Spring Valley EDA News
Spring Valley Wilder 100 & Wilder 65 Gravel Bike Race Results
Bicyclists will find challenges on area gravel roads Saturday
Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, March 14, 2026. Reprinted with permission and gratitude.
By David Phillips
The back roads around Spring Valley take people away from the bustle of modern life to a tranquil respite amidst the beauty of the rolling hills of southeastern Minnesota.
For gravel bicyclist enthusiasts, those crushed rock roads provide all that, but also an opportunity to challenge the body, mind and spirit. Facing those challenges with others builds
camaraderie, even romance in some cases, with like-minded individuals who enjoy spending a day powering their bikes for hours on gravel roads through the winding ups and downs of the
region.
Many of them will get together at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, for the start of the 2026 Spring Valley Wilder 100, a race that has its origins 20 years ago in Rochester and has been
held in Spring Valley since 2010. The race has changed names and organizers over the years, but the 100-mile course has maintained pretty much the same route while a 60-mile race, now
65 miles, was added in 2024.
Paul Vogel, a former Spring Valley resident living in the Cleveland area, has participated in the race for the past 11 years and helped keep it going through a difficult period starting in 2019.
The race is “considered the granddaddy of all grassroots gravel races in the world, and considered in most gravel bike race circles as the race that put gravel on the map,” he said.
“The roads less traveled in southeastern Minnesota offer picturesque farmland that windsbetween towering bluffs and lush green valleys that many people have never experienced from
the quiet perspective of doing it on a bicycle,” he said. However, he warned, “don’t let the serenity fool you, the route can humble even the strongest of riders. Epic climbs, a river
crossing, a brief pedal through the forested canopy of Forestville State Park, and challenging downhills all contribute to the taxing, but rewarding experience. I personally find it exhilarating
bombing downhills at 45 miles an hour on a bed of misshapen marbles on a bicycle.”
Mike Blakeslee, who grew up as a neighbor to Vogel and now lives in Canon Falls, said Vogel got him into the sport, and now the ride has become a yearly tradition for him, as well as
his children and friends.
“We are not hard-core riders, so it;s a huge physical and mental challenge,” he said. “We look forward to getting together for the ride with a sense of anticipation and anxiety in not
knowing what the weather will be like and/or if we are in good enough shape to finish it. We keep each other motivated and always finish with good stories and a huge sense of
accomplishment.”
Another former Spring Valley resident, Todd Keune, who now lives in the Cresco area, said his motivation initially started 15 years ago with a decision to drop weight and get healthier at a
time when he was 70 pounds heavier than he is now.
He tried other sports, such as running and volleyball, before some fellow bicyclists at work nudged him into bicycling. He bought a nice road bike, but it disappeared a few months later.
However, when gravel bicycling exploded and he heard about the race in Spring Valley, “I was like, wow, this huge, world-popular race is in my hometown. So I decided to get a gravel
bike,” he said.
He has kept at this sport as this is his fifth gravel race in Spring Valley. Part of his motivation is to keep fit so he is around a long time for his 9-year-old special needs child, of whom he has
custody.
Another motivation is his girlfriend, Mackenzie Adams. When they met five years ago, she wasn’t fond of running or volleyball, but she thought bicycling sounded fun.
“So, only six weeks after meeting, she bought herself a really nice, brand-new bike,” he said. “Now I mostly just bike, as it’s what we do together. We do over half a dozen gravel races per
year together and ride a lot on our own together. It’s our thing.”
Adams said the challenge, as well as adventure, motivate her. “I am always looking to see just what my body can do for me,” she said. “I am always motivated to encourage other people
to just get out for the adventure.”
This will be her third year riding the Spring Valley race. The first year she wasn’t an official finisher as the only option was the 100-mile route, which she cut short before coming to the end.
Two years ago, the 60-mile route was added and she was an official finisher, quite an accomplishment as many dropped out due to the grueling wind that year.
