Excelsior Springs is a small town once known as America’s “Haven of Health” for its mineral waters, grand hotels, and bathhouses. Some remains of this history, but much has been lost to the ages.
Opal Wapoo was founded in 2018, inspired by a trip to Spearfish, South Dakota to compete in a gravel race. They noticed the buzz around town and the camaraderie of race participants and fans. Phillip and Stacey Scherer knew right away they wanted to bring a gravel race to their small town of Excelsior Springs. Excelsior Springs was the perfect place. They had a hunch that the challenging terrain surrounding Excelsior Springs would be perfect for a gravel race. The pair would soon ask friend and cycling enthusiast Ben to help see the vision through. Opal Wapoo quickly became well known in the Kansas City area, and a “must-do” gravel event for
locals. We even saw riders from Mexico, Georgia, Virginia, Washington, and more. After 5 years, in 2022 the race was placed on an indefinite hiatus due to outside obligations.
Due to overwhelming community support, Opal Wapoo will return in 2025 as a Downtown Excelsior Partnership, Inc. (DEP) event. This new home for Opal Wapoo creates new opportunities, bolsters organization and breathes new life into the races’ mission. Proceeds from the race will go towards further revitalization of Excelsior Springs historic downtown. Funds will also be set aside to make a donation to Urban Trail Company(website link) in order to bring mountain bike trails to Excelsior Springs. We like to think of it as bikes helping bikes.
The Opal Wapoo Gravel Committee Team
DEP Executive Director – Lyndsey M. Baxter
Race Director – Phillip Scherer
Committee Members – Stacey Sherer, Ben Bolin, Craig Pettus, Beatriz Pettus, Dan Tota, Morgan Tota
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