Citizen Spotlight: Phil and Stacey Scherer

phil and stacey scherer full — Phil and Stacey Scherer are always up for an adventure (submitted photo).

Travel down the back roads and trails near Excelsior Springs and you’re liable to run into the dynamic husband and wife duo of Phil and Stacey Scherer. Phil and Stacey share a passion for outdoor adventures and have turned that passion into an exciting annual event that brings hundreds of people into our community. The Opal Wapoo Gravel Experience is an annual bicycle race offering 100-mile and 50-mile course options that wind along the backroads surrounding Excelsior Springs. These gravel grinders, as they are sometimes affectionately called, have been growing steadily in popularity over the past decade with some races in our region bringing in as many as 4,000 to 5,000 racers. The Opal Wapoo Gravel Experience, established in 2018, has quickly gained a reputation amongst gravel riding enthusiasts as one of the most challenging races in the Midwest. Phil and Stacey say they want to keep their event relatively small, “ if we ever got bigger than 500, we wouldn’t be able to handle it on our own, and I don’t know that we want to go down that road,” said Phil.

Phil Scherer 3 — *The Opal Wapoo Gravel Experience brings hundreds of visitors to Excelsior Springs every year (submitted photos).*

*The Opal Wapoo Gravel Experience brings hundreds of visitors to Excelsior Springs every year (submitted photos).*

The hilly terrain that surrounds Excelsior Springs has made the Opal Wapoo race quite popular with gravel riding enthusiasts. “With gravel riders, the harder the route, and the more challenging it is, it’s almost like the more popular it becomes,” said Stacey. Last year the Scherer’s had more than 400 racers register for their race, but because of the downtown flooding, many of the participants failed to show up. Still, they had more than 250 riders participate in a route that was modified last-minute to accommodate the harsh weather. They’re anxious to see if they can reach their 500-rider limit this year and help boost the local economy. “I just remember that first year, watching 200 riders coming down Broadway in this big group, and just thinking, this is so cool,” said Stacey. “I’m looking forward to this year,” Phil added, “If you think of it, four or five-hundred riders, their friends and family, all coming to town, hopefully, that will provide a big boost for Waterfest and for local businesses,”

stacey scherer 1 — *Stacey runs, bikes, swims and loves to show her horses (submitted photos).*

stacey scherer 2 — *Stacey runs, bikes, swims and loves to show her horses (submitted photos).*

phil scherer 5 — *Phil loves outdoor adventures and is also a talented musician (submitted photos).*

Phil Scherer 2 — *Phil loves outdoor adventures and is also a talented musician (submitted photos).*

Stacey, who grew up in Excelsior Springs said she and Phil moved back to town in 2015 and they’ve loved every minute of it. She said Phil fell especially hard for the small-town atmosphere. “There’s something special here, if you don’t see it, you’re probably just not looking,” said Phil. The couple said they love being able to ride their bikes into town to enjoy an amazing meal at Ventana or Willow Spring Mercantile or visit the shops and wineries. They hope their race inspires some of the people who visit to come back throughout the rest of the year too, to stay in one of our many B&B’s or to grab a brew at Dubious Claims. They both said they feel lucky to live where other people come to visit. “When we come down East Hill into town it’s almost like coming into someplace like Winter Park, on a different scale,” said Phil. “There’s all these little special places and businesses, it just seems like it’s really a unique thing that we have here, and I hope people appreciate it,” he concluded.

Registration is now open for the Opal Wapoo Gravel Experience, taking place on Waterfest weekend, June 25, 2022. Visit the Opal Wapoo website for more infomation.