Nancy's story: Gravel Worlds

BaseCamp athlete Nancy Mizak shared her experience at the 2025 Lauf Gravel Worlds bike race in Nebraska.

My last race of the season couldn't have been a more memorable experience. I started out with my teammates, who were faster starters than me, so instead of burning my matches in the first 10 miles, I steadied my pace and kept moving, picking up my pace once my legs loosened up. Dealt with a little cramping, but that eased after stopping at the aid station around 50 miles. My plan to negative split the second half was hampered by pretty good pain from a recurring foot issue, so managing how hard to push with pain to make it to the finish was leading my thoughts.

I am glad to have had the courage to take on the challenge of doing Gravel Worlds, it was a great course, and riding in Nebraska was beautiful! But seriously, there is nothing that beats the incredible outpouring of support, love, and camaraderie that BaseCamp continuously brings, what an incredible group of good humans! I especially want to thank my coach Liz Inglese, whose expertise, guidance, and never-ending encouragement made all the difference in my being able to do well this season.