Enhance Cycling P/B Nebraska Medicine

10/15/2026

Race Recap: The Dozinky Doozy

They don’t call it a doozy for nothing.

On Saturday, October 3, the team headed to Prague, Nebraska for the Dozinky Doozy, a 200km harvest gravel challenge with about 11,000 feet of climbing through the Bohemian Alps north of Lincoln. If you’ve never ridden out there, let’s clear something up: Nebraska is not flat. The Bohemian Alps are big hills, then more big hills, then a few more just to make sure you got the point.

The Course

The route is shaped like a cloverleaf, with three separate 40-mile loops that each start and finish at Czechland Lake. It mixes dirt roads, steep climbs, and a trip down into the Platte River valley. Solo riders get 10 hours and 25 minutes to finish, which works out to a 12 mph pace. That sounds generous until you see the elevation profile.

Since 2025 the Doozy has also offered a 3-person relay, with each rider taking on one loop before handing off back at Czechland Lake. That’s where our guys made their mark.

Conditions

The forecast for the area called for sunny skies, a high near 68, and a south wind of 5 to 9 mph with gusts up to 17 mph. Pleasant on paper. On those exposed ridgelines with the climbing piling up, the riders found plenty of headwind to fight.

The Relay: Top Spot

Randy Root teamed up with Brad Oldfield and Sean Speck for the relay, and they brought home the win.
Brad hammered the first loop and handed off with a huge lead. Sean pushed through a tough headwind on the second loop to hold onto it. Randy anchored the team on the final leg, toughing out the brutal elevation and more headwind to bring it home. He called it probably the most difficult and punishing 40-ish miles he’s ridden, but also some of the most fun. He also admitted it was the first race where he’s ever had page anxiety. If you know, you know.
Brad set the tone, Sean held it together into the wind, and Randy closed it out on the hardest leg. That’s how you win a relay.

Eric Biehl and Sam Milone each took on one of the 40-mile loops, and neither one got an easy day. Fierce headwinds and huge elevation met them at every turn, and it seemed like every climb came with the wind in your face. Both ground through it and finished strong. Any loop of the Doozy is a serious day on the bike, and Eric and Sam earned every mile.

A big shoutout to race director Trevor Slawnyk, who started the Doozy in 2024 and fell in love with the Bohemian Alps and their ch*****ne gravel. Trevor and his volunteers put on a truly grassroots event that was well run, welcoming, and hard in all the right ways. Kolaches and cold brew at check-in, a tractor lead-out at the start, and a post-ride meal at the finish. It doesn’t get much more Nebraska than that.

Huge thanks to Matt Pearson for the amazing photos. Matt captured the hills, the grit, and the fun of the day.

Congrats to everyone who showed up!. The Doozy delivered exactly what it promised: a tough, beautiful, unforgettable day on gravel.

We’ll be back.

See you out there.

10/15/2026

Riding Into the Wind: How to Survive Headwinds

If you ride in Nebraska, you ride in wind. There’s no mountain range to slow it down, and somehow it always seems to be in your face. You head out into a brutal north wind, suffer for 20 miles, and turn around ready for that sweet tailwind home. Then, by some law of prairie physics, the wind has shifted and it’s in your face again. Around here, a headwind both ways isn’t bad luck. It’s just a Tuesday.

You can’t change the wind, but you can change how you ride in it. Here’s what’s worked for me. As always, this is just my opinion based on a lot of miles fighting it.

Pace by Effort, Not Speed

The biggest mistake riders make in a headwind is trying to hold their normal speed. Your speedometer is going to drop, and that’s fine. Ride by effort or heart rate instead. If you normally cruise at 18 mph and the wind knocks you down to 13, but your effort is the same, you’re riding it right. Chasing your usual speed will blow you up in the first half hour.
Example: You head out on a 40 mile loop with a 20 mph wind from the north. If the first half is into the wind, ride it at a steady, moderate effort and accept the slower pace. Save your energy, because the tailwind home will make up for it.

