OUR MISSION
We believe gravel is the most pure form of cycling. It allows you to escape society and travel the unbeaten path. We believe gravel events should be inclusive for all. Whether you’re a pro, or it’s your first time riding gravel, the stigma of “elite-ism” is not welcome here. There should be no licenses required to race. There should be no mile-long rule book. Gravel events should be treated as the grassroots of cycling, a way for varying fitness levels to come together, suffer on the same course, and most of all, challenge themselves while growing mentally and physically stronger through the process. These are the core values of Big River Gravel.
What is our WHY?
In recent years, our lives have become increasingly easier and easier. We now have climate controlled environments everywhere we go and a fast food restaurant on every corner. The most stressful part of our day is arguing with someone on social media. The lack of adversity in our lives has made us physically and mentally weak. This has led to an increase in chronic lifestyle disease and an alarming uptick in mental illness. As human beings, we evolved doing really hard things. We had to hunt and gather our own food. We had to build shelters and come up with ways to stay warm through the harsh winter. Suffering creates purpose, without some physical suffering in our lives, we lack meaning. In a world full of division, we believe our rides are the answer. Bicycles bring people together and create a common ground. Collective suffering bonds participants who went through the same suck, yet were able to overcome the challenge and come out on the other side better for it. We want our events to be an experience you will not forget. We have all been to races where you finish the race and go home. We not only encourage, we expect our participants to stick around after the event to cheer on their fellow finishers, share war stories, and make new connections.