The women's elite podium at the Highlands Gravel Classic, with Jenna Rinehart on the top step, Maude Farrell second and Flavia Oliveira Parks third(Image credit: , Payton Perkin/@paytonlperkins )
Brennan Wertz and Jenna Rinehart won the Highlands Gravel Classic over the weekend, taking out the only US round of the 2024 UCI Gravel World Series.
Wertz, who also won the Sea Otter Classic Gravel Race last weekend, came over the line in 3:25:20, 12 seconds ahead of Cobe Freeburn. Nicholas Roche was 34 seconds back in third at the race which wound its way over the canopy-covered gravel roads and through more than a dozen climbs as it traversed the changing terrain of the Ozarks.
"Thrilled to land on the top step here in Arkansas and in doing so, also qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships in Belgium in October," said Wertz in an Instagram post. "It’s been a busy last 9 days, with 3 races on two different sides of the US. I’m tired, satisfied, and hungry to keep building towards the many goals still to come later in the year."
Reinhart first had to catch up with Maude Farrell and Flavia Oliveira Parks after her chain came off early in the race, leaving her watching the field ride off into the distance as she put it back on. Still, ultimately she took off on them both, finishing in 3:51:55, 25 seconds ahead of Farrell and more than four minutes ahead of Oliveira Parks.
"I got a little gap on Maude I think maybe with ten miles to go and decided to go for it and see if I could hold it ... she wasn't too far away so I had to push super hard to the end," Reinhart said in a post-race interview.
The Highlands Gravel Classic ran over a 67.6 mile (109km) course featuring 7,000 ft (2,100 m) of climbing, was 95% gravel and started and finished on a farm outside Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Elite women's top 5
Position
Rider
Time
1
Jenna Rinehart
3:51:55
2
Maude Farrell
0:00:25
3
Flavia Oliveira Parks
0:04:22
4
Crystal Anthony
0:11:45
5
Marisa Boaz
0:15:03
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Elite men's top 5
Position
Rider
Time
1
Brennan Wertz
3:25:20
2
Cobe Freeburn
0:00:12
3
Nicholas Roche
0:00:34
4
Daxton Mock
0:04:44
5
Troy Fields
0:04:48
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Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg. Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.
