxers and an eye mask. He mentions there’s fire somewhere close.
I don’t know how to act. We don’t get wildfires in Grimsby. But, the cloud of smoke growing ever closer and the strong smell of burning in the air, I know it’s real. I look to Alex and Alexey for guidance. They’re both based in Colorado where wildfires are a real threat. They’ve both been through it before.
Alex is walking around talking to neighbours. We learn the fire is only a few miles away and we’re staying on the wrong side of town considering there are 50mph winds pushing it our way. Alex makes the call for us to pack all our things, then a half hour later to pack the cars and go.
By this point, we’re loading the cars. Buffs, masks, t-shirts and towels act as makeshift masks. It’s not horrendous, but you can feel the smoke as you breathe. The inside of our house is starting to smell smoky too. We drove to the other side of town and took refuge at a friend's place. Our house was never in the mandatory evac zone. I’m going to quote Howes’ Instagram post now as he put it into better words than I can:
The fellas at Jimmy John’s Subs said a fire just popped up nearby. It seemed ridiculous getting our disaster warnings as an add on to our sandwich order, but 10 minutes later, there we were standing in the driveway our Airbnb, staring at a thousand foot high plume of smoke. Like good millennials, we all plunged headfirst into cyber space searching for answers. Fire location: 11 miles away. Wind speed: 35mph with gusts in the 60s. Wind direction: Our direction. A brief discussion about potentially packing up got extra brief with another quick trip outside. Guys, pack now.
We crammed the van full with bikes & suitcases as residents came rushing back to their homes. Some folks simply peeked out through their window blinds, others watered lawns. There was no evacuation order. We waited wondering if we were over reacting.
The smoke smell changed distinctly. The fire ripped through the ash dry, winter starved, high grass prairie producing a distinct campfire smell. When it hit the homes you could smell it. Hopes, dreams & history went up in flames along with every chemical & synthetic fiber known to man. We could feel the heat rising. Into the van boys, time to go.
I don’t know how close the fire got to our place. The winds shifted. The fires blew back on themselves. The next morning was clear, cool and calm. Only a fine layer of ash on the patio furniture was left behind to remind us it wasn’t just a dream.
The rest of the night was a blur. We headed downtown as Logan Jones-Wilkins was reporting on the race and was called to a meeting about its fate. It was a ghost town. Few cars and fewer people, and with many wearing masks, it was like getting transported back to 2020.
At this point, all directions are filled with smoke. It’s still daytime, but the sky is dark and there’s a distinct toxic smell in the air. Dan and I camp out at a local coffee shop waiting for Logan, before we head over to Chipotle as another refuge location.
Logan is one of the few that hears the race is going ahead from the organisers mouth, and Chipotle is full of bike riders eating and gossiping. The consensus starts to grow in the pro field. Many start to pull out of the race, both publicly and privately. Many of the hotels that out-of -town folk are staying in are evacuated, so some have no choice but to leave town.
There’s a great debate around AQI (Air Quality Index) and what level is safe to race at. A growing contingent argue that’s beyond the point. Even if the forecast is to be believed and it clears up in the morning, people’s houses have burned down and the course still has active fires on it - plus, the emergency services are at a stretch.
Everyone is calling everyone, debating what should happen. I’m in camp, let's not race, as my previous Substack notes. Some believe that if it’s on, then it should be on. Some are thinking about the result, and that if bigger some pros choose not to race, then that’s a better chance of a good ride. I get it, I’m a racer myself and I’m thousands of dollars down at this point - but, come on guys, bigger picture.
Just before midnight, another announcement is made. The race is cancelled. I’m happy with this decision. It took the decision off the shoulders of everyone, pro or amateur, and common sense prevailed. Again, let’s not forget that a whole neighborhood burned down just two miles away.
We go to bed long past midnight.
I wake up first in our house on what would be race day, head downstairs and put coffee on. The sky is blue, the air is fresh, and birds are singing. Was it a weird fever dream? I have a banging headache, and head back up to sleep before anyone else rises. I come back down two hours later.
It’s a very normal scene. Alexey has invited friends over for breakfast. Coffee is flowing, pancakes are getting eaten and banter is flying. Did last night really happen? Only a thin layer of ash reminds us of the craziness.
The AQI is almost zero - environmentally it’s perfectly safe to race. But, environmentally is not the debate here. Emergency services are still helping people out, the course has debris, fire damage and people are evacuated from hotels. Lives changed last night, our bike race doesn’t matter.
This weekend gave perspective. I love Mid South Gravel, and I love racing my bike. I was so excited to race in one of my favourite events of the year. But, very quickly, that changed. This is just a bike race, it’s just fun, just a festival of two wheels.
While you’re here…
This is usually where I’d put a ‘Buy me a Coffee’ link. Instead, I’m including a link to the Stillwater Wildfire Relief. I love this race, and the town is super cool. Every little bit helps.
https://www.midsouthgravel.com/shop/p/stillwater-wildfire-relief
The following brands are racing partners of mine which allow me to do cool stuff.
Readers of this Substack can save 30% on seller protection when they list a bike with the code ‘JOELAVERICK30’, use this link to get going!
Glad you are all safe, and that common sense prevailed in canceling the race.