Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles-SRAM) continued on his race dominating path on Saturday, claiming the national title in the elite men’s race at the first USA Cycling Gravel Championships held in Gering, Nebraska.
In a close battle for the stars-and-stripes jersey, Swenson beat a three-rider chase group by 18 seconds to claim the title and the healthy prize purse that comes with it.
Alexey Vermeulen (Jukebox-ENVE) led the chase group across the line to take second place, while Brennan Wertz (Mosaic Cycles) sprinted in for third and Payson Mcelveen (Allied Cycle Works) fourth.
Gering, a small town in the far western part of Nebraska, is just across the border from Colorado near the base of the Scotts Bluff National Monument. The elite men’s and women’s national championships race was held along a 131.4-mile course that included 5,600 feet of elevation gain, and 90% of the course was on gravel roads.
“It was a tough course,” said Swenson. “It was windy, and the dirt was really soft and loose. It was a strange surface all day. Honestly, the best was the climb with 20 miles to go, and then we had a tailwind all the way home after that.”
The race was also a qualifying event for the UCI Gravel World Championships that are set to take place in Veneto, Italy, on October 8, and the top three of the elite men’s race at nationals automatically qualify for Worlds.
More to come …
| Pos. | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles/SRAM) | 6:00:24 |
| 2 | Alexey Vermeulen (Jukebox – ENVE) | +18 |
| 3 | Brennan Wertz (Mosaic Cycles) | Row 2 – Cell 2 |
| 4 | Payson Mcelveen (Allied Cycle Works) | +19 |
| 5 | John Borstelmann (Ventum / Vo(ler) | +53 |
| 6 | Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz SRAM htSQD) | +4:06 |
| 7 | Daxton Mock (Bear National Team) | |
| 8 | Lance Haidet (L39ION of Los Angeles) | +4:52 |
| 9 | Ethan Overson (Scuderia Pinarello) | +5:19 |
| 10 | Nathan Spratt | +6:06 |
| 11 | Stephen Vogel (Project Echelon Racing) | 11:18 |
| 12 | Spencer Miller (First Internet Bank Cycling) | +14:36 |
| 13 | Andrew Dillman (Ignition Coach Co.) | +14:37 |
| 14 | Noah Granigan (Denver Disruptors) | +17:07 |
| 15 | Isaac Bryant (Above and Beyond Cancer p/b Bike World) | +17:08 |
| 16 | Marc Spratt (Voler/Ventum) | +18:13 |
| 17 | Joe Goettl (Scheels Utah) | +19:33 |
| 18 | Eric Colindres (The Olympic Club) | +27:29 |
| 19 | Madison Molitor | |
| 20 | Chris Mehlman (Endurance Threads/Neversecond/Vittoria/Hammerhead/Maple/Julbo) | +27:33 |
| 21 | Ted King (iamtedking.com/sponsors :)) | +29:52 |
| 22 | Andy Lydic (BMC #itcouldbeme) | +31:12 |
| 23 | Cobe Freeburn (Bear National Team) | +38:48 |
| 24 | Zachary Allison (Bike Sports) | +41:40 |
| 25 | Hayden Pucker… |
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…