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Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles-SRAM) and Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialised Off-Street) dominated the desert with repeat victories on the Belgian Waffle Experience Arizona.
Lance Haidet (Specialised-SRAM-Velocio) was in a position to match off-road prowess and on-road pace with Swenson for many of the day, however couldn’t preserve the tempo on the ultimate north part of the route when a paved climb turned to rocky descent simply 14 miles from the end. Haidet would end second, 2:24 again. Third place for the professional males went to Torbjørn Røed (Trek-Driftless).
Villafañe needed to work her manner again to the entrance of the race after Haley Smith (Trek Driftless) and Alexis Skarda (Santa Cruz Bicycles) moved out entrance. It was on the ultimate northern loop by way of Maricopa Park, earlier than the technical descent close to Camp Creek, that the 2 leaders have been handed, Smith ending second, 1:25 behind Villafañe, and Skarda in third, 7:06 again.
It was the second version of the occasion from Cave Creek, Arizona, the primary cease within the BWR Tripel Crown of Gravel Sequence for professional divisions. Saturday’s 103-mile (166km) contest had a mass begin with 7,500 toes of climbing on a endless sequence of climbs and descents with washouts surrounded by thorny cacti, an inspiration to remain on the course. There have been a complete of seven, lengthy ‘unroad’ sectors for 58% dust, rocks and ‘rowdy’ terrain.
The boys’s race was a two-rider battle between Swenson and Lance Haidet. A who’s who of gravel remained collectively on the opening six miles of tarmac, which was all uphill from Cave Creek and Carefree and dumped the riders to the south for switchbacks and serpentine roads at McDowell Mountain Regional Park. Then the race broke aside.
“It was a loopy day of ‘gravel’ racing, just about full gasoline from the beginning. Simply all of the ‘whoops’ and it separated fairly fast. Then it got here again collectively a bit of on the street, however I pushed the tempo once more. Lance and I acquired away and simply labored nicely collectively all day rotating,” Swenson mentioned on the post-race interview.
“After which I simply put in a final little dig on the high of the climb earlier than dropping into the final large descent and was in a position to put in a bit of little bit of a spot on him and roll it to the end.”
A number of lead modifications marked the ladies’s Waffle race, with defending champion Villafañe grabbing an enormous lead early, the Sonoran desert roads her playground for coaching within the winter months. Skarda and Smith have been in a position to make the catch, however Villafañe broke away on the ultimate climb to safe her first victory of the season.
“I can’t imagine I received at the moment,” was the response from Villafañe on the end line.
“Going into the final loop, I believe I used to be over 4 minutes again. I had it in my head all these excuses why my legs felt shit. Then I mentioned, ‘all proper, one 30-minute effort all the way in which to the highest of the dust’. That’s after I noticed Skarda. Then one of many guys [on course] mentioned ‘I believe Haley’s two minutes up’,” Villafañe recounted on the end.
She had an concept that Smith was additionally in attain, and was in a position to bridge as much as the Canadian and move her in a washed-out part of the dust earlier than the ultimate single-track.
Swenson and Villafañe took high factors within the Belgian Waffle Experience mixed-surface sequence as early leaders within the Tripel Crown of Gravel. BWR Arizona is adopted by BWR Utah in Cedar Metropolis on April 6 and BWR California in San Marcos on April 28 with omnium winners in professional classes sharing a minimal prize purse set at $30,000.
Outcomes – High 10
| Pos. | Rider Identify (Nation) Group | End result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialised Off-Street) | 5:53:22 |
| 2 | Haley Smith (Trek Driftless) | 0:01:25 |
| 3 | Alexis Skarda (Santa Cruz Bicycles) | 0:07:06 |
| 4 | Geerike Schreurs (Specialised-SD Worx) | 0:11:17 |
| 5 | Jenna Rinehart (Mazda Orange Seal-Specialised) | 0:15:31 |
| 6 | Cecily Decker (Scuderia Pinarello) | 0:17:44 |
| 7 | Michaela Thompson (Orange Seal-Specialised) | 0:20:45 |
| 8 | Courtney Sherwell | 0:22:50 |
| 9 | Ellen Campbell (Specialised-Rapha-Tailwind-Domestique Espresso) | 0:27:36 |
| 10 | Heather Jackson (CANYON CLLCTV GRVL) |
| Pos. | Rider Identify (Nation) Group | End result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles-SRAM) | 5:09:55 |
| 2 | Lance Haidet (Specialised-SRAM-Velocio) | 0:02:24 |
| 3 | Torbjørn Røed (Trek-Driftless) | 0:04:49 |
| 4 | Zach Calton (Ventum) | 0:05:09 |
| 5 | Kyle Trudeau (Sluggish Twitch Goodlife Racing) | 0:06:41 |
| 6 | Peter Stetina (Canyon Waffleurs & Ale Drinkeurs) | 0:06:46 |
| 7 | Sean Bennett (Group Mike’s Bikes p/b Equator) | 0:08:44 |
| 8 | Howard Grotts (Specialised Off-Street) | 0:10:19 |
| 9 | Todd Wells (TWL) | 0:12:14 |
| 10 | Alexey Vermeulen (ENVE – Q+M) | 0:13:46 |
