Keegan Swenson and Sofia Gomez Villafañe Score Hat-Trick Triumph at Belgian Waffle Trip Arizona

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Keegan Swenson (in entrance) battled Russell Finsterwald all day at Belgian Waffle Trip Arizona 2025(Symbol credit score: Belgian Waffle Trip)3 wins for Sofia Gomez Villafañe(Symbol credit score: Belgian Waffle Trip)Sonoran wasteland is the center piece of the BWR Arizona tournament(Symbol credit score: Belgian Waffle Trip)Zach Calton rides in entrance of Andrew l’Esperance right through BWR Arizona, with Canadian later taking 3rd(Symbol credit score: Belgian Waffle Trip)Hugo Drechou rides to fourth position(Symbol credit score: Belgian Waffle Trip)Courtney Sherwell presentations off Australian nationwide jersey in Sonoran wasteland(Symbol credit score: Belgian Waffle Trip)Wasteland domination for Sofia Gomez Villafañe at 2025 BWR Arizona(Symbol credit score: Belgian Waffle Trip)

Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz htSQD) and Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialised Off-road) each and every made it three-for-three at Belgian Waffle Trip Arizona with victories on Saturday in elite divisions. They began 2025 the place they left off final season, in every other victory lane, final October taking repeat titles within the Lifestyles Time Grand Prix collection.

Swenson outlasted Russell Finsterwald (Trek Driftless) in an all-day struggle and out-kicked his rival at the pavement in Cave Creek to earn the victory in 5:21:56, 3 seconds forward of the 2023 BWR California winner.

Andrew l’Esperance, the reigning Canadian marathon mountain motorcycle champion, used a last dash in a three-rider chase staff to protected 3rd position, driving 7 seconds forward of Hugo Drechou (Niumbero 31 par Cafe du Cyucliste) and every other 7 seconds clear of Zach Calton (Ventum). Closing yr’s podium finishers Lance Haidet (Specialised-SRAM) and Torbjørn Andre Røed (Trek Driftless) completed 6th and 8th, respectively.

Villafañe ruled the ladies’s race in 6:04:39 and rode nearly 21 mins forward of runner-up Courtney Sherwell (Santa Cruz-SRAM), who stepped forward from 8th final yr. Cecile Lejeune (CCB p/b LLG) trailed every other 1:13 in the back of the Australian gravel champion for 3rd. 

A complete of 7 elite girls’s riders finished the 103-mile (166km) route in below 7 hours, Axelle Dubau-Prevot (Numero 31 par Cafe du Cycliste) and Haley Smith (Trek Driftless) rounding out the highest 5, adopted via Hannah Shell (Vantage Racing) in 6th and Ruth Holcomb (Santa Cruz htSQD) in 7th.

A “killer day of racing in the Arizona desert” is how Swenson described the race. All Waffle riders took of in a mass get started from Cave Creek and headed into the Sonoran Wasteland for greater than 7,000 toes of elevation achieve, plagued by sandy washes, uncovered climbs and a whole lot of twisting single-track throughout the southern-most phase in McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

That is the primary instalment of the 2025 Quad-Tripel Crown of Gravel collection, a points-based omnium scored the use of finishes from 3 of 4 BWR occasions – Arizona, California, Utah and Montana. The longest route is BWR California at 193km and gives further weighted aspects. 

Closing season Villafañe gained the Tripel Crown of Gravel throughout a trio of BWR occasions, with Sherwell 2nd. At the males’s aspect, Peter Stetina (Canyon) was once probably the most constant within the males’s box and earned the Tripel Crown in a decent struggle with Røed and Haidet. 

Belgian Waffle Trip Arizona most sensible 10sSwipe to scroll horizontallyElite menPosNameTime1Keegan Swenson05:21:562Russell Finsterwald+00:00:033Andrew L’Esperance+00:04:224Drechou Hugo+00:04:275Zach Calton+00:04:346Lance Haidet+00:07:057Kyle Trudeau+00:13:458Torbjorn Andre Roed+00:16:059Luke Mosteller+00:16:0710Chase Wark+00:16:27Swipe to scroll horizontallyElite womenPosNameTime1Sofia Gomez Villafane06:04:392Courtney Sherwell+00:20:503Cecile Lejeune+00:22:034Dubau-Prevot Axelle+00:24:025Haley Smith+00:24:486Hannah Shell+00:40:367Ruth Holcomb+00:47:438Katja Verkerk+01:02:209Isabel King+01:15:2610Chelsee Pummel+01:22:24