Mid South has become a popular endurance weekend in the US for both gravel cyclists and runners. It began as a 107-mile race back in 2011 as gravel was just starting to take off, and now offers multiple foot race distance options on Friday followed by the main event bike race on Saturday. Racers can even double up and take on the Mega Mid South, which includes both the 50 km run and 100-mile ride. This year over 4,000 people were registered to compete in at least one of the categories. Many athletes view it as an ideal test case for the upcoming Grand Prix and summer gravel season.
Beyond the legendary rolling red dirt roads – which can either be very dry and fast or turn to muddy clay if there's moisture – it’s the vibe that keeps racers and supporters coming back every year. The Mid South team and town of Stillwater welcome riders and runners with open arms, offering adjacent events for a full four days surrounding the races.
Event founder and owner of the local bike shop District Bicycles, Bobby Wintle, is a tour de force. To be sure, there is a massive community effort that goes into making this event happen each year, but Bobby leads the way. He has tremendous pride in his town and wants to show it off to the world.
A difficult decision
When I caught up with Bobby on Thursday’s community ride led by apparel brand Ripton, he could hardly contain his emotion and excitement. Hundreds of people had shown up for the fun gathering that kicked off the weekend, which was significantly better-attended than in previous years.
Then he was up with the sun the following morning, sending runners off into the countryside and welcoming each one back to the finish line with a big hug and words of encouragement. He’d have been back there on Saturday doing the same for cyclists until the very last one finished with a storied DFL (dead fucking last) celebration party late into the night. He’d also find time to play guitar on stage with his band.
4,000+ participants plus another couple thousand volunteers and supporters is a lot of people to descend on the town of Stillwater (population ~49,000). That’s a significant community to show up and, in turn, Bobby, his partner Crystal, and the District crew want to show up for them. Which is why the decision to cancel the race was such a difficult one.
But in a video statement posted to Instagram late Friday night, Bobby outlined the reasons they called it off, primarily citing the strained capacity of emergency response teams, along with the potential number of riders that would be out on the roads and in town. Thousands of people and visitors had been evacuated already from homes and hotels on the west side of town as fires approached. There were even reports of racers evacuating from campgrounds.
Competing priorities
Even earlier in the evening, pros and amateurs alike were posting their decisions to not ride on social media. Many commented on prioritizing personal health and community sensitivity if faced with making the decision to participate or not.
Whitney Allison, fresh off her win in Colombia’s Transcordilleras, posted on her personal Instagram story: “I am not racing Mid South tomorrow … The AQI [Air Quality Index] is nearly 200. It feels not appropriate and especially not to Stillwater residents who live here every day and not just this weekend. I would leave now but it’s literally too windy to drive out of here. I understand others might come to a different conclusion.”
Dylan Johnson posted a video from the interstate showing flames and plumes of smoke with the caption: “Making the call, no Mid South Gravel for me tomorrow. Prioritizing health, there’s always another race.”
Sarah Sturm shared similar sentiments. “I think this is a personal decision for most and also easily influenced by what others are doing. This is a great reminder that choosing health is okay. We all 'buy in' to these races in different ways and have a lot to consider. As do race promoters, sponsors, volunteers, everyone. I will not be racing, I’m so bummed for everyone impacted by this extreme weather.”
Once the race was called off, attention was redirected to support and recovery efforts. John Borstelmann, third place in last year’s Mid South, commented on Instagram, "Miraculously, it’s clear this morning. But the community needs to focus on recovering from yesterday’s disaster. It’s no time for a bike race. Feeling terrible for those who lost their homes.”
Alex Roszko, freelance photographer, commented, “I’m sure there are a lot of other external factors that we may not be aware of - insurance, city officials, emergency services, that may have affected the order of events and the uncertainty of everything. I mean, this all happened within 6 hours, it was a literal whirlwind of stress and uncertainty, so once all the facts outweighed the unknown, the correct call was made to cancel the event. I think the organization has a lot of love and passion that they wanted to share with everyone so I can imagine it was a difficult decision to make until it was clear.”
On Saturday morning, District Bicycles joined community efforts in distributing water and other provisions to those impacted. There is now a Stillwater Wildfire Relief raffle on Mid South’s website with the description “100% of this collection will go to Stillwater families and agencies involved with wildfire recovery. Thank you for supporting the Stillwater community!”
They have also published a few “safe” routes for folks that are in town and interested in riding. There will also be live music at Stone Cloud Brewing all day.
The reality
The New York Times reported on the events as an “outbreak of wildfires fueled by dry conditions and hurricane-force winds was rapidly spreading across the Texas Panhandle and parts of Oklahoma on Friday, prompting evacuations, wreaking havoc on the roads and leaving thousands without power.”
In the article, Rich Otto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, is quoted saying, “It’s somewhat alarming how many fires there are and how quickly they are developing. It’s too many to count. Another hour goes by and another half-dozen fires develop.”
The reality is that cycling events in the US, and many locations around the world, will be subject to natural disasters in the future, just as pro road races are increasingly affected – and neutralized – by extreme weather conditions. In 2024, Crusher in the Tushar, Big Bear Grizzly, and a stage of Rebecca’s Private Idaho were all canceled due to wildfire outbreaks. There have been others and there will be more.
Even without the event that could have been, the vibe in Stillwater on Saturday afternoon as I write this remains overwhelmingly positive. While the chain of events unfolded quickly and official communication could have been provided earlier, lessons were learned and hopefully other events take note. Now, however, rather than focusing on a bike race, the community has come together taking care to sustain the spirit of the event through service and support. Mid South will return next year and it will be stronger than ever.
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