Kate Courtney sets women's course record, Brennan Wertz repeats with solo men's win at Huffmaster Hopper

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Kate Courtney (She Sends Racing) and Brennan Wertz won on home roads of northern California at Huffmaster Classic, the second stop of the five-event Grasshopper Adventure Series. 

In her first appearance at the 90-mile Huffmaster, the two-time US mountain bike champion and U23 silver medallist at MTB Worlds set a new course record for elite women in 4:17:25. She beat Anna Yamauchi by just under four minutes. Anna Gibson was another 12 minutes back for third.

In January Courtney debuted a team setup as She Sends Racing, her non-profit to "get more girls on bikes", and new equipment with Allied CycleWorks, scoring the victory at the Grasshopper opener at Low Gap. She then travelled to South Africa for training and to compete in the Tankwa Trek mountain bike stage race, which she won. 

Wertz, the reigning US Gravel national champion, launched his 2025 season in Maxwell, California with the victory, adding a second consecutive win at Huffmaster. He put in a gap to his closest rivals on the final miles of the downhill gravel to finish solo in 4:04:20. The fight for the final two podium spots went to Lance Haidet, who was fifth last year, as he out-sprinted Tim McBirney at the line for second, finishing 49 seconds back.

Huffmaster's mixed-surface, punchy course offered 4,866 feet of elevation gain. While the climbing was not as significant as other Hopper events, the majority of the dirt sections were packed into the final half of the large loop east of the Snow Mountain Wilderness area in Colusa County, known for its technical descents. 

The men's and women's pro fields started together, with group tactics playing out for the first 40 miles and then the first gravel climb blowing the field apart. With fast, dry conditions this year, Wertz made his move on the Huffmaster Road gravel section with under 10 miles to race.

"It’s always a massive pleasure to race this beautiful course and it truly never disappoints. The race is always fast, fun, and super dynamic. Yesterday was no exception," Wertz posted on Instagram.

Wertz has included Huffmaster as part of his early-season test since 2021, now adding a third win and never finishing lower than fourth place. Last year in muddy conditions, Wertz won ahead of Peter Stetina and Sean Bennett, with Lance Haidet in fifth and Lachlan Morton in eighth. Prior to race day, Wertz told Grasshopper founder Miguel Crawford that he would just look for an opportunity to put his rivals in trouble, and he did just that.

"Last year the biggest strategy was to avoid the mud. In the grand scheme of things, it's a relatively straightforward course.[It's]  super fast, flowing, tacky dirt this time of year, is so optimal for the slicks. A fast setup and super grippy if you get the pressure right," he told Crawford and proved his point with a solo victory on Saturday, returning with Rene Herse tyres that made a difference again.

"There's opportunities for someone like me to make it really hard for a lot of other people in the race. I'm always looking for moments to make it harder for everyone else." 

The two courses at Huffmaster saw registrations near the 500-rider mark this year. Proceeds from the Huffmaster Grasshopper support Adventure Therapy Foundation, which serves families living with cancer. 

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