The Spring Valley race started in 2007 as the Almanzo 100 by Chris Skogen of Rochester. In 2010, he moved the race to Spring Valley, where it quickly grew in reputation and in numbers
to a peak of more than 1,500 riders. However, in 2015 Skogen made a decision to give up the race, handing it over to Kathy Simpson and Spring Valley officials, but in 2018 he returned and
in 2019 moved it to Northfield with little advance notice.
It appeared the Spring Valley race was dead, but Vogel, a 1982 Spring Valley High School graduate, and Blakeslee and Alan Matson, both 1981 graduates, decided to do a farewell tour,
which attracted the attention of Drew Wilson, a well-known race promoter from Stewartville who helped organize an event in 2019 with 125 riders in what was called Keep Gravel Weird,
Volume 1. In 2020, with the pandemic raging and Wilson taking on another business venture, the three SVHS graduates decided to do a social distancing race called the Quarantini 100 with
14 participants showing up after a last-minute Facebook post.
The three kept the race going until this year when it was turned over to the Spring Valley Tourism Committee with Tamra Voigt taking the lead. She has been “drinking through a firehose
as I pass down all the lessons learned and best practices the tri-chairs accumulated over the past seven years,” said Vogel.
The race, now called the Spring Valley Wilder 100, is special to Vogel because of his connections to the community. His family moved to Spring Valley in 1977 and in 1985 he
married the love of his life, the former Kris Bonnerud, who died in 2020 from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Although they moved away shortly after marriage when Vogel started his 35-year
career in the U.S. Coast Guard, his parents and in-laws still reside in Spring Valley.
“It will always be considered my hometown, hometown proud,” he said.
It’s not just the allegiance to Spring Valley that makes this his favorite gravel race, noted
Vogel, who has ridden several others in the area and in Ohio.
“This is the one that keeps me coming back year after year. I find this offers the most challenging mix of all the gravel courses I’ve ridden,” he said. “While the route remains generally of the same character, the teeth, or the bite, is ever- changing, the location and amount of hero gravel (where all gravel has been swept aside over time and a smooth bed of limestone dust remains), fluffed-up gravel, freshly laid, spring boils, and mud, change from year to year. You can be assured there will be some of all. That’s part of what’s so inviting about the gravel roads in this part of the country; once you’ve ridden them once, you’ve ridden them once, you know what to expect, you just don’t know where you’ll encounter the changes from year to year.”
Keune, who lives close enough to train on the roads of the route, considers this his favorite as well, not only because Spring Valley is his hometown, but also “the history of the race and its
iconic route.”
Although Adams doesn’t have any ties to Spring Valley, she has a special spot in her heart for this race since Keune introduced her to this event.
She also understands the importance of community and small-town events. “I knew it was one that aligned with my own ‘small-town’ history, having grown up in northern Iowa,” she said.
For Blakeslee, who has also done several other races, the Wilder 100 is “probably the most scenic and challenging ride I have done,” he said. “Whether you are riding the 60- or 100-mile
route – with about 10 miles to get to the finish line, you have to climb Oriole Hill! When you get to the top, you think you’re finished climbing, but you are not; you still have to climb out of Masonic Park. It’s epic, and the reason a group of hard-core gravel riders come back every year.”
He is also amazed that much of the ride is on the same roads he and Vogel traveled on daily while growing up. “I never thought I would be riding a bike on these roads,” he said. “It’s great
that Spring Valley is keeping the ride going. It’s a great opportunity for Spring Valley and the community.”
Vogel echoes the appreciation for Spring Valley residents who are keeping the ride going. “Thank you, mayor, city officials, EDA (Economic Development Authority), and the tourism
committee for continuing this historic event — 17 consecutive years in Spring Valley, 20 years since the founders’ inception in 2007 in Rochester. Congratulations!”
Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325
Osterud -Winter Foundation Now Accepting Grant Applications
For Immediate Release, May 11, 2026
The Osterud-Winter Foundation trustees will accept applications for funding until May 26, 2026. Mr. Osterud, the founder of Home Federal, and his daughter, Karen Osterud Winter, established a $1 million trust for Spring Valley with 75% of the earnings to be used for Kingsland School District scholarships, Spring Valley’s Historical Society, Spring Valley Living, Spring Valley Cemetery, and the City of Spring Valley; and the remaining 25% is allocated as discretionary
funds.
