It was a pair of decisive victories at the Gravel Locos 150 over the weekend as Australian champion Justine Barrow and Julien Gagne flew the coop and carved out clear-cut solo victories in Hico, Texas.
Gagne claimed the men's 147 mile (237km) race with 6,285 feet (1916m) of climbing in 6:34:22 with Niki Terpstra nearly three minutes back in second and Adam Roberge close behind in third. It was a long solo that led the Canadian to victory, with Gagne taking off after the group had thinned to around ten riders when there was still more than 100km left to go.
Barrow built an even bigger gap on her nearest rival as she covered the slightly shortened course, with some river crossings removed due to high water levels. The rider, who had just arrived in the United States days before, finished more than 14 minutes ahead of Marisa Boaz while it was then Emily Newsom in third.
"With a mass start event and some super strong men (and women) the first 90 minutes of the race always feels like a crit for me, which certainly hurts the legs for the remainder of a 7.5 hour race. Not to mention 33-degree heat," said Barrow in an Instagram post.
Barrow, who also this month won the Nannup UCI Gravel World Series round in Australia, found her way off the front of the women's field in a group of men at 25km in and didn't see the her rivals for the rest of the race. However it wasn't all smooth sailing, with a crash at around 80km in leading to a bent derailleur hanger.
"This win is a special one, as I have never won a race > 200 km," said Barrow." I was third here last year, and these long races are their own special brand of torture, making success that little bit sweeter!"
A win in Gravel Locos also bodes well for what's next, with the race a key lead in the event for the rapidly approaching June 1 race of Unbound Gravel.
