Introduction to Your Gravel Ambassador

Hello! My name is Jaron DeWit. I am one of this year's Spoke-N-Sport ride Ambassadors. This year I will focus on gravel rides and cyclocross. I thought I'd share a bit about myself and why I think you should ride with us.

I live in Sioux Falls with my beautiful wife and two wonderful daughters. I work in Harrisburg and when I get to cycle commute to work, I enjoy a 16 mile round trip ride to work. I grew up in Sioux Falls about 2 blocks from Cherry Rock Park and that meant great access to the bike trail. I spent countless hours roaming Sioux Falls by bike. My friends and I would make trips to Falls Park, the library and other areas of town to get some childhood mischief done.

I always rode “childhood” bikes, but in 1996 I had saved up and bought my first “real” mountain bike at the Bike Barn! This opened up new roads (or shall I say off-roads!) I got in hours of time at Leader's Park (pre Falls Area Singletrack), time in the trails behind Tuthill, and I knew all the offshoots from the bike trail.

As an adult I’ve enjoyed annual mountain-bike trips with friends to North Dakota's Maah Daah Hey Trail and Northern Minnesota’s Cuyuna. This summer we’re heading to the Chequamegon area in Wisconsin. I also enjoy fun local events like Beresford’s Do The Du duathlon and a few years back I found this crazy little sport called cyclocross that I spend most of my cycling time enjoying! When I’m not riding I spend quite a bit of time advocating for cycling safety in Sioux Falls and promoting any type of cycling in Sioux Falls. On of my favorite things to do is take photos on bike rides. If you follow a Facebook group I started called “Sioux Falls Bicycle Photos” you’ll know that I love propping my bike up in random locations for a picture or two.  In addition to biking, my family and I enjoy crewing for hot air balloons, flying kites, kayaking, and generally spending time outdoors.

This summer we plan to do Saturday Morning Gravel Rides April 8th, May 6th, June 3rd, and July 1st.  The Saturday Morning rides will leave from Spoke-N-Sport at 9am and will be 25-40 mile round trip.

June 15th and August 17th we’re going to do Family Ice Cream Gravel Rides. The Thursday evening ride will be around 8-10 miles and feature an ice cream stop part way through the ride. These will leave from somewhere on the outer edge of Sioux Falls or a surrounding town.

I hope to see you out on the gravel this summer and I sure hope you come out and grind some gravel with us!

Follow Me:
Instagram - @jarondw
Strava - Jaron DeWit