Get Low and Narrow

Your body creates most of the drag on the bike. Get out of the tops and ride in the drops or with your hands on the hoods and forearms flatter. Bend your elbows, tuck your head, and pull your knees in. Even small changes in position make a big difference over a long stretch of road.
Shift Down and Spin

Don’t grind a big gear. Drop into an easier gear and keep your cadence up, just like you would on a long climb. Spinning saves your legs and helps you keep a steady effort when gusts hit.

Use the Group

Riding with others is the best weapon against the wind. Take short pulls. In a group, the rider in front does the hard work. Keep your turns short, 30 seconds to a minute, then rotate off before you’re cooked.

Don’t surge at the front. When it’s your turn to pull, keep the same effort the group was riding. Spiking the pace splits the group and wastes everyone’s energy.

Watch the angle. In a crosswind, the draft isn’t directly behind the rider in front. Shift to the side away from the wind to find shelter, and be careful not to overlap wheels.

Example: On a group ride with a wind from the left, ride slightly to the right of the wheel in front of you. You’ll feel the difference right away.

Plan Your Route Around the Wind

Check the wind direction before you leave. When possible, ride out into the wind and come home with it at your back. Starting fresh into the wind is a lot easier than fighting it at the end of a ride when you’re tired and low on fuel.

Watch Your Equipment

Deep wheels can be a handful. Tall rims catch crosswinds and can push your front wheel around. On really gusty days, shallower wheels are easier to control.
Loose clothing costs you. A flapping jacket or vest is like a small parachute. Wear fitted clothing on windy days.

Stay Mentally Tough

Headwinds are as much mental as physical. Break the ride into smaller pieces, like the next mile marker, the next turn, or the next town. Remember that everyone else out there is fighting the same wind.

Bottom Line

Ride by effort, get low, spin an easy gear, work with your group, and plan your route so the wind helps you home. You won’t win against the wind, but you can ride smarter in it.

See you out there.

10/02/2026

Let's talk about pressure

A while back I was standing around at a crit talking with Julia Borer, and the conversation turned to tire pressure. I grew up riding in the late '90s, when the rule was simple: pump your road tires up to the max printed on the sidewall. Harder meant faster, and harder meant fewer flats. That's what everyone did, and nobody questioned it.

Julia brought up a lot of points that challenged that thinking, and rightfully so! What started as small talk turned into a real deep dive. It changed how I look at pressure, and it sent me down a rabbit hole of calculators, data, and a lot of trial and error on my own bikes.
This post focuses on gravel, but the same principles apply on the road. And as with anything you read on the interwebs, this is just my opinion based on what I've seen and ridden. Take what's useful, test it yourself, and find what works for you.

Why Pressure Matters So Much

Too much pressure and the bike bounces off every rock, losing speed and traction while beating you up. Too little and the tire squirms in corners, feels sluggish, and risks pinch flats or rim damage. The goal is the sweet spot in between, where the tire absorbs the road instead of fighting it.
SILCA's Josh Poertner describes this as a "hockey stick." As pressure goes up on a given surface, rolling resistance drops slowly and steadily until it hits a breakpoint, then climbs fast. You want to stay on the gentle side of that curve, which usually means lower than you think.

There's More Than One Calculator

Several free calculators can give you a solid starting point. Riders commonly compare ones from ENVE, SRAM, and Rene Herse, alongside SILCA's. Here's a quick rundown:

SILCA Pro Pressure Calculator. SILCA built its algorithm by curve fitting more than 4,000 real-world pressure optimizations, including pro race setups. The basic Lite version only uses total system weight and measured tire width. The Pro version is free with an email and adds surface condition, wheel diameter, average speed, and weight distribution or bike type.

SRAM / Zipp (AXS Tire Pressure Guide). Zipp's calculator handles any rim size along with tubed, hooked tubeless, and hookless tubeless setups. Some riders favor it because it factors in internal rim width, which significantly changes the tire's internal volume.
ENVE. ENVE offers its own pressure guide, which is especially handy if you're riding their wheels.

