Launching in 2026, Gravel ‘Sota is an alternative to the traditional race-centric model. This initiative is a statewide gravel cycling series designed to connect independent events under a shared banner—without a series entry fee for riders or pressure to compete.
Unlike many series, Gravel ‘Sota doesn’t replace existing events—it amplifies them. Each participating event keeps its identity, routes, vibe, and ownership while benefiting from shared storytelling, promotion, and a season-long narrative that celebrates consistency, determination, and community involvement.
As gravel becomes both mainstream and monetized, Gravel ‘Sota is a quiet counterpoint. Some events feel like races, others like long, hard rides with friends. What ties them together isn’t competition, but the idea that showing up—again and again—and simply finishing what you started is worthy of celebration.
The series also doubles as a love letter to Minnesota’s gravel roads—thousands of miles of rural connectors that pass through farmland, forests, and small towns where cyclists fill cafés and convenience stores on Saturday mornings. Gravel ‘Sota doesn’t just chart routes; it traces relationships between riders, organizers, and the places that host them.
In an era when cycling often feels divided between elite performance and casual recreation, Gravel ‘Sota occupies the wide, dusty middle ground—where effort is real, expectations are flexible, and the best stories often happen far from the finish line.
some of our COMMUNITY MEMBERS
Heck of the North Productions – Flatlands Cycling – Brainerd Family YMCA – Greater Mankato Bike and Walk Advocates – Bike Thief River Falls – Level Be Adventures
STRANGERS OR FAMILY?
There is something powerful about discovering that someone else loves the same music you do. At that moment, you are no longer strangers. You have a shared reference point and language that bridges any differences.
That same power exists inside the gravel cycling community. We often think we’re “just individuals” participating in isolated events, spread across regions, formats, and philosophies—but we’re actually all part of the same tribe. We share the same values of exploration, inclusion, and adventure.
If we recognize each other not as strangers, we unlock a deeper belonging. When we decide to come together—across events, across zip codes—we become stronger, louder, and more magnetic as we continue shaping the future of the sport in Minnesota.