Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-Road), who won the three Belgian Waffle Ride events starting in 2024, takes the women’s professional Tripel Crown of Gravel title, while Peter Stetina (Canyon) takes the men’s title. He achieved one of his season goals by acquiring a professional tripel. Crown finished 4th at BWR California.
This year, BWR California was grouped with events in Arizona and Utah in a more compact seven-week calendar to serve as the defining round of the Triple Crown of gravel. The total series prize money of $25,500 was split evenly between the top five men and top five women in the three waffle distance races.
It was Villafañe’s first time competing in BWR California’s signature event, and his solo victory sealed the Triple Crown’s top prize. She said it “lived up to the hype” over 120 miles of varied terrain and included 10,000 feet of climbing.
Australia’s Courtney Sherwell (Proba Cycles/QOM/Ecoi/Schwalbe/SRAM) secured second place overall with a second place in California, while Cecily Decker (Scuderia Pinarello) secured third place. Emily Newsome (PAS Racing) finished fourth, while Whitney Allison, who was second overall in the 2023 Quadrupel Crown, completed the final tripel podium in fifth.
Stetina used his win at BWR Utah to solidify his lead in the Tripel rankings, ahead of Torbjorn Road (Trek Driftless), who finished sixth or higher in all three races. Five riders completed the podium: Lance Heide (Specialized), Kyle Trudeau (Slow Twitch Goodlife Racing), and Griffin Easter (Canyon Opicure Foundation).
Pair of teens win Lake Sonoma MTB race
image 1 of 2
Grasshopper Adventure Series 2024 Lake Sonoma Mountain Bike Race – Women’s Winner Vida Lopez de San Roman (Bear Development)(Image credit: Brian Tucker Photography)
Grasshopper Adventure Series 2024 Mountain Bike Race Lake Sonoma – Men’s Winner Matthew Malott (Weight Endurance Development)(Image credit: Brian Tucker Photography)
Vida López de San Roman (Bear Development) and Matthew Marotte (Weight Endurance Development) won the Lake Sonoma MTB race outside Healdsburg, California. The 46-mile cross-country mountain bike race was his day of grueling climbing, involving 200 riders and climbing 5,400 feet in elevation. This was his third of his four events in the 2024 Grasshopper Adventure Series and the only “proper” mountain bike event in the set.
American junior cyclocross national champion Lopez de San Roman dominated a series of tight switchbacks and roller coaster terrain to lead Avery Masri (King Factory Racing) by more than 21 minutes. won over. Leslie Ethridge took another two minutes to move back into third place.
Get the latest racing content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides delivered straight to your inbox!
In the men’s professional arena, a drag race between two high school seniors took place on the second loop of the course, with Marott winning the race over Justin Peck (Los Gatos Bicycle Racing), who was one minute behind. Griffin Hoppin (Flow Formulas/Spinnergy) chased the pair and finished third.
The 2024 Grasshopper Series concludes May 11 at the Ukiah Mendo Hopper, an 80-mile hilly course on mixed terrain in western Mendocino County. This event is the latest addition to the Gravel Earth series.
Harriet Owen and Alfredo Rodriguez lead USA Crits
image 1 of Four
Athens Twilight Criterium is USA Crits’ 4th stop, women’s podium (left to right): Colin Labecchi in 2nd place, winner Alexis Magner and Harriet Owen in 3rd place(Image credit: Adam Koble / USA Crits and Speed Week)
Men’s podium at USA Crits Stop #3 (left to right): Alfredo Rodriguez 2nd, winner Jim Brown and Al Murison 3rd(Image credit: Adam Koble / USA Crits and Speed Week)
2024 Rock & Road Criterium Women’s Podium (Newnan, GA, USA Crits 2nd Destination)(Image credit: Adam Koble / USA Crits and Speed Week)
Men’s podium at Rock & Road Criterium in Newnan, Georgia, second venue for 2024 USA Crits(Image credit: Adam Koble / USA Crits and Speed Week)
With two races left in the USA Crits series, Harriet Owen (DNA Pro Cycling) and Alfredo Rodriguez (REIGN Storm Racing) are running the individual lead.
Owen is winless in the series so far, but has won the first four races: the Sunny King Criterium in Alabama, the Rock & Road Criterium in Georgia, the Spartanburg Criterium in South Carolina and the Athens Twilight Criterium in Georgia. He has won the podium.
Los Angeles’ L39ION duo of Alexis Magner and Kendall Ryan are chasing Owen in the standings, with Magner chasing the top spot by just seven points. Of the first four races, Magner won Newnan and Athens, while Ryan won Anniston and Spartanburg.
Newnan’s men’s race winner Roderick Asconyguy Diaz (MC Cycling Team) holds onto second place, just 14 points behind Rodriguez. Danny Summerhill (REIGN Storm Racing), who finished second in Athens, was third.
The fifth one-day race in the southern US states will be the La Grange Cycling Classic in Georgia on May 4th. The USA Crits Finals will be contested at the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic in North Carolina in May. 25. All races will be broadcast as a free live stream on his website at USA Crits.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
USA Crits 2024 Men’s Overall – Passed 4 of 6 Events
rider
1
Alfredo Rodriguez (REIGN Storm Racing)
2
Roderick Ascony Guy Diaz (MC Cycling Team)
3
Danny Summerhill (REIGN Storm Racing)
Four
Michael Garrison (MGR p/b NICH SpeedClub)
Five
Brian Gomez (REIGN Storm Racing)
USA Crits 2024 Women’s Overall – Passed 4 of 6 Events
rider
1
Harriet Owen (DNA Pro Cycling)
2
Alexis Magner (L39ION in Los Angeles)
3
Kendall Ryan (L39ION in Los Angeles)
Four
Erica Carney (Piedmont)
Five
Brittany Puffley (SCAD Atlanta)
Seal and Munoz join Speedweek’s new team Miami Knights Riders
Andrea Schiel wears the Speedweek leader jersey after the first three races (Image credit: Adam Koble / USA Crits and Speed Week)
Andrea Seal and Paola Muñoz returned to USA Speedweek this week after the Miami Knights team went out of business 15 days ago. Shea was given a guest ride at Texas Roadhouse, and Munoz earned a spot on the Goldman Sachs ETF Racing team. Their former Knights teammate, Brittany Pfley, was competing in Velocious Sports Speedweek.
Johnny Clark, Clever Martinez, and Tyler Williams were also part of the Miami Knights squad that restarted the season with their new teams during Speed Week. Clark will be with the Austin Outlaws through 2024, Martinez will be with the Rockland Development Program, and Williams will be with the Miami Blazers. .
The duo of Munoz and Seal finished as the top two female pro riders in the 2023 American Criterium Cup Series, with Munoz holding off her teammate for the lead. Saia led the series standings through the first three races of Speedweek, which began April 25 at the Greenville Cycling Classic p/b Prisma Health in South Carolina. The fourth event at Peachtree Corners was won by Colin Labecchi (EF Education Cannondale). Seal is 2nd overall in the series, Paffrey is 12th in the series, and Munoz is 21st overall in the series.
Riders from other NCL-owned teams, the Denver Disruptors and Atlanta Rise, have also found new homes, including Elizabeth Harden, now at East Point Track Club, and former Disruptors Noah Grannigan, who belonged to , has been seen at Speed Week. For the Miami Blazers.
