Joe Laverick and Lauren Stephens duplicated wins at Rattlesnake Gravel Grind and faced the traditionally-windy conditions from Sweetwater, Texas last Saturday.
Laverick found himself at the front with a small group of men, and attacked several times to disrupt the group even more, whittling it down to three riders for the final third of the 103.5-mile race. He would distance Chris Mehlman for a second year in a row, this time winning in 5:05:11 and going 27 seconds ahead of his Colorado contender. Hayden Christian would finish 52 seconds off the pace in third, with 2023 winner Justin Mcquerry in fourth.
Stephens rocketed away in the mass-start event well ahead of a small elite women's field, finishing in 5:30:15. Terese Martens took second a little more than one hour later, and Erin Reedy repeated in third for a second year in a row to make it an all-Texas podium.
The two-time women's US gravel national champion finished sixth at Valley of Tears to begin March. Not on the start line was another Texas resident, Emily Newsom, who was second at Valley of Tears. She won Rattlesnake Gravel in 2023 and was second last year, but stayed home to celebrate her daughter's 10th birthday.
"Violently windy" conditions was a key factor in the trio staying together until an acceleration by Laverick was only matched by Chris Mehlman on a tricky section of double-track with loose rocks and sand, Hayden Christian falling off the back. Laverick said he thought Mehlman was still on his back wheel just before the final two miles of pavement, but the Texan had crashed into a bush and left the Briton to sail away for the solo victory.
"With the first two races of my season going horrendously bad, I put an abnormal amount of pressure on myself going into Rattlesnake," Laverick said on his blog, referring to crashes he had at Santa Vall and the cancellation of The Mid South.
"The goal of attacking early was to split the race up into a smaller group. I attack again. This time it’s a gate that thwarts the attack. We got to this section of private land faster than expected and it hasn’t been opened yet. We call neutral as we all scramble over it in our cleats."
The pace was so high at the front that the leaders reached a couple of gates that had not been opened yet for the race, so they stopped to dismount and climbed the metal barriers. A total of 14 ranches, including those with cattle and wind turbines, permitted the race to pass through the vast prairieland dotted with steep plateaus. There is a reason that the area is popular for wind farms, and those winds were in action on Saturday.
Once past the mid-point of the race, high winds became as menacing as the uneven, chunky surface and technical undulations up and down steep ravines, and warm temperatures pushed 85 degrees Fahrenheit under blue skies.
"I was on the ropes at the end with the heat, but saw an opportunity on the double track to the line and sent it full risk. There were more than a couple of hairy moments through the sand pits and over the drop offs, but I came to the line alone," he added.
"I love coming to Texas. David has put on a true grassroots event which is gravel race meets nature retreat in a way. It’s private ranch land, mega gravel, and an all round good time."
Now in a fourth edition, the Rattlesnake Gravel Grind continues to raise funds for Nolan County area volunteer fire departments in the west Texas community, located 225 miles west of Dallas. Last year the event generated a total of $62,500, which was shared equally among five fire departments.
