Keegan Swenson wins SBT GRVL for third year in a row
Swenson follows up win a week ago at Leadville
Keegan Swenson continued his winning streak at SBT GRVL, winning the premiere gravel race for the third year in a row after dispatching Paul Voss on a climb in the final hour of racing.
The race rolled out from the Colorado ski resort town of Steamboat Springs and tackled about 125-miles of hilly terrain on a refreshed course. A group of seven riders broke away from the main group in the first 15 miles, but that group was swalled by the pack by the timing checkpoint at mile 20. At that point, Cameron Jones remained off the front, but his ride would be inconsequential.
The next major point on course was ‘Wahooligan Hill,’ a new section that is rougher than the ‘Champagne Gravel’ SBT has become known for. After that climb, Swenson bridged up to Jones along with Payson McElveen and cyclocross rider Eric Brunner who held about a 30 second gap.
By mile 55, Swenson and Voss were off the front, chased by the others who were joined by Alexey Vermeulen, Pete Stetina, and Torbjorn Roed. The two leaders extended their advantage to more than a minute, but Swenson eventually dropped Voss on a steep section.
“I figured I’d just squeeze a little bit there and see how he was doing,” Swenson said of the race deciding moment. “He came off the wheel and then I just got on the gas and tried to ride, just rode my pace.”
Meanwhile, Stetina moved into second place, riding solo with about 25 miles left in the race.
In the final hour of racing, Stetina was rejoined by Roed, Vermeulen, and Brendan Johnston. The four sprinted for the line eight minutes behind Swenson, with Roed kicking to second and Vermeulen in third.