Participants in the second annual Greenwood Gravel Grind bike ride enjoyed the varied terrain of the courses while also powering through the muddy conditions created by rainfall days prior to Saturday’s event.
“They all came back a little muddy,” said Beth Stevens, executive director of the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce, the organizer of the event.
Greenwood Gravel Grind cyclists Andy Laird, Chris Roberts, Blake Andrews and Skip Kuzel begin the hilly trek in Carroll County.
“We had very excellent weather conditions with the exception of the mud on the levees,” said Richard Beattie, a co-founder and adviser for the event. “The biggest downside was it rained so much it left the levees very muddy.”
Of the approximately 120 people who had registered for the event, about 80 participated in either the 50K ride or the 100K ride.
About 98% of the cyclists came from out of town, Stevens said. Since many of the out-of-towners had previously participated in the Bikes, Blues & Bayous bike ride, they were familiar with the city of Greenwood and events hosted by the Chamber of Commerce.
Both Greenwood Gravel Grind courses began and ended at the Rail Spike Park Pavilion in downtown Greenwood and went through varied terrain — from the flat Delta plains in Leflore County to the rolling hills in Carroll County — which served as a draw for many riders.
That was the reason why Bill King of Collierville, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis, said he preferred Greenwood Gravel Grind over Bikes, Blues & Bayous, which he had participated in before.
“It’s more challenging,” King said. “You have Delta and hills — the change of terrain. It’s not so monotonous.”
King had signed up for the 100K bike ride but ended up riding the 50K route. Or, he said with a laugh, a little more than 50 kilometers: “I made a wrong turn and added 3 miles.”
John Willis of Southaven had also signed up for the 100K bike ride but ultimately opted instead for the 50K route the day of the event.
“It’s wonderful,” Willis said of the course. “The Delta is beautiful.”
Riding through the muddy levees was a challenge, he said. The rain a few days earlier had softened the ground on the levee, causing bikes to sink into the mud.
Timber Keys, left, and Rhonda Qualls enjoy themselves at a rest stop during Saturday’s Greenwood Gravel Grind.
Ronda Qualls of Jonesboro, Arkansas, who participated in the 50K bike ride, said one stretch of the course on one of the levees was “super-duper muddy.”
It was so muddy, in fact, that Qualls said she and some of her friends from Jonesboro ended up having to walk while pushing their bikes for 3 miles.
“That sand, it’s like the devil himself pulls us down,” she said to some of her friends.
“The course was fine. It was just muddy, but that’s part of gravel riding,” she added.
Qualls had participated in Bikes, Blues & Bayous before and said she preferred that bike ride since “the stops at BBB are just top notch.” Still, she said of Greenwood Gravel Grind that “the 50K is really good.”
King also said he and some other nearby cyclists ended up having to walk 1 to 2 miles while they were on the levee. Like Qualls, however, he said the hardships are just “part of gravel riding.”
At the Greenwood Gravel Grind post-ride party are, from left, Bozo Scott, Steve Patterson, Ungelique McKinnon and Roosevelt McKinney.
For Andrew Kellum of Tupelo, one hard part of the course, besides the muddy levees, was near Greenwood-Leflore Airport, where bicyclists had to trek up a large hill that marked the end of the Delta terrain and the beginning of hilly land in Carroll County.
“It’s kind of a shock to your legs after being on the flatland,” Kellum said.
Though the bicyclists were of different ages and came from different towns, one thing tied them all together: Just about all said they’re excited to come back next year.
That’s the case for Qualls and her friends, as well as King.
Willis also said he intends to come back for next year’s Gravel Grind, in addition to Bikes, Blues & Bayous.
“I really, really enjoy the city here,” Willis said. “It’s very welcoming for the people to be happy to see the cyclists.”
Noting that Bikes, Blues & Bayous has become the state’s biggest bike ride, he said he hopes Greenwood Gravel Grind will soon share that accolade. “It’s good for the town, and it’s good for the cyclists, too.”
Beattie said a third annual Greenwood Gravel Grind will be held next year but said he’s not sure when.
The idea was for it to take place the last Saturday of April so it wouldn’t conflict with popular weekend fall activities, such as college football. “It’s hard to compete with football in this area,” he said.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed this year’s event from April to September. “I think doing it in the fall is something we’re going to look into, because I had comments from several of the riders that they prefer this time of year as opposed to the spring,” Beattie said.
Other potential changes for next year’s event include different course routes and the addition of a third distance, probably longer than 100 kilometers, Beattie said.
“We want to change the courses every couple of years,” Beattie said.
Additionally, he’d like to add more rest stops that can serve snacks and drinks for the riders, even if they aren’t “as fancy as what we have in BBB.”
There were two rest stops for this year’s Gravel Grind — one near the airport that served cyclists on both the 50K and 100K routes and another near Acy’s Grocery & Deli in Carroll County that served only 100K cyclists.
Also, Beattie said he’d like to introduce more social activities to entertain Gravel Grind riders for the whole weekend, as Bikes, Blues & Bayous normally has. That all depends, however, on when the pandemic is over, he said.
Hospitality will continue to be an emphasis for future rides.
“The riders overwhelmingly say that we have one of the most hospitable events that they’ve ever been to,” Beattie said. “We’re going above and beyond to express the hospitality that we’re known for.”
• Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
