Nancy's story: Gravel Worlds

BaseCamp athlete Nancy Mizak shared her experience at the 2026 Gravel Worlds bike race in Nebraska.

Sometimes the thing you needed the most is the thing that you are completely surprised to receive......I had prepared and trained hard for the 75-miler at Gravel Worlds, with the hope of doing well. We were happy to hear that we would be riding the alternate course, since heavy rains the days before the race had made the MMRs unrideable. Keeping the discipline not to start too hard, I knew it would take about an hour for me to settle in. I was pleasantly surprised to hear two BaseCamp friends I had met in Mallorca come up behind me. We worked well together and had so much fun catching up while riding together. I was feeling great and enjoying pulling during the first 50 miles, and then cramps hit me. I encouraged my teammates to go ahead, but the BaseCamp mantra of Stronger Together prevailed, and we pressed on, crossing the finish together. There were so many good things that happened for me during this event, but nothing compared to the camaraderie and working together through the whole race with Team BaseCamp members Adam Maas and Natalie Kempkey.