By Bob Timmons

Copyright startribune

Local gravel cyclists have long touted the fun and challenge of the rolling back roads of southeastern Minnesota’s bluffs and valleys.

This weekend, the gravel playground is getting attention from around the country.

The USA Cycling Gravel National Championships are coming to the Mississippi River city of La Crescent. The event, which includes a 100-mile race and two shorter ones, is recognition for a type of bicycling that is increasingly popular across Minnesota. Local officials say hosting it is an honor, and they hope to capitalize on the attention.

Gravel cyclists have an appetite for rolling on dirt and rocks on vehicle-free roads. The open country around La Crescent and communities like Hokah, Caledonia and Houston have those ingredients in abundance.

USA Cycling, the national governing body, had the region on its radar, said race director Will Smith, after staging the nationals the last two years in the western Nebraska city of Gering. The organization holds similar events for other forms of cycling, such as mountain biking, road and track.

Saturday’s event in La Crescent has 760 registered riders, about 70% more than last year. Most are from Minnesota (128) and Wisconsin (104) and represent some of the best cyclists in the Midwest, Smith said.

Smith credits the surge in entrants to the river city’s proximity to population centers — and to gravel riding’s grip on the Driftless Area, which includes parts of Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois.

“There is a lot of inherent interest in the region of this style of racing,” he added. “We are excited to be in La Crescent.”