Mid South Course Safety Protocols
Safety is the number one priority at The Mid South. We’re strive to host an engaging race setting for all spectators and participants. Off-road cycling on dirt roads, farm roads, and unmaintained rural routes carries inherent risk. The Mid South has a multi-month preparation cycle to identify, solve, mitigate, and document hazards before any rider reaches the starting line.
Course planning begins no less than six months prior to each event. During this period, our team coordinates directly with the City of Stillwater, Guthrie and any other involved municipalities. Payne County Sheriff's Office, the Stillwater Police Department, the Stillwater Fire Department, Payne County Emergency Management, local EMS providers, and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation where applicable. Private landowners are consulted. All road closures, detours, and access points are scrutinized by multiple officials, reviewed and approved by the relevant jurisdictional authority before the route is finalized. Each course is physically surveyed multiple times by trained team member to identify surface hazards, sight-line issues, and ingress/egress points for emergency vehicles. Course markings, signage, hazard flagging, and spectator areas are installed to written specifications and inspected the morning of the event. Teams are always in radio communication.
On race day, certified medical personnel and Advanced Life Support ambulances are stationed at predetermined intervals along the course. Rider briefings and detailed course safety information are delivered in person during our primary pre-race programming, through dedicated email communications, and on our official social media channels and website, to make sure every participant has multiple opportunities to review hazards, route specifics, and event-day protocols. Sweep vehicles operate behind the field to assist riders and confirm course clearance. Race control maintains continuous contact with marshals, medical, and law enforcement throughout the event and has authority to halt or neutralize competition.
Post-event, every incident — major or minor — is reviewed and documented, and findings are incorporated into planning for subsequent events. Following the 2025 fires, we have instituted a direct-contact SMS system for all registered participants, which will immediately forward vetted EMS information. This channel is used to deliver time-sensitive safety information — including weather advisories, route changes, neutralizations, and emergency notifications — directly to riders before and during the event, ensuring critical updates in real time.
Looking Ahead to 2027
Planning for the 2027 event is already underway, and we are taking steps now to expand our safety program. A central focus is building and training our course marshal team: we are expanding recruitment, formalizing our training curriculum, and increasing the number of trained marshals stationed at turns, intersections, and spectator areas across every course. In addition we are expanding our media pilot training program and utilizing motorcycles with more emphasis over larger vehicles. Additional 2027 initiatives include evaluating GPS-based rider tracking for live field monitoring, increasing the number of staffed aid and medical stations along the routes, and coordinating our weather and heat-contingency protocols in coordination with Payne County Emergency Management. We will continue to consult with participating riders, agency partners, and the Stillwater community as these measures are finalized.
The Mid South is committed to the community of athletes who come to these dirt roads to test themselves and connect with a community. We strive to offer an adventure, a challenge, and a warm sense of Oklahoma hospitality to everyone who comes to Stillwater. We have always and will always keep that as our guiding light.
If you have questions or comments, feel free to reach out to us on the contact page.
Statement concerning the course error at mile 89 of the Pro Women’s race.
During Friday’s coverage of the Pro Women’s race, a Mid South media vehicle made an error that forced two lead riders, Sofia Gomez Villafañe and Paige Onweller, off their line to avoid a collision. Thankfully no one was injured, but it created a frightening moment that should not have happened on our course. Sofia and Paige — we are truly sorry. We understand how serious and unsettling that moment must have been. We also hear the broader conversation happening among professional riders about safety in open-road gravel racing. What happens on our course is our responsibility, and in this instance we fell short of the standard we expect of ourselves.This was an operational failure, and we own it. The responsibility sits with our race leadership, not with any individual crew member.We are listening. We have already begun a full review of our on-course operations, including how media vehicles are managed during race situations. As the sport continues to grow and the intensity of racing increases, we recognize that stronger protocols, clearer standards, and more input from riders are necessary to ensure safety and confidence on course. The Mid South exists because of the community that built this event and the trust riders place in us when they roll to the start line. That trust matters deeply to us, and in this moment we did not meet the standard our riders deserve. We will learn from this and do the work required to make it better.
-The Mid South team