Gravel Scouts choose community over competition

This story first appeared in the 2026 Cycling Guide, an annual special section distributed in The Gazette aimed at telling the stories of the businesses, people and local efforts that have made The Corridor a cycling destination.

On Monday evenings from March to October, a common sight in Iowa City is a huge crowd of cyclists heading through town and out to the countryside.

The group, called the Gravel Scouts, has been taking these Monday rides for nine years. They start from World of Bikes and typically ride 20 to 30 miles, with someone in front and a “sweeper” in the rear to make sure nobody falls behind. There are designated regrouping points, and anyone who wants to can meet at Big Grove in Iowa City for more hangout time after the ride.

“It includes everybody and makes it more comfortable for anyone to ride,” said Chad Mason, who creates the routes using the Ride With GPS app. “It’s just a place to go to get away from the stresses of everyday life on a Monday evening.”

Why gravel roads?

“They’re in abundance in Iowa, and they’re relatively safe for most people to ride on almost any bike,” Mason said.

Tyson Smith, who typically joins the Monday evening as well as longer weekend rides, says that for cyclists, traffic is the top safety concern.

“When we get to gravel, that’s where a lot of us sometimes feel like we can finally relax,” Smith said.

Mason says they recommend a 35-millimeter-wide tire or wider, but even a road bike will work depending on the route and weather. Wearing a helmet is a must, as well as front and rear lights for nighttime rides.

Anyone nervous about what to do if they get a flat tire or other bike breakdown need not worry.

“You will have more people than you want trying to help you,” Mason said.

“I can think of five or six times where I’ve had some kind of mechanical problem with my bike that I didn’t know how to fix and somebody was right there who had a tool that I didn’t have or knowledge I didn’t have and helped me get rolling again,” Smith said.

The community aspect of the group is Michelle Voss’s favorite part. She had long been a bike rider, using her bike to commute throughout school and as a faculty member at the University of Iowa, but had stuck to hard-surface roads.

Voss started riding with the group in 2021 after hearing about it from a friend.

“This idea of being able to explore the gravel roads and more of like a touring idea with people, I was like, oh, that sounds really fun,” Voss said. “It just hit with all the things I liked about riding.”

Once they get onto the gravel roads, the group typically rides two or three abreast. Voss says you really get to know people when you’re riding for two to three hours without phones.

While some in the group — including Smith and Voss — have branched out into competitive cycling, the Gravel Scouts rides are just for fun. You can show up in any clothing, with any bike and gear, and you are welcome.

That emphasis on building community over being competitive has also been Mason’s favorite part.

“It is my main source of community. Getting to know what’s going on, getting to know people, just developing different connections,” Mason said. “I know way more people in this community than I would have without it.”

The Monday evening ride attracts up to 100 riders, ranging in age from 10 to 80 years old. Gravel Scouts also has a smaller group that meets on weekends, riding 40 to 100 miles. This ride is less structured, meeting at a different start point each time and maybe regrouping once a ride at a restaurant or gas station.

Some additional benefits to riding on gravel include seeing wildlife like deer because bikes are quieter than cars and don’t scare them off. On one memorable ride, a herd of goats jumped their fence to ride along with the group. On nighttime rides, sometimes the riders can turn off their lights for 20 to 30 minutes and ride by moonlight.

Routes are posted to the group’s Instagram account, @TheGravelScouts, where a link will also allow you to sign up for emailed versions. The routes can then be synced with personal cycling devices that sit on your handlebars, which provide navigation, distance ridden, and even tell you when a hill is coming up.

For those who are interested in joining but still a little nervous if they can do it, once a season the Gravel Scouts will hold a “Gravel Curious” ride using a route that’s especially good for a first-time rider. They announce the date of the ride a month in advance and try to time it early in the season but after it warms up a little.

“I think the coolest experience has been seeing some of the youth grow up with us,” Mason said. “They’ve gotten faster, stronger at riding bikes, and it’s a good way to see how to be part of a community.”