Conclusion of Tripel Crown of Gravel takes place this Sunday then Norwegian resets for Unbound Gravel
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Men's podium at 2024 Tripel Crown of Gravel (L to R): fourth place Kyle Trudeau, second place Torbjørn Røed, winner Peter Stetina, third place Lance Haidet and fifth place Griffin Easter(Image credit: Unroad UNLTD with Dan Hughes, Rob Wessels, Kris Hull)
Peter Stetina (Canyon Waffeleurs & Ale drinkeurs) won the Tripel Crown for pro men(Image credit: Unroad UNLTD with Dan Hughes, Rob Wessels, Kris Hull)
Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-road) won the Tripel Crown for pro women(Image credit: Unroad UNLTD with Dan Hughes, Rob Wessels, Kris Hull)
The Belgian Waffle Ride events feature mixed terrain, called ‘unroad’, where multiple course distances lead participants on and off paved road to sections of dirt and gravel with occasional water crossings and cyclocross features.
In 2024 six events are scheduled across North America - four in the US, one in Canada and one in Mexico. The opening three rounds of the ‘waffel’ rides, the longest distances at each event, comprise the Belgian Waffle Ride Tripel Crown of Gravel, which will offer prize money for pros, based on the total points achieved over the three races, and commemorative badges for all finishers.
BWR events have mass starts for all competitors in each distance. The race pays 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. The variety of mixed terrain is still dominated by pavement on most routes.
The 2024 Quadrupel Crown omnium titles for elite men and women went to Peter Stetina and Sofia Gomez Villafañe, the duo recording the best times across three races in a seven-week span. The overall prize purse of $25,500 was distributed among the top five men and women at the end of the series, which culminated at BWR California.
Organised by Monuments of Cycling, the 2024 overall series competition was modified with a compressed calendar for the top three events, which took place over seven weeks between March 2 and April 28, rather than seven events across eight months like 2023. This now replicates the one-day Spring Classics in Europe, which compress the events with cobbled climbs and ancient Roman roads from late February to mid April, such as Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in Belgium and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in France.
In addition to the Tripel Crown, organisers will offer prizes for Duel in the Desert in 2024. Athletes can combine BWR Arizona’s ‘Wafer’, 72-mile ride, with the Specialized Cactus Cup’s 40-mile cross-country mountain bike race to claim awards as ‘Queen and King of the Desert’. The events take place on in and around McDowell Mountain Regional Park on consecutive Saturdays, the Wafer ride on March 2 and Cactus Cup on March 9.
Belgian Waffle Ride events 2024
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Women's 2024 podium for BWR California, on top step is winner Sofia Gomez Villafañe(Image credit: Unroad UNLTD with Dan Hughes, Rob Wessels, Kris Hull)
The 2024 Tripel Crown of Gravel begins on March 2 in Cave Creek, Arizona with the second edition of BWR Arizona on a Waffle course of 103 miles (166km) with 58% unroad. The fifth annual BWR Utah is the second event on April 6. The 128-mile (206km) Waffle route begins and ends in Cedar City, with the most unroad of all the events, 92%. Now in its 13th edition, the BWR California concludes the series on April 28. The 137-mile (220.5km) route from San Marcos includes a staggering 10,500 feet of climbing, with 40% of unroad.
On June 22, BWR North Carolina returns to the Blue Ridge Mountains for a fourth edition. While not part of a points-based series, the North Carolina event has offered one of the most challenging routes. This year the Waffle route is expected to trim the distance below 131 miles (211km) and reduced the amount of climbing, which was 13,000 feet of elevation gain last year.
BWR British Columbia returns to Vancouver Island, Canada on September 22 and BWR Mexico will take place in Queretaro, Bajío on November 24. Both of these events will offer separate prize purses for pro riders, with $10,000 confirmed at the Canadian race.
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.
Last year the BWR brand expanded into Mexico and Canada, and offered a Quadrupel Crown of Gravel prize purse for pros, with the best results combined from four of the seven North American events.
For the Quadrupel Crown last year, Roberge won BWR Mexico and BWR North Carolina while he added a fifth place at BWR Kansas. Oliveira Parks had consistent placings for her five events, including second place at BWR California and a pair of third-place finishes in North Carolina and Utah.
A Quadrupel Crown was also held in 2022 while it was a Tripel Crown in 2021. The overall winners for men were Michael Geuss in 2022 and Luis Cuadrado in 2021, while for the women Joelim Jo won in 2022 and Whitney Post won in 2021.
