Gravel Worlds® Mission:
to create a fun, kick-ass gravel event for all levels of athletes to enjoy.
Celebrating over a Decade+ of Gravel Love.
Starting in 2010, Gravel Worlds is celebrating our 16th Gravel Worlds in 2025! We’re so proud to stick to our grassroots and keep our race to what really matters: Friends and Family coming together to ride bikes.
Gravel Worlds History
The Beginning
We started out as a group of friends in 2008 who loved riding and just wanted to play bikes without all the rules. Like kids on a playground we made up our own rules together. No categories, no officials, no prize money, just bumping elbows, bleeding lungs, blown up legs, with beers and stories at the finish. Before Gravel Worlds® our event was called “The Goodlife Gravel Adventure” in 2008 and 2009.
Gravel Worlds 2010
In 2010 we gathered about 100 of our closest friends for the inaugural Gravel Worlds. Some of us came to win, some came just to finish. 150 or so miles of an unknown and unmarked course, navigation was via cue sheets, no support, and only lotto tickets from small town stores to prove you did the whole route. Who knew this game would become part of the culture that we now call #gravelfamily.
Now
The game has grown over the last decade and a half to fit in all the people who want to come play. We have some rules now. We sometimes have to be the “officials” but we are staying true to our roots and just want to have fun playing bikes. Some come to race some come to ride but we all share the same road.
We have been and always will be THE Gravel Worlds® For The People!!
Previous Years
Check out all our Previous Year’s Courses, Photos, and Results.
Gravel Worlds Crew
Jason Strohbehn
Chief Experience Officer/ Lead Promoter
Jason is the CXO/Lead Promoter of Gravel Worlds. Bringing his passion to make sure everyone feels loved and welcomed and has an epic time on the gravel seas. Outside of biking his passions include traveling with his wife (usually Hawaii), photography, and always trying to learn new things.
Sofia Gibson
Assistant Lead Promoter/Outreach Coordinator
Assistant Lead Promoter, Outreach Coordinator, encouragement expert, and all around badass! Sofia may have joined the team in 2021, but she has been an asset to Gravel Worlds from the very beginning in 2010 when she cheered on her dad at the first Gravel Worlds when she was only 13 years old. She currently lives in Nashville, TN but Lincoln calls her home several times a year!
Lindsey Licht
Volunteer Coordinator
I’m thrilled to serve an event I’ve grown to truly love. As a former Nebraska volleyball player, I bring a deep appreciation for teamwork, grit, and showing up for something bigger than yourself.
Over the past several years, I’ve been part of the Gravel Worlds community as both a participant and supporter, drawn in by the event’s unmatched energy, inclusivity, and camaraderie. What keeps me coming back is the atmosphere - equal parts competitive, welcoming, and wildly fun.
Professionally, I work for the Center for People, a nonprofit here in Lincoln, where I focus on volunteer engagement and community building. I’m passionate about creating volunteer experiences where people feel supported, valued, and proud of the role they play in bringing Gravel Worlds to life.
Hannah Shell
First to Last Coordinator
Hannah is a professional gravel cyclist with a massive passion for the experience of the 99% of riders who attend Gravel Worlds who have no intention or desire to step on top of the podium. She has a heart to raise the experience of every rider who attends a gravel race and wants to help build the community of the Gravel Family.
Jess Miller
Run Director
My passion for the great outdoors and adventures was reignited. Since then, I have been taking part in many things as I can for my soul and to see what I am capable of. I have run many races from half's to 24hrs. Cycling as a daily commuter to enjoying 200 miles of the cowboy trail. For the last few years, I have been working with some incredible people who have helped unleash a passion for event planning with helping setting up and tear down of many races here in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Melanie Chapman
TRI DIRECTOR
I grew up in Northern Ontario, spending most of my life running, biking, canoeing, and cross-country skiing on rugged trails and pristine lakes where adventure was just part of everyday life. Those early miles shaped me. They taught me that when the pavement ends, there’s room to explore, grow, and connect. That mix of grit, curiosity, and community is what pulled me into triathlon and why I feel at home with the Gravel Worlds family.
