Mine Creek Gravel Battle to lure cyclists to area on Saturday

Dozens of cyclists took part in the Mine Creek Gravel Battle last year. This year about 100 riders are expected to take to the backcountry roads in Linn County for Saturday's event. (Mine Creek Gravel Battle Facebook)

By Roger Sims, Journal staff

linncountyjournal@icloud.com

MOUND CITY – Mound City will become the center of the regional gravel bicycling world on Saturday, April 28, as an estimated 100 cyclists are expected to take part in the 2026 Mine Creek Gravel Battle.

Cyclists will take off the starting line at 9:30 a.m. and head out on one of two routes: the 50 kilometer route or the 100 kilometer route (30- and 60-mile races). The races will course through the countryside on trails, gravel roads and dirt roads.

It is not the only gravel road event that uses Linn County roads. The Nighthawk Winery Gravel Ride in the fall dips from Miami County into the area around Trading Post.

The Gravel Battle’s website promotes the event not only as an off-the-pavement bike race but also as an opportunity to explore Linn County’s scenic beauty and rich historical background.

Cyclists will meet at Blue Dog Winery’s Coyote Tasting Room in Mound City before the start. They are also encouraged to return to the Coyote following the race for wine, beer, and food.

Interest on cycling on gravel roads has exploded in recent years, due largely to the popularity of races like the Flint Hills Gravel Ride that centers around Emporia.

Tim Howard, one of the event’s organizers, said that three conditions in Linn County made for a great race: the “superb” condition of gravel roads, very little traffic and the changes in elevation.

“It’s super nice for racing,” Howard said. “Several of us have places around Mound City, and we like to share the area with people.”

In addition to cyclists from the Kansas City metro area, this year’s race is drawing people from all over, including Florida, Arkansas, as well as riders from all over Kansas and Missouri.

He said the race, and the environment in the area, offered opportunities to draw tourists to the area.

We hope one of the things that draws people, he said. He added he would love it if the opportunity to ride the gravel roads brought more people to experience the shops around Mound City.

In last fall’s Blackhawk Winery race, this reporter witnessed cyclists were pedaling down an otherwise desolate roadway. A driver in a pickup came barreling down in the opposite direction without slowing, leaving riders to pedal through a thick cloud of dust.

Howard said many times cyclists would meet only one or two vehicles the entire race, again a reason that Linn County makes an ideal place for the race.

It would really be nice if people slowed down when they met the racers on the gravel roads so that they wouldn’t have to eat so much dust, he added.