Whereas professional street racing season is underway from the nice and cozy climates of Australia, the Center East and southern Spain, the opening chapters for North American gravel dismiss comfy climates and plunge into the chilly and moist northern months of north California and Colorado.
Peter Stetina (Canyon) and Kate Courtney (Rivian/Allied/Crimson Bull) grabbed the glory in Ukiah, California on January 26 on the opening spherical of the Grasshopper Journey Sequence, 5 occasions on faucet via Might 10. This previous weekend it was Noah Granigan (Miami Blazers) and Lauren De Crescenzo (Issue/The Feed/Wahoo/PERC) who took victories in windy circumstances at Outdated Man Winter Bicycle Rally in Colorado.
By mid-February each the UCI Gravel World Sequence and Gravel Earth Sequence will likely be again in full swing on two continents. Within the US, the BMC Rock Cobbler returns for a twelfth version with “shenanigans” on components of the course, no podium on the finish and a critical route of near 100 miles from Bakersfield, California.
The Gravel Earth Sequence will make a debut within the Philippines at Attck Unrstrktd on February 9. The large 240km endeavor takes place in hilly terrain north of Manila from Talavera and supplies the primary base factors for the sequence. The multi-day Santa Vall occasion returns on February 15-16 from Girona, with 10% bonus factors within the scoring. Stage 1 is 80km with 1,100 metres of climbing and stage 2 provides one other 500 metres of elevation acquire on the 114km route.
In a cross-over season that started in October 2024 with the European Gravel Championships in Italy and Gravelista in Australia, the following occasion for Gravel World Championships automated qualification is Castellon Gravel Race in Spain on February 15. The 97km distance qualifier affords 72% gravel, which begins and ends simply north of Valencia in Llucena.
Stetina and Courtney win Low Hole
Picture 1 of 8
The twenty eighth version of the Grasshopper Journey Sequence started with what organisers name a ‘Hopper Traditional’, the 47-mile Low Hole occasion in Mendocino County. Dry circumstances and freezing temperatures greeted the 500-plus opponents for the normal mass begin, the place elite racers quickly made separate on the opening monster climb on Orr Springs Highway, virtually one-third of the day’s 6,150 toes of elevation acquire packed into the primary 9 miles.
Stetina received for a second time in three years, the quick circumstances taking him 2 hours, 33 minutes, and simply 31 seconds forward of Matthew Wiebe. One other one minute again was Jurd Hurd for third. Final 12 months Stetina completed second in a touch to the road behind Christopher Blevins.
The newest race content material, interviews, options, evaluations and knowledgeable shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
“Freezing (fortunately dry!) circumstances did nothing to dampen the communal stoke that’s palabale on the beginning line of this perennial season opener. At 47 miles, it’s quick within the grand scheme of issues, which makes it the right tuneup irrespective of the place one finds [oneself] in late January,” Stetina posted on Instagram following the occasion.
“It’s vital to begin the 12 months off with momentum and I’m happy to take the [win]. Maybe extra importantly, I nonetheless discovered some minute particulars to take care of earlier than the most important worldwide races are within the crosshairs.”
Courtney scored her fourth consecutive ladies’s victory, ending in 2 hours, 49 minutes, 36 seconds, with 10 minutes to spare on the line. From the chase, Chloé Mauvais and Leslie Ethridge sprinted to the road, with Mauvais the perfect of the 2.
Carina Nottingham took the win within the U-19 feminine class in a time of three:31. Yoann Perrodin received the U-19 male class, his time of two:41 placing him in tenth total among the many professional riders.
For a 3rd 12 months in a row, an modern program pairing U-19 feminine riders with grownup mentors attracted 31 contributors. With 62 complete under-19 aged rides, Grasshopper Journey Sequence is working laborious to create the following era of gravel riders.
The Hopper motion continues with the Huffmaster in Maxwell, California on February 22.
Granigan and De Crescenzo conquer wind and climbs at Outdated Man Winter
Picture 1 of 7
Outdated Man Winter Rally out of Lyons, Colorado returned for an eleventh version Sunday with a 75-mile course throughout Boulder County, racking up 5,000 toes of climbing via canyons with a primary timed part on the Rowena path and the second timed part to Linden with twisty gravel on Wagonwheel Hole headed to Outdated Stage. The route is historically difficult with icy sections that dictate off-the-bike abilities and melting snowpack that makes for muddy single observe.
This 12 months the air temperatures have been effectively above the freezing mark, however vicious winds blasted throughout the Entrance Vary for one of the crucial difficult editions but.
Granigan repeated for a second males’s title on Saturday, stopping the clock throughout two timed segments with the perfect complete and holding off Stephen Schaefer by 23 seconds. Final 12 months he conquered the epic muddy circumstances of the course, and this time needed to combat climate of a unique form, wind gusts of 40-60 mph.
By the point De Crescenzo accomplished her trip, her mother and father held up the inflatable arch so it would not blow away within the robust gusts. She used working abilities within the first timed phase to overhaul four-time champion Erin Huck, happening to win by 29 seconds.
“Outdated Man Winter was the right option to kick off the season and shake out the cobwebs. The race was top-notch, and phase racing all the time provides an thrilling dynamic,” De Crescenzo instructed Cyclingnews.
“The wind was insane and solely obtained stronger because the day went on, with 62 mph gusts within the afternoon, and racers have been nonetheless battling via it. After I crossed the end line, my mother and pa needed to maintain up the arch to maintain it from blowing away!”
Huck, a MTB Olympian and winner of the primary Outdated Man Winter race in 2015, had a 30-second lead on her fellow Life Time Grand Prix competitor heading on the Rowena Move. De Crescenzo stated she used her highschool cross-country working roots to make up all that point and move Huck on a two-mile uphill part of snowpack.
“This occasion holds a particular place in my coronary heart—it was certainly one of my first large gravel wins in 2018 whereas getting back from my TBI, so taking the W yesterday made it much more significant,” stated De Crescenzo, now two-for-two within the early-season gravel race after a seven-year hole when she received in 2018.