Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles-SRAM) and Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-Road) dominated the desert with repeat victories at the Belgian Waffle Ride Arizona.
Lance Haidet (Specialized-SRAM-Velocio) was able to match off-road prowess and on-road speed with Swenson for most of the day, but could not keep the pace on the final north section of the route when a paved climb turned to rocky descent just 14 miles from the finish. Haidet would finish second, 2:24 back. Third place for the pro men went to Torbjørn Røed (Trek-Driftless).
Villafañe had to work her way back to the front of the race after Haley Smith (Trek Driftless) and Alexis Skarda (Santa Cruz Bicycles) moved out front. It was on the final northern loop through Maricopa Park, before the technical descent near Camp Creek, that the two leaders were passed, Smith finishing second, 1:25 behind Villafañe, and Skarda in third, 7:06 back.
It was the second edition of the event from Cave Creek, Arizona, the first stop in the BWR Tripel Crown of Gravel Series for pro divisions. Saturday’s 103-mile (166km) contest had a mass start with 7,500 feet of climbing on a never-ending series of climbs and descents with washouts surrounded by thorny cacti, an inspiration to stay on the course. There were a total of seven, long ‘unroad’ sectors for 58% dirt, rocks and ‘rowdy’ terrain.
The men’s race was a two-rider battle between Swenson and Lance Haidet. A who’s who of gravel remained together 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 apart.
“It was a crazy day of ‘gravel’ racing, pretty much full gas from the start. Just all the ‘whoops’ and it separated pretty quick. Then it came back together a little on the road, but I pushed the pace again. Lance and I got away and just worked well together all day rotating,” Swenson said at the post-race interview.
“And then I just put in a last little dig at the top of the climb before dropping into the last big descent and was able to put in a little bit of a gap on him and roll it to the finish.”
Multiple lead changes marked the women’s Waffle race, with defending champion Villafañe grabbing a big lead early, the Sonoran desert roads her playground for training in the winter months. Skarda and Smith were able to make the catch, but Villafañe broke away on the final climb to secure her first victory of the season.
“I can’t believe I won today,” was the response from Villafañe at the finish line.
“Going into the last loop, I think I was over four minutes back. I had it in my head all these excuses why my legs felt shit. Then I said, ‘all right, one 30-minute effort all the way to the top of the dirt’. That’s when I saw Skarda. Then one of the guys [on course] said ‘I think Haley’s two minutes up’,” Villafañe recounted at the finish.
She had an idea that Smith was also in reach, and was able to bridge up to the Canadian and pass her in a washed-out section of the dirt before the final single-track.
Swenson and Villafañe took top points in the Belgian Waffle Ride mixed-surface series as early leaders in the Tripel Crown of Gravel. BWR Arizona is followed by BWR Utah in Cedar City on April 6 and BWR California in San Marcos on April 28 with omnium winners in pro categories sharing a minimum prize purse set at $30,000.
