Haley Hunter Smith (Trek-Dritless) and Lukas Baum (Speed Company) emerged victorious after four stages and 650km of remote racing in Kenya, with a tough battle for overall honours unfolding on a wildlife filled course which delivered both hot, dry and dusty conditions plus mud and rain.
The four-stage Migration Gravel Race in Kenya swept through wide open savannah, river crossings, followed trails carved through the landscape by wildebeests and cattle plus tackled brutal climbs through forest which contributed to the more than 8,000m of elevation gain as the race unfolded from Tuesday June 17 to Saturday June 20. Maasai Mara provided the base location which stages looped out from.
Baum made his bid for overall victory early, taking the first stage but then after dropping off the podium in stage 2 reclaimed it with another win on the penultimate stage. Still there was no easy path to victory between a crash on the finish line in slippery conditions on stage 3 and an early flat on stage 4 which left him with a chase on his hands.
Lachlan Morton (EF Education-EasyPost) finished fifth overall.
