Coronavirus: The Mid South gravel race will go ahead as scheduled

Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) and Rein Taaramee (Direct Energie) ride in the gravel during stage 10 at the Tour de France
WorldTour stars race on gravel during stage 10 at the Tour de France last year (Image credit: Getty)

The Mid South gravel race will go off as scheduled on March 14 in Oklahoma, organisers said today, despite growing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus Covid-19 and a slew of races and events that have been put on hold in response.

Formerly the Land Run 100, the 160km race takes place on rural roads around Stillwater, Oklahoma, and was won in 2019 by Payson McElveen ahead of former WorldTour road pro Ted King and Andrew Dillman. Nina Laughlin was the first woman to finish.

Growing up in Missoula, Montana, Pat competed in his first bike race in 1985 at Flathead Lake. He studied English and journalism at the University of Oregon and has covered North American cycling extensively since 2009, as well as racing and teams in Europe and South America. Pat currently lives in the US outside of Portland, Oregon, with his imaginary dog Rusty.