Brennan Wertz (Mosaic Cycles) received the elite males’s title on the US Gravel Nationwide Championships on Sunday, using solo throughout the road in Gering, Nebraska with a pack of 9 chasers on his heels.
Wertz completed the 131.5-mile course in 5:50:37, which was six seconds forward of the cost behind, led by John Borstelmann (Slowtwitch Goodlife Racing) in second place and gravel newcomer Colby Simmons (Visma-Lease a Bike) in third. Defending champion Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles) completed sixth.
Wertz had already earned qualification to the UCI Gravel World Championships with a victory at this 12 months’s Highlands Gravel Traditional in Arkansas, however will now compete on October 6 in Belgium on the Worlds within the stars-and-stripes jersey. Final 12 months he completed third place on the inaugural US Gravel Nationals.
“It’s so particular to get to race with all of the US. guys. A whole lot of us have been racing collectively for a handful of years now, so it feels slightly bit like a household reunion,” Wertz mentioned. “It’s cool to see that the scene is being acknowledged by USA Biking and has its personal Nationwide Championship.”
Together with Wertz, the riders within the prime 5 additionally earned automated {qualifications} to the Gravel World Championships – Borstelmann, Simmons, Russell Finsterwald (Trek Driftless) and Griffin Easter (OpiCure Basis Gravel Staff p/b Canyon).
The highest seven finishers shared in half of the $40,000 prize purse on provide for elite athletes, Wertz incomes $10,000 for his victory.
Each the elite males’s and girls’s races had been held on the identical course as 2023, with 5,600 ft of elevation acquire throughout western Nebraska farmland that featured 90% gravel roads. Dry situations made for quick occasions, with Wertz bettering his time by slightly greater than 10 minutes from final 12 months, and claiming the primary nationwide title in his biking profession.
A gaggle of six riders led the lads’s race after the primary checkpoint within the opening 40 miles – Simmons, Easter, Dylan Johnson (Felt UN1TD), Michael Garrison (MGR p/b NICH SpeedClub), Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz SRAM htSQD) and Matthew Koenig (Staff Mike’s Bikes powered by Equator Coffees).
On the 100-mile mark simply passing by the third and remaining help station, Innokenty Zavyalov (Mazda-Orange Seal) held a one-minute lead over a chase group of 12 riders. With underneath 7 miles to race and Zavyalov absorbed again into the entrance pack, Swenson attacked off the entrance at Cemetary Street, the tempo dropping just a few riders earlier than a diminished bunch of 9 rejoined the defending champion. It was within the remaining mile that Wertz launched his assault.
“I knew with my dimension and energy I didn’t have the legs for a long-range assault… a 10-kilometer assault was out of the query at this time. I didn’t have any snap in my legs at this time after being sick. I used to be actually hoping I may sneak away one to 2 kilometers from the end, so I put all my chips on the desk on that transfer on the finish and it paid off,” Wertz, who stands out together with his 6-foot, 5-inch body, mentioned in a USA Biking press launch.
“I went with a superfast setup, tremendous slick tires, massive highway gears and I knew that the end this 12 months actually suited me properly. For me the purpose was to simply make it to that final two kilometers after which see what I may do from there. It was a giant gamble, I actually put all my chips on the desk and went all on in that technique.”
Outcomes
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Place
Rider
Time
1
Brennan Wertz (Mosaic Cycles)
05:50:37
2
John Borstelmann (Slowtwitch Goodlife Racing/Ventum/Voler)
