Mid South: 5 of top-10 on Rene Herse
Rene Herse tires swept the podiums at the first major gravel race of 2023, The Mid South: 1st, 2nd, 6th, 9th and 12th places among the women, as well as 4th among the men. That result is all the more remarkable as these racers don’t get paid to ride Rene Herse tires. They just want to win, so they choose our tires, in this case the 700C x 44 mm Snoqualmie Pass tires (Endurance casing).
Lauren de Crescenzo (Cinch Racing, above) was defending last year’s title. She reported: “There’s always more pressure going into a race with the number 1 plate. My teammates and I rode at the front from the beginning. I took the lead solo, built a good gap, and settled into my pace. Then I was stopped by a train for 5 minutes at mile 35. The groups behind me all came together at the railroad crossing, and my lead was erased.
“I had to restart my race entirely, and do a mental reset. The race dynamics totally changed, and I was back in a group of male riders with competitors Ruth Winder and Emily Newsom and teammate Caroline Wreszin. I relentlessly kept attacking and finally broke away with 50 miles to go. Despite huge winds and chasing groups, I was able to build a big lead. I was able to solo to victory, set the course record, and get organizer Bobby Wintle’s famous hug.”
There’s nothing to add to that story—there’s only one Laurenissima!
In second was Caroline Wreszin, Lauren’s Cinch Racing teammate. Just 21 years old, Caroline rode flawlessly all day, making the key selections, and moving into second place during the final part of the race. She commented at the end: “Tires were absolutely the best.”
Of course, we all know that legs and brains that got Caroline onto the podium—bike and tires can help, but no more.
In the men’s race, Innokenty ‘Inno’ Zavyalov (Mazda Lauf Factory Team) finished fourth, outsprinting Alex Howes and other pre-race favorites. He reported: “I was a bit nervous running the Snoqualmie Pass today, as I’ve mostly ridden the Hurricane Ridge and have not raced this tire before. But at 30-31 psi they were super-awesome, decent grip in the corners, but most importantly floated the chunky rocky gravel really well. I’m impressed.”
Congratulations on a hard-fought result!
Marisa Boaz, also with the Mazda Lauf Factory Team, was sixth in the women’s race. She told us after the race: “I didn’t have the start I wanted, so then spent the day making up ground. It’s a hard way to race, but I’m really trying to get better at it. Proud of my effort, but not satisfied, which can be a good thing. The tires were great today! They felt comfortable over some really rough areas, and I have 100% confidence in them!”
Well done! We look forward to seeing where Marisa will go in the future.
Rounding out the top-10 in the women’s field was Holly Mathews (right) of Cinch Racing, who had enough left after supporting her teammates to finish 9th. Holly is truly inspiring. Not far behind was her teammate Tori Dippold (left), who finished 12th in her first major gravel race. Amazing!
Photo credits: Jacey Rae Sikes Photography (Lauren winning)
Further Reading:
- Results of Bicycle Quarterly’s tire tests
- Our book The All-Road Bike Revolution explores how bicycles really work.
- More about Rene Herse tires
