Julien Gagne wins the men's 150 'La Loca' event at the 2024 Gravel Locos(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
Australian champion Justine Barrow nestled among the bunch at the mass start event(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
The Gravel Locos field(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
Breaking the field up(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
A lead group(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
Gaps on the descent(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
Solo time?(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
Julien Gagne on the move(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
Justine Barrow through a river crossing(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
Australian champion grits her teeth(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
Pushing on to stretch the gap on the all of her rivals in the women's field(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
A win for Barrow(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
Victory for Gagne(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
The men's podium at the 150 'La Loca' event at the 2024 Gravel Locos(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
The women's podium at the 150 'La Loca' event at the 2024 Gravel Locos(Image credit: @velophoto.tx)
It was a pair of decisive victories at the Gravel Locos 150 over the weekend as Australian champion Justine Barrow and Julien Gagne flew the coop and carved out clear-cut solo victories in Hico, Texas.
Gagne claimed the men's 147 mile (237km) race with 6,285 feet (1916m) of climbing in 6:34:22 with Niki Terpstra nearly three minutes back in second and Adam Roberge close behind in third. It was a long solo that led the Canadian to victory, with Gagne taking off after the group had thinned to around ten riders when there was still more than 100km left to go.
Barrow built an even bigger gap on her nearest rival as she covered the slightly shortened course, with some river crossings removed due to high water levels. The rider, who had just arrived in the United States days before, finished more than 14 minutes ahead of Marisa Boaz while it was then Emily Newsom in third.
"With a mass start event and some super strong men (and women) the first 90 minutes of the race always feels like a crit for me, which certainly hurts the legs for the remainder of a 7.5 hour race. Not to mention 33-degree heat," said Barrow in an Instagram post.
Barrow, who also this month won the Nannup UCI Gravel World Series round in Australia, found her way off the front of the women's field in a group of men at 25km in and didn't see the her rivals for the rest of the race. However it wasn't all smooth sailing, with a crash at around 80km in leading to a bent derailleur hanger.
"This win is a special one, as I have never won a race > 200 km," said Barrow." I was third here last year, and these long races are their own special brand of torture, making success that little bit sweeter!"
A win in Gravel Locos also bodes well for what's next, with the race a key lead in the event for the rapidly approaching June 1 race of Unbound Gravel.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Men's top 5
Position
Rider
Time
1
Julien Gagne
6:34:22
2
Nikki Terpstra
+2:46
3
Adam Roberge
+2:56
4
Jasper Ockeloen
+3:24
5
Ivar Slik
+3:45
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Women's top 5
Position
Rider
Time
1
Justine Barrow
7:30:06
2
Marisa Boaz
+14: 09
3
Emily Newsom
+34:56
4
Lucy Hempstead
+47:05
5
Laura King
+48:32
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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.
