Belgian Waffle Ride series 2025

Belgian Waffle Rides series overview

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Belgian Waffle Ride 2025 results

BWR Arizona - Keegan Swenson and Sofia Gomez Villafañe earn hat-tricks in Arizona

Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz htSQD) and Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-road) won again at Belgian Waffle Ride Arizona in March, each now three-for-three on the familiar Sonoran desert terrain they both call home in the winter months. Swenson out-sprinted Russell Finsterwald (Trek Driftless) on the final pavement in Cave Creek for the victory, while Villafañe rode 21 minutes ahead of runner-up, Australian champion, Courtney Sherwell (Santa Cruz-SRAM).

BWR California – Defending champions Matt Beers and Sofia Gomez Villafañe dominate in California

Specialized Off-road riders Sofia Gomez Villafañe and Matt Beers didn't leave anything to chance in the defence of their titles at Belgian Waffle Ride California, both carving out huge buffers to their rivals early, leaving them racing for the lower podium steps. Peter Stetina (Canyon) and Flavia Oliveira Parks (Excel Sports p/b Specialized) claimed the runner-up spots.

Belgian Waffle Ride 2025 events

The Belgian Waffle Ride events feature mixed terrain, called ‘unroad’ by organisers Monuments of Cycling, where multiple course distances lead participants on a variety of surfaces and natural features. BWR events pay homage to the spring Classics in northern Europe with multiple sectors of gravel, sand, single track and rocky trails, as well as Belgian-inspired labels for course features. 

In 2025 a total of seven off-road events will fill the calendar for Belgian Waffle Rides, including multiple ride distances offered at each stop on the North American continent - five in the US, one in Canada and one in Mexico. 

Four of the US stops will provide points for the Quad-Tripel Crown of Gravel Series, the best three of scores determining champions on June 29 at the inaugural BWR Montana. 

Racing and riding kicks off March 1 in Cave Creek, Arizona with the third edition of BWR Arizona. It also sets the bar as the first event for the Quad-Tripel Crown. BWR Arizona offers plenty of technical singletrack across 196km (122 miles) that traverses the Sonoran Desert and goes into the foothills of the McDowell mountains. Even the pavement is tough, with sections of 20% gradients.

The signature event in the series remains BWR California, which returns on the final weekend of April, now in its 14th edition and slotted in as the second race of the Quad-Tripel series. BWR California originates north of San Diego at a new home in Del Mar at Surf Sports Park and offers a three-day Mega Expo. A route of approximately 220km (137 miles) is anticipated with more than 3950 metres (13,000 feet) of climbing.

The fifth annual BWR Utah, the third event for 2025, moved from early April to May 24, and the same start/finish in Cedar City. The 200km or so (124-mile) route has traditionally offered the most 'unroad' of all the events, 92%, and starts at the highest elevation of the events, 1,718 metres (5,846 feet) above sea level. 

BWR Montana is the newest event in the family of rides and races, taking place in the south-western part of the state in Bozeman on June 29. Elevation will be in play, as Bozeman sits at 1,468 metres (4,817 feet) above sea level and the course is expected to head into the lower slopes of the Rocky mountains for a distance close to 160 kilometres.

Three weeks prior to the finale of the Quad-Tripel Crown, the BWR series will hold a third edition of the ride on Vancouver Island in Canada. The diverse and rugged routes - 195km Waffle (120 miles) and two shorter distances - will start and end in Duncan, British Columbia.

BWR North Carolina returns for a fifth year, and has been moved from spring to fall, allowing the communities in the southern Appalachian mountains additional time to address property and road infrastructure damages caused by Hurricane Helene in late 2024. The route is expected to be shorter than the 187km course held last year, and reduce the previous year's 11,000 feet of climbing.

Last year's BWR Mexico was the largest gravel race in Mexican history, according to organisers, with more than 550 riders. This event returns to Querétaro City in central Mexico on November 23 and will be the final event on the BWR calendar.

Belgian Waffle Ride Quad-Tripel Crown of Gravel

In 2022 the BWR franchise offered a pro prize purse for athletes with top placings across multiple events. That year it was a Quadrupel Crown of Gravel Series, the top four male and female riders with the lowest cumulative times in the set of four races - California, North Carolina, Utah and Kansas - sharing in a prize purse. Peter Stetina and Flavia Oliveira Parks won the titles for the inaugural season.

The series then changed to a points-based scoring system for the 2023 Quadrupel Crown, Adam Roberge winning the elite men's Waffle division and Parks repeating for elite women. In addition, age group division were offered for the long-distance and middle-distance rides for amateurs.

In 2024 races in Arizona, Utah and California comprised a condensed eight-week format for a Tripel Crown of Gravel. The overall prize purse of $25,500 was distributed among the top five men and women at the end of the omnium format, which culminated at BWR California.Sofia Gomez Villafañe took the elite women's victory and Stetina reclaimed the series title for elite men.

This season BWR organisers have created the Quad-Tripel Crown of Gravel. Unique to the BWR franchise, Quad-Tripel champions are recognised among elite fields as well as age groups in both Waffle (long) and Wafer (mid-range) distance races. BWR's in Arizona, California, Utah and Montana all provide points to determine overall standings. Any three events can be completed for competitors, however,  extra-weighted points are on offer at California.

Belgian Waffle Ride history

The BWRs sprang from a one-day event in San Diego in 2011, created by Michael Marckx with Monuments of Cycling, which still owns and operates the popular series that has expanded across US borders. From that first 130-mile route with a few dirt sections, the BWR California event remains the anchor event and it now attracts sell-out fields for three routes that total 2,800 riders.

The BWR brand expanded into Mexico and Canada two years ago and now offer prize purses for elite categories on a points system at specific events, this year called the Quad-Tripel Crown of Gravel.

Belgian Waffle Ride 2025 schedule