The goal: One heck of a race for you.
Have you ever gotten to the start line of some of your local races and glimpsed only a handful of women? Did you ever wonder why the heck there weren’t more of us out there? Yeah, us too. The reasons are many, maybe you can relate to a few.
It could be that you looked at the registration page and only saw a few women signed up and thought “well, I’m probably going to be out there by myself”. Maybe you feel like you simply don’t stack up to the rest of the field with all of the fast dudes. Or maybe you’re not comfortable fixing your own bike and fear a mechanical will leave you out there stranded.
Whatever the reason might be, we hope to remove those barriers by providing a welcoming environment and support for all women, regardless of skill level or race aspirations.
If you have raced in the Loess Hills region, you already know that the beauty of these roads is accompanied by some challenging terrain. Throughout this process we've been told this race would be too difficult to for a women's race, and that we should make it easier. That's nonsense, and frankly that galvanized us even more.
We KNOW you'll be up for the challenge!
race perks
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Thanks to SRAM, our race will have a $1800 combined cash payout to the top five of each category! Greater share will go to the 100k.
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Not everyone is out for a podium, but that doesn't mean each persons achievements aren't worthy of rewards. We will have random giveaways open to ALL race participants courtesy of our partners (for example, Kuat Sherpa 2.0 bike rack, Rudy Ultimate fork, and more!)
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Race day nutrition by Neversecond (plus a webinar leading up to the race).
We have also partnered with Tenac Championship Coaching for custom 50k and 100k training plans, with a webinar presented by Rose Grant!
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Less than 30 min from downton Omaha (population of 486k with a major airport), you'll find the beautiful Loess Hills of Iowa! Our course will have ~1,900 ft of elevation gain for the 50k, and ~3,700 for the 100k with some punchy climbs that reach almost 20% grade. It sure isn't flat around here!
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We've partnered up with The Bike Way to provide on-course support. Each aid station will have knowledgeable individuals who can help if you've goto an issue, in addition to a roving mechanic.
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With two women at the helm, we've designed a race that's equally fun and challenging for women of all skill levels! You don't have to worry about a women's only start around here, that's the only option we have :)
The Women Behind The Race
Between Allison and I, we are heavily involved in the Omaha cycling scene. At the heart of this race is a desire to see more women on our local race start lines which is what prompted us to get Superbloom off the ground. We are excited to have designed a race we can be proud of, but also one that serves our local and not-so-local riders in the best way.!
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Race Director
Founder of Prairie Bloom Cycling Club, Prairie Bloom race team, and Glenwood Superbloom. Native of Mexico, commercial photographer, cyclist, runner, and outdoor enthusiast.
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Co-Race DirectorCertified skills instructor for Roots MTB, GRiT Coordinator & Coach Supporter for the NE NICA league, mechanical engineer, and mom to two incredible teenagers.
What’s in a name?
If you google the definition of a superbloom, you’ll find that it’s a rare phenomenon occurring in the deserts of California and Arizona with an unusually high number of wildflowers that bloom at once!
But we aren’t in the desert, not even close. Here in the midwest, we have a superbloom in our own backyard. It’s a time when our prairies morph into a sea of native flowers that demand we take note. They are quite a sight to behold!
Glenwood Superbloom will create its own phenomenon on this first-of-its-kind race in the midwest (taking inspiration from our friends at The Dusty Bandita). So yeah, it’s a fitting name. It’s also a nod to Prairie Bloom Cycling Club (PBCC), a women’s club and race team based in Omaha, Nebraska.
We call this event a women’s gravel race, and when we say women, that word includes ALL women!
