Sue's story: Gravel Worlds

BaseCamp athlete Sue Hageman shared her experience at the 2026 Gravel Worlds bike race in Nebraska.

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GW was so much fun!! Good times, great friends, great weather and a fast course!!! The adrenaline of meeting more basecampers and coaches set the stage for a great race for all. I raced the 35ish ride. I will break it into thirds, as there were 3 uphill and downhill sections.

At the start of the race I was feeling good once I got out of the blob. The weather was nice and cool at the start but humid. Menachem got me set up with a pre-race warmup, which really helped!! The route started going east facing the sun. Once we turned north, it felt so much cooler. There was a flat section, and I took advantage of that and flew. And as luck would have it, we had to stop for a train. 🫤 At the aid station I only stopped at aid station for a couple minutes. I took Tim’s advice lol. I had plenty of water but picked up some pickle juice and a bobo bite.

Once back on the gravel, I started pushing it to take advantage of those who stopped longer. We hit some pavement around a town, which was a nice break. Once we got out of town, we hit the last hilly section. As I was climbing out of town, I felt like I had a great tailwind. When I suddenly realized it was Jeremy from Lauf giving me a push!! I was beginning to wonder if I pushed too hard too soon. But looking at elevation afterwards, it was the higher elevation of the 3 hilly sections.

We got off the gravel and onto the trail to the finish. Once I hit the trail, I was flying. I felt happy and satisfied at the end!!!

Thanks, Menachem, for all your support and guidance. I felt strong and happy!!!! It was wonderful to see Tina at the finish line. She’s a great cheerleader. I hit my nutrition water intake!!! score!!! I kept remembering I have trained for this and I am strong! Thanks, BaseCamp and BC friends! You’re the BEST.