Rene Herse. Rene Herse, known for its supple gravel tires, also offers a calculator based on rider weight, tire size, and surface.

Wolf Tooth app. One nice feature riders point out is that it pulls the current temperature from your phone and adjusts the pressure to match.

Don't be surprised when these tools disagree. They use different inputs and are tuned for different goals, and as one forum poster noted, differing parameters make side-by-side comparisons tricky. Some tools aim for the absolute fastest pressure, which can land higher than what most riders find comfortable. Pick one, use it consistently, and treat the result as a starting point.

Measure Your Tire

Most calculators work best when you give them the real width of your installed tire, and SILCA specifically asks for the measured width at the casing. The number on the sidewall is often wrong. Road tires usually measure wider than labeled on modern wide rims, but gravel tires can go the other way. SILCA found a 2.25 inch WTB Riddler measured just 51mm at the casing on one rim, even though it measured 56 to 57mm across the tread. Grab a set of calipers and measure across the casing, not the k***s.

Let's Run One Together

Here's a typical gravel setup for one of our riders, run through the SILCA Pro calculator:

Rider weight: 180 lbs
Bike weight: 20 lbs
Gear (bottles, bag, tools, food): 5 lbs
Total system weight: 205 lbs
Wheel size / Tire Type: 700c / Puncture Resistant Tubeless / Latex Tube
Measured width: 40mm, measured at 40mm on the casing
Surface: Cat 2 Gravel
Average speed: Recreational Ride
Weight Distribution: Gravel (47/53)
Result:
Front: 34 psi
Rear: 36 psi

Two things to notice. First, the rear is higher than the front, because more of your weight sits over the back wheel. If you've been running the same pressure on both ends, that alone is worth changing. Second, speed affects the answer. SILCA's data shows faster riders often end up slightly higher because they hit obstacles harder, which raises pinch flat risk.

Fine Tuning for the Day

A calculator gets you close. Real-world conditions finish the job:
Wet or soft roads. Dropping a psi or two below your dry baseline adds grip and helps the tire float over soft spots.
Fresh, chunky gravel. Loose, deep rock rewards lower pressure for traction, but watch rim strikes. If you're bottoming out, add a little back.

Lots of pavement in the route. Mixed routes can justify a slight bump for efficiency on the hardtop sections.
Temperature. Pressure set in a warm garage will drop on a cold morning. Check it outside right before the ride.
Make one change at a time. Adjust in small steps, one or two psi, and pay attention to how the bike feels. If the tire squirms in corners or you feel the rim, you've gone too low.

Get a Good Gauge

All of this falls apart if your gauge is off. Floor pump gauges can be surprisingly inaccurate, especially at low gravel pressures where a few psi makes a big difference. A dedicated digital gauge is cheap and lets you hit the same number every time.

Bottom Line

Pick a calculator, measure your tire, run your numbers, and then ride and adjust. Write down what works on your favorite roads so you're not starting over every weekend. A few minutes with a calculator and a good gauge will do more for your ride than most upgrades you can buy.

See you out there.

SILCA

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09/25/2026

What's Going On This Fall

It's not cold yet, but you can feel it turning. The light's coming in lower and golder, the days are getting shorter on both ends, and there's just enough cool in the early mornings to hint at what's coming. Fall in Nebraska is the good season. The roads quiet down and everything starts to roll a little easier.

It would roll easier still if it would stop raining. This stretch has been brutal. Driveways turned to ponds, group rides turned to laundry, and the radar looking like a bruise every other day. It has been genuinely awful. But here's the thing about gravel: it does not care. Grit, slop, a little chunder through the corners, that is the whole point. The fall calendar is running strong, so wipe down the drivetrain and let's go.

Gravel: two to close out the season

Both of these come from the mind of Brad Olfield, supported by Arkfeld Acres.

