Lauf Gravel Worlds, live.

The gravel seas of southeast Nebraska

Lauf Gravel Worlds is a grassroots gravel race from Lincoln, Nebraska, through the rural farmlands of the southeast of the state.

The 2027 edition is the 18th Gravel Worlds, and all races start and finish at the Sandhills Global Event Center in Lincoln. The main day is Saturday 28 August, while the self supported Gravel Worlds 300 rolls out at 5 pm on Friday 27 August. Running and triathlon events fill the rest of the week from 25 to 29 August.

The headline race covers about 150 miles with more than 10,000 feet of climbing. Elite men start at 6:25 am, elite women at 6:35 am and the general field at 7:00 am, and the overall winners take the title of Captain of the Gravel Seas. The 75 mile course starts at 7:30 am with about 5,000 feet of climbing, and the non competitive 35 mile ride starts at 8 am with around 2,000 feet and one checkpoint.

The 300 is a different kind of day. Riders cover more than 300 miles and 15,000 feet of rolling hills, fully self supported, with only public gas stations and the organiser's water stops along the way. The event started in 2010, when about 100 friends rode an unmarked 150 mile course with cue sheets and no support.

The 35 suits riders new to gravel, the 75 is a solid day for fit cyclists, and the 150 is a long race on loose, rolling roads in late summer heat. Every event is fully self supported, with no team vehicles, family or friends on course or at the checkpoints, so riders carry what they need or buy it at convenience stores along the way.

On Livebib you can follow a rider who chooses to share their own live position from the phone they carry. That position comes from the rider, not from the organiser's timing, and the official results come from Gravel Worlds. It is a simple way for family and friends to see roughly where someone is on course and when to head for the finish.