As Race Director for the Gravel Worlds Triathlon, my goal is to keep gravel what it should be: fun, welcoming, a little wild, and full of heart. I love watching people show up not just to push themselves, but to take care of each other — sharing hard miles, cheering for strangers, and making the day about more than a finish time.
Dallas Schilling
Logistics Coordinator
Dallas has been involved with the event since 2015 when Gravel Worlds moved to Schilling Bridge in North Lincoln. He knows the in and outs of how to make the event run smoothly on race day, and you can guarantee he’s working incredibly hard in the shadows of raceweek to make sure everything is running smoothly and every fire is put out.
LeLan Dains
Maestro of Gravel Adventures
LeLan Dains is a lifelong champion of gravel cycling and community connection. A Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame inductee, LeLan has spent years shaping the culture of adventure and inclusivity that defines the gravel world today.
As the Founder and Executive Director of Kansas Spanish Speakers, LeLan works to build bridges across cultures and languages—empowering communities through connection, education, and opportunity. That same spirit of unity fuels his work in the gravel scene, where he believes that every ride tells a story of courage, belonging, and discovery.
WHITNEY DRAHOTA
CHECKPOINT COORDINATOR
Whitney grew up in a “bikes in the living room” family and a craigslist mountain bike was a bribe to help with Nebraska DEVO and catapulted her love of bikes.
5 summers and counting with the DEVO program and 3.5 seasons with Nebraska NICA and GRiT, led to signing up for the 2022 Gravel Worlds as part of the 1000 Women Of Gravel Initiative. She finished that event in happy tears and invested in a gravel bike within a month. She has a professional background in outdoor education program coordination and spent the last 3 Gravel Worlds asking “how can I help?”
A Letter From The Gravel Worlds Crew
Gravel Family,
We are so incredibly honored to get to be a part of the Gravel Community! Gravel Worlds has literally been a part of “Gravel” since the beginning. Before there were gravel bikes and gravel-specific * insert bike part here * there was just a group of friends putting a hard gravel course together, setting off with friends, and meeting back up at the end to have a beer to tell your day’s stories. We didn’t ride gravel because it was the cool thing to do, we simply rode gravel because it was what we had and it was fun. So that is what we will always strive for our events, keeping gravel FUN!
Our team truly puts our hearts and souls into Gravel Worlds and we believe that spirit shows in our events. We love celebrating the peak of human performance, but we care just as much about the everyday Joe and Jill who come to our events to challenge themselves and find something in themselves through gravel. We are humbled to know some of our riders spend their hard-earned money and vacation to come to Lincoln, NE on a hot August weekend to experience something special, and we work to make sure you get what you came for.
Above all, we want to say THANK YOU! Thank you to our Volunteers, Sponsors, and most importantly our participants. Thank you to each and every member of our Gravel Family. We know our event means nothing without each of you. We hope our hard work and love shows and you truly feel at home at our events.
Thank you!
Sofia, Dallas, Jess, Hannah, Jason, Whitney, Nettie and Josalyn
Gravel Worlds® Crew
#RideForRandy
Randy Gibson was one of the greatest humans in our Gravel Family. We lost Randy to a drunk driver in 2017. Those who were blessed to know him still think of him when we throw our leg over and start pedaling on the gravel seas. It didn’t matter if it was 110° or -10°, Randy was on the bike and there was no place he’d rather be. He helped bring Gravel Worlds to where it is today and we will never forget the Friend, Husband, and Father he was. We miss you Randy and we will always strive to treat everyone with love and kindness based on your life example.
Randy Gibson
2021 Randy Gibson Climber Jersey Winners:
Chase Wark and Lauren De Crescenzo
2019 RG Climbing Jersey Winners:
Alison Tetrick and Brendan Housler with Christy (far right) and Sofia Gibson (far left)