Dutch Hall Enduro: Saturday, October 17, Bennington. 90, 60, or 30 miles rolling out at 8:00 AM. Free entry, cash to the top three. Hard to argue with that price. Sign up here: https://www.bikereg.com/dutch-hall-enduro

The Ponderosa: Saturday, October 31, out at Elk City. 100 and 50 mile options, the hundo rolls at 7:30 and the fifty at 8:00. $50, cash on the line for the top three. A Halloween gravel throwdown with a longhorn watching the finish. Sign up here: https://www.bikereg.com/the-ponderosa-gravel-race

Cross is here

Mark Savery Memorial Grand Prix of Cyclocross at Swanson Park, Bellevue. A full weekend of racing that honors Mark Savery, Omaha's own 2013 Masters World cyclocross champion, run on a course he helped create. Harvest Racing, the local junior and under-23 development crew, puts it on in partnership with Omaha Velo, and they do it right: $20 Trek Store gift cards for every registrant, juniors race for ten bucks, and the weekend raises money to support NICA riders at Omaha NorthStar. All abilities and all bikes are welcome. Keep an eye on BikeReg and their Facebook for the 2026 dates. It usually lands the first weekend of November.

Velo Cross at the Farms, on Saturday, November 14, presented by Omaha Velo. The farms make for a proper cross venue, and Omaha Velo knows how to throw a party in the mud. Registrater here: https://shorturl.at/O2YKB

Chase it into Iowa

Cross is a road-trip sport. Once you catch the bug you will find yourself loading the car for races all over the region, and Iowa runs a deep calendar, from Spooky Cross to the Iowa State Cyclocross Championships. Half the fun is the caravan and the tailgate afterward. Find a crew and go.

So air down, wax the chain, dig out the embro, and we will see you in the mud.

Omaha Velo
Harvest Racing

09/21/2026

Soldier Cutoff Hilduro: Mud, Wind, and Not-So-Flat Loess Hills
September 21, 2026

After a very wet week in western Iowa, Saturday's Soldier Cutoff Hilduro rolled out with roads a little soft and plenty of mud and grime in the air. About 50 riders lined up for the 50k and 100k, and by the time the first wheels crossed the finish, everyone was wearing a good share of the course.

Soft Roads, Strong Wind, Serious Hills

The soft, tacky surface would have been enough of a test, but the wind made it a sturdier day. A strong headwind kept riders honest, and two serious hills stood between the start and the finish. Anyone who rode the race learned quickly that this stretch of the Loess Hills is not flat. The terrain rewarded steady pacing, smart gearing, and a willingness to suffer a bit when the road pitched up.

Team Highlights

It was a strong day for our crew. Randy Root and Eric Biehl each seized top age group honors in the conditions, which is no small feat when the course is fighting back.

The other big story of the day belonged to local team Viking Cycling, who took the top three overall positions. That kind of podium sweep doesn't happen by accident, and it was impressive to watch a team ride that well on a day this demanding.

Behind the Lens

Our own Chris Iten spent the day behind the camera capturing the race while recuperating from a knee surgery, from the muddy starts to the grit on the finish line. He did admit, though, while enjoying documenting the event, next year he might have to put in the effort to unseat a Viking rider from the podium. Consider that a challenge issued!

Thanks and See You Next Time

Thank you to everyone who came out, battled the wind and mud, and made Soldier Cutoff Hilduro a memorable stop on the Iowa Gravel series. Clean the bike, restock the chamois cream, and get ready for the next one.

Iowa Gravel Series

08/25/2026

I woke up the morning after Gravel Worlds and did what half of Lincoln and Omaha cyclists were probably doing at the same time: opened Strava with coffee in hand and started scrolling. PRs everywhere. Distance PRs, time PRs, first-ever-finished-this-distance PRs. It's one of my favorite parts of race weekend, honestly, not the podiums, but that quiet morning-after moment of seeing just how many of our own riders pushed past what they thought they could do. Proud doesn't really cover it. Every single person who came out, competed, or just rode their bike through whatever the weather decided to throw at them this year earned that scroll of PR notifications.

