Chris Skogen

The term ‘grassroots gravel’ gets bantered around a lot these days, but 2022 Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame inductee, Chris Skogen, defines the term. Borne of a desire to break down barriers to participation and give each rider a genuinely meaningful experience, Skogen’s Almanzo 100 proved that gravel cycling could be fun for all.

Skogen said the first Almanzo 100 evolved out of a dissatisfaction with the ‘pay to play’ nature of events of the time.

“I was looking around and seeing what was out there in the way of events,” Skogen said. “You show up, pay an entry fee, and some of the money probably goes to a cause, and you get a t-shirt with a bunch of logos on the back.

“You do the ride and then you go home, and maybe think the event wasn’t for you. There was nothing particularly special about it.”

Skogen’s disenchantment with the racing scene at the time led him to host grassroots urban cyclocross events in the early 2000s. When one of the riders in his group moved to another town however, the ride took on a new life.

“We were doing these short distance, probably way too dangerous, ‘cross rides with my circle of people in Rochester, when one of the group announced they were moving to Mankato,” Skogen said. “So, I got this idea to ride to Mankato, and then do the event. It was about 100-miles to get over there.

“I thought that, if we’re going to ride, we might as well invite other people to ride together, and it should be free. Racing bikes is terribly expensive anyway.”

The first Almanzo 100 drew 12 riders, but Skogen enjoyed it so much that he decided to do it again. The second year saw 60 riders, and after that growth happened quickly as word of the event spread. In fact, as many as 1,400 riders participated in the later Almanzo 100 events. Despite its popularity, Skogen never charged an entry fee.

The grassroots, no entry fee format was one that found traction with other early gravel event promoters, including the events of Skogen’s fellow 2022 Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame inductee, Corey Godfrey (Gravel Worlds).

Skogen said he enjoyed seeing people finish something hard, that may have been outside their comfort zone.

“When you’d walk down the starting line, you’d see people who were jittery, with a nervousness that’s palpable in the air,” Skogen said. “But then you’d see them at the finish, and they have a different glow. They had done something hard, and they finished it.

“What was cool was they’d take that home and fold it into the rest of their life. When they’d get to something that they’re nervous or scared about, they could go back to the experience of finishing Almanzo, and it would give them the confidence to push through and get it done.”

After promoting nine Almanzo 100 events from 2006 to 2014, Skogen stepped away from the event until 2019, when he hosted the final edition of the event.

Skogen says that, while the experience of promoting the Almanzo event had its ups and downs, he’s proud that his children can see him recognized for something he was called to do.

“Almanzo gave me a great window to see how important creating an experience for somebody can be,” Skogen said. “As it relates to creating or improving momentum in their life, it can be incredibly powerful.

“That’s very cool.”