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Brennan Wertz (Mosaic Cycles) and Flavia Oliveira Parks (Excel Sports) blasted across the long gravel route of Huffmaster Hopper and won the pro divisions of the second round of Grasshopper Adventure Series in northern California Saturday.
Wertz set a new record for the Huffmaster, riding 2:50 faster than Tyler Williams did in 2021. For a second time Peter Stetina (Canyon) finished in the runner-up spot, this time out-sprinting Sean Bennett (Mike’s Bikes), who took the final spot on the pro men’s podium. The duo trailed Wertz by 41 and 42 seconds, respectively.
Notable finishers in the top 10 included Lance Haidet in fifth, defending champion Ian Lopez de San Roman in seventh and Lachlan Morton in eighth.
Parks won her first Huffmaster in three outings in the pro women’s division, riding solo 8:09 ahead of Jen Tave, who was second. Leslie Ethridge was 19:31 back for third.
With the victory Saturday and a second-place finish at Low Gap, Parks moved into the pro women’s division lead of the Grasshopper Series, with Tave and Ethridge completing the top three. Stetina took the overall lead for pro men, with Wertz, who was fifth at Low gap, moving into second. Bennett was now third overall and San Roman fourth.
How it unfolded
Fast, dry conditions were a welcome break at the 2024 Huffmaster Hopper gravel race from recent heavy rains and winds that have characterised the West Coast of the USA this winter. Last year wet…
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