Gary's story: Gravel Worlds

BaseCamp athlete Gary Wenzl shared his experience at the 2025 Lauf Gravel Worlds bike race in Nebraska.

Loved the Thursday BaseCamp Q&A and the advice Tim gave me on not trying to race this one. A BaseCamp four-week training plan was one of the best things I ever bought. This was the third time using it this summer and was the most difficult (coming off an injury plus having to miss the first week of it due to keeping peace in the family wife). Even though I know my zones were not correct, I showed up for every session, did what I could, and it miraculously had me ready to ride the 75 feeling pretty strong.

I was focusing on my climbing, which I thought went really well for the most part. The last 24 miles I was dealing with some leg cramps and found that some deep nose breathing seemed to minimize the cramps. I think I forget to breathe lol. Otherwise felt strong, and part of me wanted to race! Even at the very end, it was hard not to go all out and try to beat 3-4 other cyclists ahead of me (I kept telling myself, "You're not racing").

I did briefly stop in weeping water to refill my hydration pack knowing I needed more to finish but had enough good fuel to make 5-1/2 hrs if needed. I also passed quite a few cyclists along the way wearing Basecamp jerseys and said, "Nice jersey," as I road by. It was super fun and really helped my confidence (although I did more breaking on downhill speeds going east and west when there was a little crosswind that still made me a little uncomfortable).

Not sure I'll get back to where I once was but feeling good about preparing for my last race of the year!