Crystal Anthony and Skyler Taylor won the Highlands Gravel Classic, a UCI Gravel World Series event in Arkansas on Sunday.
Anthony, the 2023 winner, crossed the line after 3 hours, 59 minutes and 28 seconds to claim the women's race with 2024 winner Jenna Rinehart a close runner-up, only 10 seconds later. More than three minutes later, Laura King rounded out the podium.
In the men's race, Taylor outsprinted Tim McBirney for victory in a time of 3 hours, 29 minutes and 10 seconds after the pair had got away from what had been a group of four. Kyle Kalish was nearly two minutes back in third.
The first of two qualifying events in the United States, the 109km course delivered 90% gravel as it wound through the rural backcountry of the Ozarks, with canopy-covered gravel roads and constantly changing terrain. Riders faced over a dozen climbs, the longest stretching 4.7km. The highest point of the day came after 53 miles, along a sprawling ridgeline at 670 meters elevation, offering sweeping views of the rolling Ozark Mountains.