Primary consideration is given to organizations who provide emergency and disaster relief in or within a 15-mile radius of Spring Valley and meet the federal
tax exemption requirements 501(c)(3). Since 1995, the Trust has distributed $2 million dollars.
Requests can be submitted to the following Trustees:
- Steve Himle – shimle@mchsi.com or 507-259-8650
- Sally Jeske – csjfarms@arvig.net or 507-273-2718
- Scott Mulholland – smulholland78@hotmail.com or 507-696-4802
Economic Development Authorities: Rich, Rural Community Assets
Article and photo images courtesy of the Fillmore County Journal, April 6, 2026
By Charlene Corson Selbee,
Economic Development Authorities (EDAs) play a critical role in supporting rural communities by providing financial tools and guidance. In Fillmore and Houston Counties, two key EDA programs, Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) and grants, serve as essential resources for both new and existing businesses, non-profit organizations, and government entities.
A community’s approach to economic development varies. Some towns do not have an Economic Development director or board, such as Canton, Whalan, and Houston, and instead rely on the county’s EDA department. Some area communities contract with CEDA (Community and Economic Development Associates), located in Chatfield, Minn., including Fillmore County, Rushford Village, Harmony, and Spring Valley. Other communities share an Economic Development Director, such as Preston and Lanesboro. Some towns have economic development boards such as Mabel and Spring Grove.
Revolving Loan Funds
An RLF known as a “gap loan” bridges the difference between total project costs and what traditional bank financing/owner equity can cover.
The application process is similar across communities and counties, though deadlines vary due to meeting schedules, and some do not have any deadlines, such as Rushford Village. Detailed information, applications, and deadlines can be found on the cities or counties’ websites.
Click here to read the full article by Charlene Corson Selbee in the Fillmore County Journal
Area Woman Brings Stories from the Past to Life – Laney Smith is not only a genealogist, but also a podcaster, historian and even detective
Article and photo images reprinted with permission courtesy of the Root River Current
By David Phillips, March 31, 2026
SPRING VALLEY — Like many children, Laney Smith of rural Spring Valley enjoyed playing with dolls, an activity that unlocked her imagination, allowing her to create stories about their lives. Even after outgrowing dolls, her love of storytelling continued, although her passion transitioned to stories of real people, particularly those from the past.
That led her in a different direction than most youth as she “much preferred research and perusing headstones in cemeteries than doing whatever my peers were typically doing,” Smith said.
As she grew into adulthood, Smith’s passion for uncovering stories from the past never diminished. Today, using more advanced techniques, she is still piecing together real stories about her family and other families as a certified genealogist through her company, Legacy Lane Genealogy.
Although most of the dolls that adults once enjoyed as children have long been relegated to the trash heap, Smith is driven by the idea that people aren’t disposable, that their stories are important enough to be preserved. That drive can be traced back to her early pursuit to track down the history of her three-times-great-grandmother.
Smith recalled that in her preteen years, she found an old picture of a woman at her grandmother’s house while rummaging through a dusty drawer. She was surprised that no one knew much about it, “so I went on a research hunt trying to figure out who it was,” she said.
Not only did she discover the woman in the photograph was her great-great-great-grandmother, Lizzie Grabau, who traveled from Germany to make a new life in America, she also located a handmade quilt of hers, now a prized possession in Smith’s home today that connects her to her ancestor.
“That kind of struck me how quickly someone’s able to be forgotten,” Smith said. “So, it’s my continued goal to make sure that my family and other people’s families and these important stories aren’t forgotten, and they can live on.”
Smith’s quest to preserve the past doesn’t just focus on genealogy. She broadcasts a weekly podcast, Roots & Riddles, that “digs deep into the forgotten corners and unsolved puzzles of Fillmore County.” She writes historical stories through her blog, for Root River Current, and for other media — and she gives public presentations on local and nearly forgotten history.
