A couple of horses tag along with gravel bike riders in the Almanzo 100. The Heywood Ride has since succeeded the Almanzo in Northfield, Minnesota. It is just one of the Midwest’s many “gravel grinding” competitions. Photo source: www.almanzo.com. The Midwest is generally not known for starting worldwide trends. In the bicycle world, however, the Midwest is the epicenter of the fastest-growing segment of bicycling: gravel riding. With the region’s many thousands of miles of lightly traveled, rural gravel roads, it is a natural, homegrown cycling evolution. One can ride safely and serenely for hours in the countryside, taking in…