A Weekend at the Biggest Race in Our Backyard

Gravel Worlds has grown into the largest cycling event in our area, and this year, its 17th running in Lincoln, Nebraska, was no exception. What started back in 2010 as roughly 100 riders on an unmarked 150-mile course with nothing but cue sheets and grit has turned into a globally recognized weekend that now pulls in cyclists, runners, and triathletes from across the country. It's a genuine point of pride that an event this size calls our part of Nebraska home.

We spent the weekend at the Exposition, and we want to say a real thank-you to the Gravel Worlds Foundation for having us. It's not something we take for granted: getting a table in front of that many riders is a rare chance to showcase what our team pulled off this year and to talk face-to-face with people about what we're building next. That's exactly what we used it for: sharing this year's fundraising numbers, and putting the spotlight on the Linoma Line, our own gravel ride in Ashland, Nebraska next July. It's a 50k/100k on, flat, fast, and on gravel, with every dollar raised going straight to Nebraska families facing a cancer diagnosis through Scare Away Cancer. If our first year raising $8,000 is any indication, we think this one has real legs, and it was a great crowd to introduce it to.

The Long Voyage Kicks It Off

As always, the weekend didn't really start on Saturday. It started Friday evening, when the 300-mile Long Voyage rolled out from the Sandhills Global Event Center at 5 p.m. Self-supported, no team vehicles, no drop bags, just riders and the road for up to 30 hours through the night. Watching that field disappear into the evening is still one of the wildest parts of the whole weekend, even from the sidelines.

Questionable Skies and the Wet Route Call

Weather was the story of the weekend before a single official mile was raced. Late storms rolled through overnight and left organizers genuinely unsure which routes would even be rideable for the long-distance events. By the time the sections of minimum maintenance road out toward the finish were bogged down, the call came in: wet routes for both the 150 and the 75, trimming some of the technical sections that just weren't safe to run. It marked the first time in Gravel Worlds history the event pulled out a wet-route option for those distances.

Saturday morning didn't do much to settle anyone's nerves, either. Driving over from Omaha to Lincoln, you could see lightning out on the horizon the whole way in, which is not exactly the calming pre-race scenery you're hoping for. Thankfully, the storms pushed through and cleared out before the different waves actually rolled off the line, leaving humid but rideable conditions for the day.

How Our Team Rode

Erin Renze led the way for us in the 150, and led is the right word: she came across the line in an outstanding 9:57, blowing past her own 10-hour goal and taking third in her age group in the process. That's the kind of result that makes the whole team's morning.

In the 75, Eric Biehl put together a strong ride to finish 92nd out of 452 with a time of 4:09. Right behind him, Matthew Copeland turned in a 4:11 (on a single speed, no less), good enough for third place in that specialty field. Randy Root brought it home in 4:28, Hannah Augustine crossed in 4:34, and Morgan Cutler absolutely crushed her race with a 4:47, and Ashley Podwinski rounded out the group in 4:55.

The 35-mile field was just as strong for us. Christian Iten took the podium with a 1:42, followed by Heidi Boschen in 2:03, Shannon Winter in 2:05, and Susan Prince in 2:23.

It wasn't just bikes, either. Derek Augustine represented us on foot in the half marathon, finishing in 1:47.

Every one of those times represents hours of training through a Nebraska summer, and every rider who lined up, whether they're in this recap by name or not, is a reason we do this. Here's to the storms that didn't stop us, the routes that got rerouted around them, and the next twelve months of Strava PRs waiting to happen. See you at the Linoma Line.

08/18/2026

Race Report - Iowa Gravel Series Glenwood Gravel
Enhance Cycling Team headed south to the Loess Hills on August 8 for the Glenwood Gravel Grinder, the race that started it all for the Iowa Gravel Series. Held out of Glenwood Lake Park in Glenwood, Iowa, this is the event that launched the series back in the day, and it still carries that same low-key, community-first feel: neighbors on the course, and miles of "roads (and not roads)" carved through the bluffs.

