Gravel Worlds 2021: Borstelmann repeats for men while De Crescenzo takes title for women

Reigning Gravel Worlds champion John Borstelmann out-kicked Colin Strickland at the line to defend his title for elite men on Saturday, both finishing in a time of 7:04:37. Chase Wark took third, 14 seconds back.

Strickland was out of the top 20 at the 60-mile checkpoint, and moved into contention by the second checkpoint at mile marker 120. Once on the pavement to the finish line, Borstelmann gave it an extra push to keep Strickland from passing.

“Got the W at Gravel Worlds today after a hard fought race that came down to a two up sprint with Colin Strickland,” Borstelmann said on his Instagram feed after the race. 

Lauren De Crescenzo won the women’s title, 7:36:53, a little over 13 minutes faster than Sammi Runnels, with Lindsey Stevenson in third. 

The top three women crossed the two time checks on the course in the same finishing order. De Crescenzo, who has been on a tear this season on gravel with wins at Unbound Gravel 200 and SBT GRVL, also took the best climber award. Wark was the best climber on the men’s side. 

The Gravel Worlds, now in their 11th year, offered multiple routes, with the 150-miler serving up more than 11,000 feet of elevation gain from the hub in Lincoln, Nebraska. A Privateer 75 and Buccaneer (50km) non-championship events returned, and a new 300-mile “Long Voyage” challenge was added for this year, which began on Friday, August 20.

The top finisher in the 75-mile race was Lauren Stephens (TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank), finishing three seconds ahead of men’s winner Ross Weinzierl in a time of 3:55:55. Stephens opted for the shorter route to prepare for the upcoming Joe Martin Stage Race.

Zeno Molteni was the first rider to complete the 300-mile challenge, completing his ride in 20 hours, 48 minutes, 15 seconds.