Jarrod Bunk was in attendance at a recent FKT attempt by two Angry Catfish team members, Nick Elliott and Josh Bauer on the Mega Mid South route in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Read on for a packed gallery with all the vibes, along with a fundraiser to get more riders out to the Mid South Gravel…

Mega, Mid South

If you’ve been frequenting this site for the last few years, there’s no doubt you’ve seen some of our Mid South Coverage.  This year the homies over at Mid South opened up a completely new route. One that takes the borders of the last decades’ worth of courses and forms a loop that starts and ends in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Mega Mid South is a route a bit north of 300 miles with 17,000ft of climbing and runs through the halfway points of courses of years past, like Perry, Guthrie, Pawnee, and Guthrie.

This route is open to the public, and unlike the Mid South festival, it doesn’t cost anything to enter.  A grand depart left the town this past fall, and that’s where this story begins.  Nick Elliot, a homie in Minneapolis, told me that he and Josh Bauer wanted so desperately to be at the grand depart but couldn’t swing it with schedules and other ultra efforts.

Get Here Grant

A plan was hatched. They saw that the current men’s FKT finished in just under 24 hours.  Wrapping their other rides and training, they hoped to travel south just as the temperature started dropping up north.  We chatted about doing something special to bring more light to the event, both Mid South and Mega Mid South, while also utilizing this effort to help donate to the Get Here grant.

The Get Here Grant was started a few years ago to remove barriers to get folks to The Mid South event. We leveraged some collaboration and developed a kit designed by our friends at Donkey Label and a Will Ansley metal logo. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Get Here Grant fund.

I decided to spend the whole time documenting the effort. While down there, I was able to make some of my favorite images I’ve ever made and see the area, a place I’ve visited for over 8 years, in a completely different light and the course in a beauty that touched me in ways I didn’t know I could be.

When I got back, I decided to put some prints up from the effort and Midsouth coverage of the past and donate 50% of the profit from those sales directly to the Get Here Grant. I hope we get someone to MidSouth this year.

Rolling out before the sun came up presented a new experience: rolling the dirt roads shod in darkness while climbing out of the valleys, which turned to a golden orange glow like no other. 300 miles can present unique visuals, for sure. I’ve included them in the gallery, and Nick and Josh chime in below with wraps on some of what it was like out there and the experiences to follow.

Mega Mid South FKT – 11.12.24 22:38

If you’ve been to Stillwater, Oklahoma, for a Midsouth experience, you know. If you’ve never been, you have no reason not to. Come for Midsouth in March, Mega Midsouth in September. Hell, come out for both, it’s the shit! I am very much a solo rider; I’m happiest on two wheels in the middle of nowhere, often slightly disoriented from lack of sleep, nutrition, hydration, or a healthy mix of all three. I was fortunate enough to attend Midsouth and ride the Mega Midsouth route in 2024, both for the first time. Though I am apprehensive about massive cycling events, Bobby and the Midsouth crew take care and create an approachable and inviting atmosphere, whether you’re the fastest, slowest, or midpackest rider.

I was lucky enough to extend my season to November, motivated by an FKT attempt on the ultra-fresh Mega Midsouth Route on November 12th. Unfortunately, I missed the inaugural Grand Depart in September because I was fresh off another race, so this was the next best thing. My good friend Josh Bauer and I made the 11-hour trip down to Stillwater on Sunday, had a day of rest on Monday, and set out en route at 6:00 am on Tuesday accompanied by Bobby, Jarrod, and a couple of other locals for the first few miles.

We headed out at sunrise, and as Jarrod’s photos show, it was a fucking beaut! My goal was to keep my stops to less than an hour for the entire route. So, I kept ‘er in the saddle as long as possible without missing out on crucial resupplies. My two stops were in Guthrie at 96 miles and in Morrison at 200. Ascending and descending the expanses by single red clay ribbons cut out of the earth created a lasting connection between me, my bike, and the land. With 30 miles to go, anything that could go wrong did: Front tire puncture, bead unseated, snapped valve on TPU tube 1; valve extension issues, and a 15-minute downpour while installing TPU tube 2; a second 20-minute storm cell came through at mile 285 making the roads just wet enough to slow things down. I was aiming for a sub-20-hour finish, but given all the issues I encountered, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to ride the entire route and slightly beat the previous record. I cannot wait to return to re-attempt with more sunlight and better mechanical luck and to learn more about the rich history that permeates these red dirt roads.

– Nick Elliott, @Nickwithabike

What could be so difficult to ride 300 miles in the fastest time? A crash was all that separated me from finishing the Mega Mid South. 240 miles of the most incredible riding this country has to offer. Don’t sleep on Oklahoma as a destination for gravel riding. This FKT meant way more to me than just getting the record. While I wasn’t successful because of a silly crash, it allowed me to see beyond the FKT. These roads are beaten, abused, and bullied by vehicles, farm equipment, everyday life, and weather. It is a nightmare for a local but a dream for a cyclist seeking raw terrain.

I’ve never experienced a muddy Mid South, but now I see some of the troubles it creates. Conditions were exceptional, after 10” of rainfall the previous week the roads were in phenomenal shape with only a few patches along 300 miles that were questionable. Around 14 1/2 hours and 217 miles in, I drifted into a lip of gravel and went airborne. Landing on my head and ribs. I lay in the ditch moaning, rolling around, and listening to barking dogs off in the distance, trying to sort out what to do. I would continue on but could tell my body was punished. After making a few calls to close loved ones and riding another hour, I made it to the Sonic in Pawnee and decided to call it after 16 hours and 238 miles.

This trip was able to give me clarity on what was in my eyes a very lackluster year in terms of competing, riding, and being on the bike. It recharged my passion for the sport while doing it for a meaningful cause, which is worth more than just a FKT record. I want to see people at the Mid South; I want them to experience the beauty of these abused roads, I want them to experience the welcoming community of Stillwater, and I want them to have the same chance I did. GET TO MIDSOUTH.

– Josh Bauer @BoshJauer

Shout out to Angry Catfish for helping with this project and allowing us to share it with the world! While down there, Nick and Josh met with Bobby Wintle to chat a little bit about the experience, Bobby’s run at the Mega Mid South, and bikes in general.

You can check out more over at the ACF YouTube channel.