The Course

Riders had two distance options this year:
50 km (31 miles) with roughly 2,000 feet of climbing
100 km (62 miles) with roughly 3,400 feet of climbing
The 100 km field rolled out at 7:30 a.m., with the 50 km group following at 8:00 a.m. Both routes wound through the Loess Hills' signature terrain: steep, punchy climbs on wind-deposited soil, fast gravel descents, and just enough pavement to catch your breath before the next rise.

How we Rode

Hannah Augustine had a standout day, crossing the line in second place, a strong result on a course that doesn't give anything away for free in the Loess Hills' rollers. Garrett Widholm also put in the miles and crossed the finish, adding another finisher to the team's growing gravel resume this season.

Nice work to both of them for representing us out there.

Up Next: Soldier Cutoff Hillduro

Glenwood was stop five of eight in the 2026 Iowa Gravel Series. Next on the calendar is the Soldier Cutoff Hillduro on September 19, 2026, based out of Pisgah City Park near the Loess Hills State Forest, about six weeks out.

It's a bigger day in the saddle: 50 km (about 35 miles, roughly 2,000 feet of gain) or 100 km (about 56 miles, roughly 4,000 feet of gain), tracing the valleys of the Little Sioux River and Soldier River Cutoff around Preparation Canyon State Park. Organizers bill it as some of the best climbing prep the series offers before the season winds down with Fairfield Harvest Rush and Toppling Goliath in October.

08/15/2026

Welcome home to Gravel Worlds

It is one of the best week of the year on the gravel calendar. Gravel Worlds is back in Lincoln, August 19 through 23, and the whole gravel family is making its way home to Nebraska. Riders are flying in and driving in from all over the country and beyond, and there is nothing quite like the energy that fills the state when they do.
This year we are especially excited, because we are going to be at the Expo, and we would love to see you there.

Come find us at the Expo!

The Gravel Worlds Expo is indoors at the Sandhills Global Event Center, with 70+ vendors and non-profits, the latest gear and apparel, food, music, and that unmistakable gravel community energy. It runs across two days:

Thursday, August 20: 12pm to 6pm and Friday, August 21: 10am to 6pm

We will be there both days, meeting and greeting folks as they come through. Stop by, say hello, and let us tell you a little about what we do and how we are trying to grow the sport and support riders right here in Nebraska.

Just as much, we want to listen. One of the best parts of gravel is the myriad of stories that bring people to it. The rider chasing their first 50k, the family that turned a race weekend into a tradition, the person who found this sport at exactly the right moment in their life. Everyone arrives at the gravel seas by a different road, and we would love to hear how you found yours. Come tell us your story.
A week worth showing up for.

Even if you are not racing, there is a ton to soak in during the week. A few highlights from the schedule:

Wednesday, Aug 19: Welcome Party and Q&A with the Gravel Worlds team at The Rooftop at Bierhaus, 5:30pm to 8pm

Thursday, Aug 20: Expo opens (12pm to 6pm), plus yoga, the

Thursday Night Gravel group ride, and the BaseCamp race-prep panel

Friday, Aug 21: Expo (10am to 6pm), community rides, live music, the Kids Race presented by WOOM, and the Long Voyage 300 send-off

Saturday, Aug 22: Race day! GW150, GW75, GW35, and the GW10 fun ride roll out in the early morning, followed by the After Gravel Festival, live music, and the legendary sword award ceremony

Sunday, Aug 23: Gravel Worlds Run Series

However you spend the week, come be part of it. Cheer at a corner, ride a shakeout, wander the Expo, or just show up and feel the atmosphere. This is what makes Gravel Worlds special.

Thank you to the Foundation

None of this happens without the people working behind the scenes to keep gravel welcoming and growing. A big thank you to the Gravel Worlds Foundation for supporting us and for everything they do to give back to this community and this sport.
Welcome home to Gravel Worlds. We will see you at the Expo!

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08/10/2026

Two weeks until Gravel Worlds - we're very excited to be at the expo again this year next to our friends Omaha Velo and hope to get to meet all the riders and families that will be checking in! We love hearing the stories and listening to the different paths that brought you to gravel riding! See you there?