Lovers of gravel cycling roll into the bluff country of southeastern Minnesota because of its beautiful and challenging backroads across uplands and through river valleys. Now the U.S.
national championships are headed there, too, a major stamp of approval for the region’s cycling scene. The nationals will be held in September 2025 and 2026 in the city of La Crescent, Minn. La Crosse, Wis.
, just across the Mississippi River, will co-host, according to the event’s governing body, USA Cycling. The organization’s Minnesota chapter welcomed the news. “We are absolutely thrilled that USA Cycling selected that location and this region,” said Jeff Hilligoss, Minnesota Cycling Federation president.
“The history of gravel in southeastern Minnesota is super rich.” USA Cycling sanctions championships across styles of cycling, from track and road to mountain biking and BMX racing. The national championships news comes at a time when gravel cycling — riding on unpaved dirt and gravelly roads — appears to be as popular as ever, especially in Minnesota.
More organized races and rides of various distances pop up every year, joining mainstays like Ragnarok and the Filthy 50. While some forms of cycling ebbed after its pandemic-era boom, gravel riding maintained its popularity, Hilligoss said. In bluff country, the riding can include lung-busting ridge climbs followed by dusty, devil-may-care descents.
Hilligoss credits the exhilarating experience and the sport’s all-comers.