6 States ⋅ 3,500 Miles ⋅ 35 Days
The Great Plains Gravel Route is a 3,500-mile bikepacking route connecting the landscapes, communities, and ecosystems of the Great Plains. The route is comprised of six segments for each of the six states traversed. Each segment has been carefully curated to showcase the hidden beauty of the Great Plains, from the from the Llano Estacado region of Texas to the rolling Flint Hills of Kansas, and from Nebraska’s prairies to the iconic Black Hills and Badlands of the Dakotas.
The route was first published last year, but 2026 is the first year where riders will be getting out and tackling the full route.
To kick this off, we are excited to follow the journey of Robb Finegan (Lincoln, Nebraska) and Hannah Glatter (Lawrence, Kansas) as they traverse the full route from south to north starting on May 12th. Robb is a seasoned long-distance cyclist, while Hannah will be embarking on her first long-distance bikepacking journey. They’ll be joined along the way by Jacob Alexander, bringing a biologist’s perspective to the Plains. Jacob will share educational content and interview experts from across the region. Filmmaker and Bikepacking Roots’ Regional Steward, Dylan Trigg, will be documenting the journey as it unfolds as part of an exciting film project.
We are excited for you to follow along with this epic journey in a few ways:
- Look out for daily Instagram content from the group as they share the highs and lows and everything in between.
- Dot watch on Follow My Challenge!
- Stay tuned for YouTube episodes for each state + a feature documentary after the ride.
Are you also riding some of all of the Great Plains Gravel Route this year?
We want to follow any other adventures on the route this year and we would love to connect with you.
Riders can sign up for tracking via Follow My Challenge: https://form.jotform.com/
This is a great way to invite your friends to keep up with your journey and to connect with other riders out on the route.