5 Years. One Purpose. All In. | Adventure For All

A campfire story written by Jason S (CXO of Gravel Worlds)

“I let go of the seat… and he kept going. That moment changed me.” – Jason Strohbehn

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In This Story:

The Start of Something Bigger
The Finish Line That Changed Everything
5 Years, 5 Chapters
Letting Go of the Seat
What’s Next: A 10-Year Dream

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Five Years. One Purpose. All In.

A 5-Year Journey of Belief, Belonging, and the Finish Lines That Matter Most

If you sit long enough around the finish line at Gravel Worlds, you start to notice something.

It’s not the bikes that leave the biggest impression. It’s the moments. The slow roll-ins. The arms thrown in the air. The dust-streaked faces that carry something deeper than pride. You realize this isn’t just a race. It’s a reunion. A proving ground. A place where strangers become teammates, and where finish lines become something far more sacred than stopwatches or podiums.

I never set out to build a competitive empire. Gravel Worlds has always been about community. Real, honest, soul-filling community. The kind that meets you wherever you’re at in your journey, rides beside you, and reminds you that you’re not alone.

We built this with one core belief. Everyone deserves to belong. Not just the fast ones. Not just the people who “look” like cyclists. But every single person who dares to chase something bigger than themselves and earn that feeling of crossing a Gravel Worlds finish line.

And five years ago, something shifted. Something cracked open the heart of Gravel Worlds in a way I didn’t expect.

It started with a conversation. A connection. A shared belief with the founder Chase Pettey. And a rider named Josh, aka superman!

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The Start of Something Bigger

When we first crossed paths with Adventure For All, I knew immediately this wasn’t about checking a box. It wasn’t about a feel-good moment. It was a deeply aligned purpose. We didn’t want to just include AFA athletes. We wanted to elevate them. To show the world what belief can do when it’s unconditional and unwavering.

That first year, Josh rolled up to the start line with courage and excitement in his eyes. The crowd didn’t know what they were about to witness. But I did. And when he crossed that finish line, something broke open in me. In all of us.

It wasn’t about time. It wasn’t about rank.

It was about truth.

That finish line didn’t just welcome him. It celebrated him. The cheers. The tears. The hugs. It was raw. Real. One of the most emotional moments of my life. And in that moment, I knew. This partnership wasn’t a side story. It was the story. It was the essence of what we call, ‘The Gravel Family’.

The Finish Line That Changed Everything

What started with Josh became a ripple. More riders. More families. More belief.

Gravel Worlds embraced Adventure For All athletes not because it made the race more inclusive, but because every human deserves that opportunity and choice.

Every year since, I’ve watched these exceptional athletes redefine not just what’s possible on a bike, but what’s possible in a community.

I’ve seen the quiet ones find their voice. The unsure ones stand taller. The underestimated ones become the ones we all look up to.

And if I’m being honest, it’s impacted me, in the best kind of way.

There’s something about watching an AFA athlete cross that line that slows me down. Makes me more present. Reminds me that growth always matters more than goals. These athletes have made me better.

Letting Go Of The Seat

There’s one moment I carry with me more than any other. Lukas. From teaching him how to ride a bike to a year later watching him finish his first ever bike race at Gravel Worlds.

He was on the edge of riding solo for the very first time after a few days of trying again and again. He had such determination to earn this feeling of riding a two-wheel bike. A feeling and experience that I sometimes forget to be grateful for at times. I’ll never forget the day, I had my hand on his seat, just steadying him as he pedaled forward searching for balance. And then, I let go.

And he kept going.

I’ve witnessed kids ride bikes for the first time, but this… this was different. To be a small part in his journey and to know from his mom Jen, the trials and tribulations he’s been through, the doubt by others that he wouldn’t be able to ride a two-wheel bike. That moment was powerful. It was everything.

That moment is etched in me forever.

5 Years, 5 Chapters

Looking back, I don’t see five events. I see five chapters.

2021 The Discovery: When we partnered with Adventure For All and realized how aligned our hearts and visions were and still are.
2022 The Breakthrough: When AFA athletes started shattering the perceived impossible and became a part of the Gravel Family forever.
2023 The Resilience: When weather, setbacks, and personal challenges hit hard. But the riders lined up like every other athlete out there and fought through the physical, mental, and emotional battles to earn their finish line crossing.
2024 The Momentum: When the community and the belief system grew, louder and stronger. Families weren’t just watching, they were riding and crossing finish lines with their exceptional kids.
2025 The Celebration: Where belief will run deeper. Friendships are going to grow stronger. And the dream ahead for this partnership is clear and exciting!

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What’s Next: A 10-Year Dream

I don’t dream small. And I won’t start now.

Ten years from now, I want Gravel Worlds to be the home for AFA athletes. Not as guests. As teammates. As leaders. As proof of what’s possible when we build spaces where people belong and feel seen for their potential.

I want families from across the country flying into Lincoln. Not wondering if their child will be accepted, but knowing they’re already part of the story.

I want to see a national AFA gravel series. I want more coaches. More programs. More gravel towns cheering for individuals like Lukas, Josh, and all the other exceptional adventure athletes. Not because they’re different. But because they’re showing us what strength and integrity looks like.

This is about truth.

The truth that integration isn’t something you sprinkle on top of an event. It’s something you build into the foundation.

That’s the road we’re grading (gravel road reference). That’s the legacy I want Gravel Worlds to leave behind.

I am grateful to share this campfire story and as the fire dies down and the gravel quiets beneath the stars, one thing always remains true.

This was never just about racing.

It’s about remembering who we are when we show up for something greater than ourselves.

Because, the most powerful finish lines are the ones that impact everyone watching.

- Jason Strohbehn
CXO, Gravel Worlds

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“What This Partnership Has Made Possible” box:

✅ Over 20 exceptional AFA athletes will have crossed the finish line at Gravel Worlds after this year with 100% finish rate
✅ 840 inclusive race miles ridden together (not including all the practice miles)
✅ Multiple unforgettable finish line moments that continuen to inspire thousands (one day millions)

✅ A shifted perspective within the Gravel Biking scene where our exceptional athletes are not only included, but a part of the community!
✅ An opportunity for our exceptional athletes parents to experience training for something hard with their children and feeling that miracle moment with their child as they cross the finish line.

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Donate to an adventure athletes fundraiser

Help them fund their way to Gravel Worlds and help us send more AFA athletes in future years. Be part of a finish line that redefines what’s possible.

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A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE STORY