Defending champions Matt Beers and Sofia Gomez Villafañe dominate at Belgian Waffle Ride California

Defending champions Sofia Gomez Villafañe and Matt Beers picked aside the brand new course for Belgian Waffle Journey California with ease and the Specialised Off-road riders dusted the elite divisions for back-to-back victories on Sunday.

With the win, Villafañe has now received all seven BWR occasions through which she has competed in her profession, earlier this season successful the BWR Arizona title for a 3rd time. The newest addition to her tally additionally meant she managed to ‘dethrone’ Peter Stetina by surpassing his six win document.

“They maintain saying he is received essentially the most, however we have been tied coming into this weekend with six wins every. So now I am at seven. Sorry Pete, the title is mine,” Villafañe stated with a smile on the end line.

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It was a brand new mass begin for the elite riders forward of the amateurs for the primary time. At 106.5 miles in size, this 12 months’s BWR Calif is the shortest version in 14 years. There may be 7,500 toes of climbing with relentless terrain shifts which are a mixture of 50% quick pavement and 50% ‘unroad’, comprised of deep sand, singletrack, a rock backyard, creek crossing and gravel.

A powerful bunch of women and men rode collectively on the opening two off-road sections. Then simply earlier than grime sector three of 25 headed towards the one observe that hugged the San Dieguito River within the Del Dios Gorge, Villafañe went away from the opposite elite girls although it was simply 20 miles into the race.

“I appreciated it [the new course], I imply the time was nonetheless lengthy. I had a worse time going out, on the best way again I had associates,” Villafañe stated of the 14 mile shorter course which delivered winds gusting from the Pacific Ocean at 20 mph.

Within the outbound Del Dios Gorge space, a three-mile stretch of sandy areas and rocky single observe purchased some unstuck with Whitney Allison (Bike Sports activities) concerned in a crash and Courtney Sherwell (Santa Cruz SRAM) cracked a entrance rim on a rock backyard. Each riders, who have been second and third on the time of the incident, withdrew from the race and Allison needed to get stitches to her knee.

That will have thinned the pursuit however the competitors for the rostrum spots was nonetheless firing. Like Villafañe, Flavia Oliveira Parks (Excel Sports activities p/b Specialised) got here into the BWR contest from a heavy spring of racing, together with a win on the Salty Lizard in Utah and twelfth at The Growler. She completed second on Sunday, round 33 minutes again. Amy Cymerman was one other 11 minutes down for third.

When the lead pack of about 15 elite males made climb to start the outbound path in th Del Dios Gorge, they have been strung out in an extended line for the primary go of Lake Hodges and headed for the largest climb of the day at mile 36.

As soon as on the climb to the Black Mountain turnaround at mile 59.5, Beers, Peter Stetina (Canyon) and Alexey Vermeulen (ENVE) have been within the lead, with Truman Glasgow (Enve-DNA Biking) and Jonas Woodruff collectively within the chase as all of them started the return to Del Mar, backtracking on lots of the identical roads and trails. Beers would rapidly put in his decisive hole in an extended, technical descent.

“I feel I nook just a little higher than these two. On the singletrack, I knew I might take time the entire method,” Beers stated.

The following group of Russell Finsterwald (Trek Driftless), Lance Haidet (Specialised-SRAM-Velocio), Daxton Mock (Bear-Orange Seal) and Andrew Dillman (Lunchbox) have been 5 minutes again. Eleven different riders have been one other three minutes behind the primary chase group – Petr Vakoč (Canyon CFR), Griffin Easter (OpiCure Basis Gravel), Luke Mosteller (Bear Nationwide Crew), Jacob Velasco (PAS Regular – Victory Veto), Nate Knowles (ProTerra Racing), Jan Teemen (Crew ride4IBD), Darren Fahy (Subaru Santa Monica), Matthew Saldana (Monterey Bay Racing), John Davis and Emilio Azcona (Fikato Espresso Crew).

Throughout the ultimate 30 miles, Beers constructed his solo lead, and put in 2:28 to Stetina and Vermeulen one other 40 seconds again in third. The South African stayed on the fuel and completed 9:31 head of runner-up Stetina, and 12-and-a-half minutes over Vermeulen.

“Matt took a nook scary quick and there was a small hole,” Stetina stated on the end to a small group of media, together with Cyclingnews. “I could not shut it. That was the cut up of the race. I simply checked out Alexey [Vermeulen] and [started] racing for second. It was race.

“I can say I had a fantastic day, and a number of the greatest legs I’ve had in a very long time. Matt Beers was the cat and I used to be his ball of yarn. All I can say is I am in awe. I feel we have got an actual champion for the long run on our arms”

Each Vermeulen and Stetina are previous winners of the BWR California occasion, Stetina successful twice, so there was no shock they have been on the rostrum. The revelation within the elite males’s contest was 19-year-old Woodruff who out-sprinted Petr Vakoč (Canyon CFR) and Glasgow throughout the road for fourth place.

Glasgow and Woodruff stayed collectively for your complete second half of the race, whereas on the closing flatter sections 10 riders set a tough tempo to make the catch – Mock, Vakoč, Haidet, Finsterwald, Easter, Mosteller, Dillman, Knowles, Saldana and Velasco.

“This 12 months has been just a little little bit of a tough begin, like [Cape] Epic did not go to plan after which I’ve had lots of second locations, which type of irritates me lots,” Beers informed a number of media retailers, together with Cyclingnews, referring to a runner-up spot at Sea Otter Traditional Gravel and fourth place at The Growler. “So it is good to get the monkey off the again once more. Hopefully we will maintain the momentum, to The Traka 200.”

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