The third annual Greenwood Gravel Grind is an off-road cycling event held “in the most Southern place on Earth with the best Southern hospitality on Earth,” says Richard Beattie.
“Right now, we have exceeded the number we had signed up for last year,” said Beattie, a co-founder of Greenwood Gravel Grind.
One of the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce’s newest events, Greenwood Gravel Grind is being presented this year by sponsor Indian Cycle of Ridgeland. The event will be held Saturday, April 17 and will feature two gravel rides — 50 kilometers, or about 31 miles, and 100 kilometers, about 62 miles. Both will start at 8 a.m.
As of Friday afternoon, there were 134 registered participants. Last year’s gravel ride brought out 123. Beattie said he is expecting about 30 to 40 more to register by the entry deadline.
“There’s always a large contingent of people who wait to see what the weather is going to be like before they sign up,” he said.
A long-range forecast predicts sunshine with clouds mixed and a high of 71. So Beattie is hopeful about the turnout, which is already set to be the largest Greenwood Gravel Grind yet.
This year’s event will feature a new start and finish location and new routes for each ride.
The ride will begin and end at the Greenwood-Leflore Airport, located off U.S. 82 about 6 miles east of downtown Greenwood.
From there, participants will head out on routes that will feature more gravel and no levees this year.
“The reason we did that is because one of the big attractions of gravel riding is the fact that you are going off road, and for most of the riders who are doing a lot of gravel riding, the reason they are doing it is because they don’t want to be on pavement any more than they have to,” said Beattie.
Last year, cyclists had to ride down to Humphrey Highway and get off the pavement onto the levees. After it rains, however, the levees become muddy terrain.
“We had a good amount of miles of the levee that turned to that Mississippi Delta gumbo, and most people who rode on the levees, at the end they had to get off their bikes and walk them through it because it was so muddy,” said Beattie.
The new routes avoid the levees and cut down time spent riding on pavement.
“We’re going to start at the airport and go immediately into the hills,” said Beattie
He said the rides will “make big loops into Carroll County,” where riders can take in the mixture of sights of the Carroll County hills and the flat alluvial Delta plains.
“That’s what they are looking for — off the paved roads and a lot of hills,” Beattie said. “From the comments that we had about the last two rides, they wanted more hills and more challenge. ... With changing the routes, we’ve added a lot more hills, so I think that’s going to be a big win for us.”
Greenwood Gravel Grind riders are looking for the opposite experience from its sister event, Bikes, Blues & Bayous — the state’s largest cycling event.
“BBB is more of staying on pavement and flat roads, avoiding hills. BBB riders love that flatland, and these gravel riders love the hills, so we’re giving them all they can stand,” said Beattie.
Greenwood Gravel Grind, which was moved from April to September last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, will continue to follow COVID health and safety guidelines.
“We are aware that there’s still a pandemic going on, and we are taking precautions to be in compliance and be safe for our riders,” said Beattie. “Safety is always No. 1 on our minds when people are coming to ride, whether they are coming from locally or they are coming from out of state. ... We’re taking the COVID-19 guidelines seriously.”
The event will include the same precautions as last year’s Bikes, Blues & Bayous and Greenwood Gravel Grind, such as making sure there’s minimal contact with volunteers, hand sanitizing stations and individually packaged food.
“We’re still diligent on being COVID safe,” said Beattie.
There will be six SAG vehicles and rest stops.
When the riders complete their treks, a post-ride cookout called “Hang at the Hangar” will be held at the airport. A cooking team will be on site, and the menu will include brats, beer, baked beans and baked potatoes. There will also be a live blues performance.
The entry fee is $65. Online registration will close at 10 a.m. Friday. In-person registration will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. Friday at the Chamber of Commerce, 402 U.S. 82 W. No ride day entries will be allowed.
All riders will receive a custom Greenwood Gravel Grind windbreaker in their goody bags this year. The bright green lightweight jacket features a foldable hood, zippered chest pocket and is water repellant.
Tickets for a bike raffle are available for $5 each. Three prizes altogether worth $5,000 will be given away. The prize drawing will be held at Bike, Blues & Bayous on Aug. 7.
Beattie said one way the event has grown in numbers is through a partnership with the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s.
“Cycling has been proven to be of a great benefit to people suffering from Parkinson’s to reduce their symptoms,” said Beattie, who has Parkinson’s disease.
The foundation was created by Davis Phinney, an Olympic bronze medalist and Tour de France stage winner who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2000.
“He started a foundation to help people live with Parkinson’s in a better way,” said Beattie. “We’ve been partnering with them, donating money we raise by selling cycling jerseys and individual donations made by people when they register. ... We get a little national attention that way. It’s a good partnership.”
A 2021 cycling jersey kit is currently available to purchase online and will also be available to Bikes, Blues & Bayous participants.
“We have a new design this year,” said Beattie. “Last year, we raised almost $6,000.”
For more information or to register, visit greenwoodgravelgrind.com.
- Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7235 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
