Both the elite women's and elite men’s races came down to a sprint at The Mid South Gravel on Friday, with Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-road) continuing her winning run while Cobe Freeburn (Trek Driftless) took the win in the men’s race in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Villafañe was part of the decisive split of the day, joining a nine-rider group that broke clear of the 33-rider field alongside new teammate Geerike Schreurs, Cecily Decker (PAS Racing), Trek Driftless pair Paige Onweller and Cecile Lejeune, Lauren Stephens (Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment), defending champion Lauren De Crescenzo (The Feed-Argonaut-Castelli-Maxxis), Emily Newsom (Ventum-BikeTiresDirect), and Sarah Lange (Pivot-Kenda).
Villafañe claimed the win in the reduced group sprint with a time of 5:18:44, ahead of Schreurs, who was second, and Decker, who took third. In fourth place, with the same time, was Onweller, while Stephens came home fifth, one second adrift.
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Three-time Life Time Grand Prix champion Villafañe continued her unbeaten run through the early season, having also claimed, so far, the title at Santa Vall, Castellón Gravel Race and Valley of Tears, and this time in a tight battle with Onweller.
The Mid South Gravel made a return in 2026 after last year's cancellation due to the Oklahoma wildfires, with the pro divisions tackling the 106-mile-long course on Friday afternoon, for the first time racing on a separate day from the amateur fields.
The men’s race was decided in a three-up sprint with Freeburn edging out Unbound Gravel 200 champion Cameron Jones (Scott-RCC) to claim victory with a time of 4:31:54. Michael Garrison (SpeedStudio p/b Basso) was third, crossing the line three seconds back. Over three minutes later, Daxton Mock (Trek Driftless) took fourth place, followed by Adam Roberge (Felt), who was fifth.
For Freeburn – who had a breakout season on Colorado gravel last year as he won Bighorn Gravel and finished third at SBT GRVL – it was a first victory for his new team, Trek Driftless.
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"Not the day I expected. Couldn’t be more proud," concluded Freeburn in an Instagram post.
Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
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