Brennan Wins SBT GRVL
Yesterday, SBT GRVL confirmed its place as one of the most important events on the U.S. gravel calendar. The field read like a veritable Who’s Who of gravel racing, with all the big stars lining up for the 116.9-mile pro race in the mountains near Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The race format was changed this year to a closed circuit. The pros rode three laps, climbing a whopping 8,245 ft (2,513 m) during the course of the race. This is the Rocky Mountains!
Six of the pre-race favorites made it into an early break-away—Brennan Wertz, Alexey Vermeulen, Keegan Swenson, Pete Stetina, Torbjørn Andre Røed, Cobe Freeburn—while others may have decided that it was too early in the race to be successful. It wasn’t. The six stayed away, whittled the group down to three, and then Brennan Wertz attacked on the lead-in to the finish to win the race solo. Here’s Brennan’s story:
“Coming into SBT GRVL, I knew it would be a really fast and tactical race. I had pre-ridden a few laps of the new circuit and was really pleased how it suited my strengths. It had a lot of climbing in total, but most of the climbs were long and gradual, often around 3-4%. As the race approached, I realized that we could possibly see one of the highest average speeds in a gravel race due to the fast terrain and stacked field.
“Come race day, I felt very relaxed. I’ve been able to spend about three weeks training at altitude and had a good amount of confidence, knowing there weren’t many parts of the course where the other racers could drop me. I was calm and ready.
“The race started a bit cagey, with no one wanting to do work on the front, of pulling the big group up the shallow climbs. Around the midway point in the first of the three laps, Keegan Swenson and Pete Stetina attacked during the two steepest pitches towards the top of the middle climb on the circuit. I knew this was a serious attack, so I went after them straight away. My legs felt great, and I was able to hold onto their wheels over the crest.
“As I looked over my shoulder, I was surprised to see that a fairly substantial gap had opened. We began rotating and increasing our advantage. Two others came across and we had our group of six, which would whittle down to 5 on that same climb the next time around. From that point on, we kept a fairly steady rotation, knowing the gap was continuing to grow (up to 8 minutes at one point), and we had the podium places secured.
“On the final lap, Keegan, Alexey, and Pete took turns attacking on those same steep pitches on the middle climb, but the five us were too strong for anyone to get away. The headwind also somewhat neutralized these attacks. Once we made it over those steep pitches, and I was still at the front of the race, I knew I had a pretty good shot at going for the win. I attacked twice on the way into the finish, but was brought back each time.
“Then, in the last 3 kilometers, Keegan put in a huge attack up the final paved rise on the way to the finish. I managed to just barely hang onto Keegan and Alexey over the top and then saw that they were reducing their effort a bit. I kept my momentum and attacked hard over the crest, knowing it was only 2 km to the finish, and most of those were downhill. I had the perfect bike setup for this last stretch, with the very fast-rolling Barlow Pass Endurance 38 mm slick tires and a 54-tooth chainring. I put my head down and was able to reach the finish with a bit of gap, allowing me to celebrate. Behind me, Cobe caught back on and beat Alexey to the third podium spot.
“This was a very special race for me, because SBT GRVL has been one of my favorite races ever since I first came to Steamboat Springs back in 2021. It’s an incredibly beautiful place to ride, with some of the prettiest gravel roads I’ve ever ridden. I also really wanted to win one of the big U.S gravel races this year in the Stars-and-Stripes jersey. There is so much competition that the odds aren’t in any individual racer’s favor, and I am super proud to have pulled that off.
“Now it’s time for a bit of a mid-season break to reset, enjoy this special moment, and hopefully carry this momentum through the rest of the season.”
Brennan’s average speed of 23.67 mph (38.09 km/h) is one of the fastest ever recorded in a long (>100 mile) gravel race. Thank you for your report, Brennan! The famed SBT GRVL Stetson hat looks good on you!
Photos: Ri Ganey (used with permission)
