Keegan Swenson and Sofia Gomez Villafañe earn hat-trick at Belgian Waffle Ride Arizona
Russell Finsterwald settles for second in desert dual against reigning men's champion while Courtney Sherwell soloes to second for women







Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz htSQD) and Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-road) each made it three-for-three at Belgian Waffle Ride Arizona with victories on Saturday in elite divisions. They started 2025 where they left off last season, in another victory lane, last October taking repeat titles in the Life Time Grand Prix series.
Swenson outlasted Russell Finsterwald (Trek Driftless) in an all-day battle and out-kicked his rival on the pavement in Cave Creek to earn the victory in 5:21:56, three seconds ahead of the 2023 BWR California winner.
Andrew l'Esperance, the reigning Canadian marathon mountain bike champion, used a final sprint in a three-rider chase group to secure third place, riding 7 seconds ahead of Hugo Drechou (Niumbero 31 par Cafe du Cyucliste) and another 7 seconds away from Zach Calton (Ventum). Last year's podium finishers Lance Haidet (Specialized-SRAM) and Torbjørn Andre Røed (Trek Driftless) finished sixth and eighth, respectively.
Villafañe dominated the women's race in 6:04:39 and rode almost 21 minutes ahead of runner-up Courtney Sherwell (Santa Cruz-SRAM), who improved from eighth last year. Cecile Lejeune (CCB p/b LLG) trailed another 1:13 behind the Australian gravel champion for third.
A total of seven elite women's riders completed the 103-mile (166km) course in under 7 hours, Axelle Dubau-Prevot (Numero 31 par Cafe du Cycliste) and Haley Smith (Trek Driftless) rounding out the top five, followed by Hannah Shell (Vantage Racing) in sixth and Ruth Holcomb (Santa Cruz htSQD) in seventh.
A "killer day of racing in the Arizona desert" is how Swenson described the race. All Waffle riders took of in a mass start from Cave Creek and headed into the Sonoran Desert for more than 7,000 feet of elevation gain, littered with sandy washes, exposed climbs and lots of twisting single-track through the southern-most section in McDowell Mountain Regional Park.
This is the first instalment of the 2025 Quad-Tripel Crown of Gravel series, a points-based omnium scored using finishes from three of four BWR events - Arizona, California, Utah and Montana. The longest course is BWR California at 193km and provides additional weighted points.
Last season Villafañe won the Tripel Crown of Gravel across a trio of BWR events, with Sherwell second. On the men's side, Peter Stetina (Canyon) was the most consistent in the men's field and earned the Tripel Crown in a tight battle with Røed and Haidet.
Belgian Waffle Ride Arizona top 10s
Pos | Name | Time |
---|---|---|
1 | Keegan Swenson | 05:21:56 |
2 | Russell Finsterwald | +00:00:03 |
3 | Andrew L’Esperance | +00:04:22 |
4 | Drechou Hugo | +00:04:27 |
5 | Zach Calton | +00:04:34 |
6 | Lance Haidet | +00:07:05 |
7 | Kyle Trudeau | +00:13:45 |
8 | Torbjorn Andre Roed | +00:16:05 |
9 | Luke Mosteller | +00:16:07 |
10 | Chase Wark | +00:16:27 |
Pos | Name | Time |
---|---|---|
1 | Sofia Gomez Villafane | 06:04:39 |
2 | Courtney Sherwell | +00:20:50 |
3 | Cecile Lejeune | +00:22:03 |
4 | Dubau-Prevot Axelle | +00:24:02 |
5 | Haley Smith | +00:24:48 |
6 | Hannah Shell | +00:40:36 |
7 | Ruth Holcomb | +00:47:43 |
8 | Katja Verkerk | +01:02:20 |
9 | Isabel King | +01:15:26 |
10 | Chelsee Pummel | +01:22:24 |
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast). Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France), and some mtb rides in Park City, Utah (USA).
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
'Hard work ahead, as relentless as training' - Payson McElveen diagnosed with hip fracture after Sea Otter crash
US gravel racer looks past Unbound and optimistic for backloaded season and final four events in the Life Time Grand Prix -
How to watch Flèche Wallonne 2025 – Live streams, TV coverage
All the broadcast information for the second of the three Ardennes Classics for both men and women -
18-year-old Paul Seixas claims third after aggressive Tour of the Alps stage 1 performance
'I have the level to maybe win a stage' says French teenager as teammate Gall second in Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 2-3 -
Flèche Wallonne 2025 contenders - The kings and queens of the Mur de Huy
Analysing the men's and women's favourites as the WorldTour and Women's WorldTour at the second round of the Ardennes