Tom Schwemberger Wins Ozark Gravel Doom 2025

After 2 days and 44 minutes out on the course, Tom Schwemberger is the winner of Ozark Gravel Doom 2025! This year’s Doom course had just over 400 miles and nearly 43,000 feet of gain. The Californian has tons of experience ultra-racing with FKTs and wins in Odyssey of the Valley of the Gods, Cross Washington, and the Big Lonely. A grad student currently based in Chicago, Illinois, Tom has some solid experience in dreadful conditions, so it makes sense that he handily took the lead and kept it. That wasn’t to say his ride wasn’t without issue. In true Doom fashion, he semi-single-speeded the race, as his derailleur system malfunctioned and made it such that his AXS batteries would drain, irrespective of use, within a few hours. To shift, Tom would have to get off his bike, and perform an odd, complex ritual of dead and live battery swapping in order to change one gear. With a number of climbs that easily enter 25%+ grades, a broken electronic shifting system is less than ideal.

Tom also flatted a number of times early on but said the river crossings were a little more tame than what he’s experienced elsewhere, including in Kyrgyzstan. What’s even more impressive about Tom’s ride is that he had to double back twice at the start, as he forgot his headphones and spare AXS batteries, meaning he started roughly 30 minutes after everyone had endeavored on those first, brutal climbs.

Piloting a custom titanium Liminal Cycles hardtail to the finish, the grip shifter, albeit cool, simply actuates a dropper. Tom also broke the zippers on his frame bag very early on, making for an even harder time moving through the course. Another incredible detail is that up until this race, Tom hadn’t ever used caffeine for performance on ultra races. Not being a coffee drinker, it seems the 100mg pills he used to power through each night worked like a charm.

Congrats to Tom on his massive ride, and stay tuned for coverage of the women’s Doom winner.

Check out the Doom Tracker page to follow along on the live tracking map, watch for ongoing race updates, and tune in for more event coverage. Find it here.

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