The Social Media Debacle

We’ve been trying to figure out social media lately, and by “figure it out” I mean not posting at all. Friends, you can let us know what you think, but we personally aren’t content creators and we hate feeling like we’re selling all the time. Or posting something, watching it get politely ignored, and then convincing ourselves that maybe the algorithm just didn’t see it (which feels a lot like telling yourself you definitely would have made that move if you had just waited one more second…we all know how that usually ends). The more we try to play that game, the more it feels like we’re talking at people instead of with them.

And that’s never been my mentality. I’ve been accused and still get accused of being too punk rock for my own good.

Because the only time this has actually felt right is here, in our emails and blog and in the long form. My grandfather wanted me to be a writer, and liked my Faulkernian style, the slightly wandering, probably-too-long-for-most-people story telling format. One where we can actually elaborate without squeezing it into something that has to compete with highlight reels and trending audio and whatever the internet decided mattered today.

If you’re still reading this far, you’re kind of proving the point, you want that too. Do we really want to live in the TL,DR world?

We’ll admit overall that one of our biggest challenges with the Gravel Roll is consistency of experience. We have the experience we want to create, but things like budget, the price we want to charge for reg (not what “profit” dictates) manpower, willingness of the host town means that a consistent experience can be hard to create. Luckily at Opelika we have a great community partner and probably one of our best Gravel Roll locations to accomplish the things we want to lean into more.

Not in a performative way, not as some “look at us doing a good things” checkbox, but because these groups share some of the same challenges we do: limited resources and a need for someone to show up for them. So if we have a platform (even a small, slightly chaotic, misit one), it feels like a pretty easy decision to share it.

Take the first time we brought an animal rescue group out to a Gravel Roll. What we didn’t expect—at least not to the extent it’s happened—is how you all have responded.

You didn’t just stop by, say “aww, cute doggo” and move on (which, to be fair, is what we thought would happen). You all actually engaged, asked questions, spent time there, and in more than a few cases…you took dogs home, you took cats home, you made a decision in the middle of a bike event that literally changed the course of an animal’s life, and possibly yours.

It wouldn’t have been possible without a community to rally around our seemingly silly idea. The goal was to socialize the animals, maybe raise some money. But you guys changed lives (I think I now have some pollen in my eyes….)

This year we’re working on bringing the puppers and kitties back, but we’re also working with the Bonnie Plants Foundation at the finish in Opelika. If you’re not familiar, the foundation is focused on helping address food insecurity by supporting school gardens and making it easier for kids and communities to actually grow their own food (which sounds simple until you realize how many places don’t have access to that kind of thing at all).

And no, I’m not sitting here pretending a bike ride solves something as big as food insecurity, because it doesn’t (and anyone who tells you otherwise is probably also trying to sell you something), but it does give us a chance to point a little more attention in that direction, to get people thinking about it, and maybe—if we’re doing this right—to create a moment where it’s not just about the ride, but about the place we’re in and the people who are part of it.

We can build routes, set segments, line up aid stations, and do all the operational stuff that makes an event function (again, most of the time, let’s not get carried away here), but none of that guarantees anything beyond a decent day on the bike.

What makes it more than that is you all, our Gravel Rollers and a community like Opelika.

A part of what makes Opelika work so well for this—and honestly why we keep coming back to it in our heads when we think about what a Gravel Roll should feel like—is the way the whole thing Rolls into downtown instead of just ending in a parking lot somewhere, because you cruise in and it’s not just “cool, ride over,” it’s craft vendors we try to get out, the local honey folks (did anyone get that bourbon barrel aged honey last year?!?!? HOLY SMOKES!), food trucks firing on all cylinders, and this general hum of activity.

And I don’t mean that in the generic, overused “best community ever” sense that shows up right before someone drops a discount code, I mean it in the very specific way you’ve shown up—open, curious, willing to engage with things that aren’t strictly about riding faster or finishing sooner.

So yeah, we’re probably going to keep being a little inconsistent on social, we’re definitely not cracking the code anytime soon, and there’s a very real chance our next post gets the same level of engagement as craigslist ad these days.

Anyway, that’s where our head is at.

We’ll see you in Opelika.

And if history is any indicator, you might leave with more than just a good ride.