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Bradyn Lange and Anna Yamauchi earned solo victories within the professional divisions at Lake Sonoma MTB on Saturday, the third of 5 occasions within the Grasshopper Journey Collection in northern California.
The Healdsburg space in northern Sonoma County obtained surprising rain showers through the occasion, making the lengthy route, with 23 miles and 4,500 toes of vertical acquire, slippery on the abundance of single-track sections, three-time Olympic MTB rider Katerina Nash calling it “slide it to journey it”.
Lange gained separation in entrance of all contenders on the primary go of the 7-mile outer loop, and solely one of many e-Bike racers close by. He stayed on the fuel for the solo victory, ending in 1:49:49. Justin Peck, who received a pair of collegiate titles in brief monitor MTB cross-country final season, completed 3:16 again in second. Peter Stetina was third at 4:05 again, and a fast-closing Sandy Floren, one other 41 seconds behind Stetina was fourth.
“The technique was to see how exhausting I may push myself. Primarily I used to be making an attempt to prep for Sea Otter in a few weeks. I took off midway up the primary climb,” Lange instructed organisers on the end.
“All of the downhills and flat components, it is like there is a velocity restrict on plenty of these trails, like sprinting out of every nook. There may be solely a lot energy you are able to do all through the course, so I did not blow up.”
Stetina was glad to be on the rostrum and mentioned, “You possibly can’t beat native mountain bike racing”.
“After The Mid South was cancelled with fires final weekend, I wanted one thing to do in March. Fortunately, Mig [Crawford, race director] had spots nonetheless open, so a fast pivot. My purpose is simply pummel myself bodily and maintain it upright. You possibly can by no means go as quick in coaching as you do in a race.”
Whereas Lange will participate within the new Sea Otter Traditional Gravel race subsequent month as a part of the sphere for the Life Time Grand Prix, Yamauchi must journey her approach again into the collection as a wildcard entrant. She completed in 2:15:22, good for seventeenth total within the mass-start occasion. She had 7:13 to spare over professional girls’s runner-up Nash and one other 26 minutes to Kelly Brennan in third.
“I pinned it to the singletrack. I knew there can be chaos [in the mass start] and rode my race, plenty of yo-yoing on the market. It was both straight up or straight down,” the 25-year-old winner mentioned on the end. “My chain was somewhat muddy at instances however no points on the market.”
Nash, two years from being double Yamauchi’s senior, mentioned the course was already muddy a the beginning, so the intermittent rain on the second half created slippery spots within the deep ruts as 300 riders repeated the loop.
“It was good, the primary race of the season. This one’s not straightforward, plenty of good climbing. I loved the downhills and it was enjoyable to get somewhat bit slick and slide it to journey it model.”
Taj Krieger went into the third Hopper because the collection chief, and with a seventh-place end Saturday he held a margin over Stetina and Ben Frederick, who are actually tied in second place with 111 factors and trailing Krieger by 24 factors. Kate Courtney, who didn’t race Lake Sonoma, continued within the girls’s total after profitable the opening two rounds, with Yamauchi leaping to second total, simply 9 factors again.
The 2025 Grasshopper Journey Collection strikes to Ukiah-Mendo Gravel Epic on April 27, the 76-mile mixed-terrain occasion serving because the NCNCA Gravel District Championship occasion.