Genealogy and much more
Immersing herself in the world of family history research, digging into every story she could find, since 2010, Smith became certified as a genealogist and started Legacy Lane Genealogy about three years ago. Since her family has deep roots in Fillmore County, she specializes in this area of the state, as well as Minnesota in general.
She offers professional family history services, featuring a personalized ancestry booklet that uncovers the stories of a family’s ancestors and maps out geographical migrations while also providing a family tree diagram of six generations, ancestor narratives, fun facts discovered about the family and a summary of heritage.
Legacy Lane offers other services, including help in solving a family mystery, such as “where grandpa went in 1920 or adoption stories” that can track down information on birth parents, and property research for people interested in the story of the place where they live. She even offers photo restoration and a custom pedigree chart with visual representation.
Her digging into the past led Smith to venture out into other areas outside of family histories. She started Roots & Riddles, a weekly podcast, in 2025 to share some of the stories she has uncovered from her work in genealogy.
“From all of the research that I’ve done helping people and with my own family tree, it kind of led me to coming across different stories that pertain to Fillmore County that were really interesting that I didn’t have a good way to share to a broad audience,” she explained.
Her website notes that each week the storytelling podcast unearths a tale where history meets mystery — from chilling crimes, such as a saloon robbery in Fountain, to skyward dreams, such as a sky-hopping pioneer in Cherry Grove.
“You find some really amazing stories that are lost to time,” she said. “So, it’s my goal to keep those at the forefront and make sure as many people know about them as possible.”
Bringing forgotten towns to life
Smith’s next public presentation is scheduled for Sunday, April 12, at 4:30 p.m. in Spring Valley during the annual meeting of the Spring Valley Community Historical Society. This event is free and open to the public at Bluff Brothers Brewery with food available at an onsite food truck.
The talk, titled Lost on the Map: Ghost Towns of Fillmore County, will highlight some of the area’s ghost towns, primarily ones near Spring Valley. Although most people know about the region’s most famous ghost town, Forestville, she is going to delve into more obscure ones. For more information, visit the event Facebook page here.
“There are quite a few [ghost towns] in the surrounding area that I hadn’t heard of before, and I’m sure a lot of people haven’t heard of them, so I’m excited to share those stories and bring those little towns back to life for a night,” she said.
The historical society decided to ask Smith to speak because board members were impressed with her podcast, said director Kayla Czapiewski. She said she is hoping that the podcast, with its “quality, depth and intrigue,” and the new type of annual program that the society is putting on this year, will attract younger people to take an interest in the history of the community.
“It is such a different and fresh way to share area history,” said Czapiewski about the podcast. “She came up with a truly amazing concept — and it intrigued me.”
Detective work transcends time
While Smith is a genealogist, podcaster and history storyteller, she is, in many ways, also a detective. She said she has a large map at her house with pins, Post-It notes and other materials from her various searches.
“I really have to dig in sometimes,” she said. “There are still mysteries in my family tree that I’m unable to figure out that I’m still working on. So, it’s a continued story, and that’s a piece I like as well.”
Smith lives in Wykoff with her husband and two sons but is in a transition to moving to rural Spring Valley, the area where she spent most of her childhood. She said her life revolves around not only history but also her immediate family.
She points out that the stories from the past shape who we are today. Even though she spends much of her life digging into the historical record to find ties that bind a family together, she doesn’t discount the important connections made in the present.
Writing in a blog about meeting relatives in person, Smith observed that it is important to cherish living links to family history, which are just as valuable as historical documents or photographs.
“This journey of discovery has taught me that genealogy is not just about the past; it’s about the present and the future,” she wrote. “It’s about the connections we make with living relatives and the shared histories we uncover together. These encounters enrich our understanding of who we are and where we come from, providing a sense of continuity and belonging that transcends time.”
For more article like this one visit the Root River Current at https://rootrivercurrent.org/
