Reigning US gravel national champion Brennan Wertz (Scott) and Jen Tavé (SpeedBlock p/b Terun) took the victories in the final round of the Grasshopper Adventure Series, King Ridge, held on the rugged roads of west Sonoma County, California. Three three timed segments - Joy Road at mile 17.5, Meyers Grad/Hwy 1 at mile 43 and Hwy 1/Kruse Road at mile 60 - were used to determine the fastest times.
Tavé delivered a time of 1:35:16 on the portions of the course where riders were racing against the clock which was good for the pro women's victory, her second in the series after winning Ukiah Mendo Gravel Epic. Tavé carved out an emphatic margin to runner-up Leslie Etheridge, who was nearly six minutes back, and it was another two-and-a-half minutes more to third-placed Liz Schinski.
“The King Ridge Grasshopper was my first enduro-style event, so I was excited to try something new. I had a group of friends to do it with and we powered up the timed segments at our own paces, then regrouped. Hard steep climbs were rewarded with spectacular views of the Sonoma coast, great camaraderie amongst other competitors," Tavé told organisers at the finish. "Loved getting to both push myself and get to enjoy time with friends and this special cycling community.”
In the pro men's category the US Gravel Champion set a time of 1:17:07, delivering a 38-second margin to Noah Shelton and another two seconds to Taj Krieger. Across the first two timed segments, Brennan only carried a four-second advantage over Krieger. It was on the third segment with 15 miles to go that Brennan did the damage, and earned his second victory in the series.
"Always a proper battle at the Hoppers and today was no different," said Wertz in an Instagram post. "It was a slightly different style of racing with the segment format but it was a solid fight on each segment and the guys were all firing."
King Ridge Grasshopper may be the final round of a gravel and dirt heavy series but the 91-mile (146km) route with 9,116 feet (2779m) of elevation gain – with the segments accounting for 22.7 miles and 4,781 of the vertical gain – was 96% paved. The course crossed remote mountain roads with steep climbs, twisty descents and coastal views of the Pacific Ocean.
The 28th edition of the Grasshopper Adventure Series started with the half pavement and half dirt Low Gap in January, a 47-mile 'proper Hopper' in Mendocino County, the elite men's race won by Peter Stetina for a second time in three years and Kate Courtney earning her fourth consecutive women's victory.
Courtney went two-for-two in the mixed terrain test at the Huffmaster in February, which is where Wertz won the men's round. At the single track event, Lake Sonoma MTB in March, Bradyn Lange and Anna Yamauchi earned solo victories.
Tavé and Justin Peck delivered at April's penultimate round, the Ukiah Mendo Gravel Epic, with Saturday's King Ridge in Duncan Mills crowning consistency across the five events.
Tavé's win in the final two rounds also secured her the top spot in the series, where 216 points gave her a 28-point advantage on her nearest rival, Kelly Brennan, who came fourth at King Ridge.
Krieger's third place in the final event was also enough to put him at the top of the men's overall leaderboard, with 185 points, which gave him a 10-point margin to Ben Frederick, who came ninth in the final round.
| Position | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jen Tavé | 1:35:16.7 |
| 2 | Leslie Ethridge | +5:59 |
| 3 | Liz Schinski | +8:37 |
| 4 | Kelly Brennan | +12:54 |
| 5 | Caetie Ofiesh | +15:48 |
| Position | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brennan Wertz | 1:17:07.3 |
| 2 | Noah Shelton | +0:38 |
| 3 | Taj Krieger | +0:40 |
| 4 | James Kinney | +2:15 |
| 5 | Dan English | +3:14 |
