Lauren De Crescenzo (The Feed-Argonaut-Castelli-Maxxis) opened her 2026 gravel campaign on familiar territory in Georgia, returning as the two-time elite women's winner of Homegrown Gravel Adventure, supported by Wahoo. Several dicey mud sections put her in unfamiliar situations, however, leaving her with a runner-up finish and a battered left arm.
The early prognostication was for a battle against Emily Newsom, making her first start with a new Ventum-BikeTiresDirect setup, no matter what the course conditions. Heavy rain in the days leading up to the 100-mile race factored into how the two riders would survive to the final 1.5 miles to decide the win. Newsom would earn the victory in her first appearance in Franklin, Georgia, finishing in 5:34:10, 30 seconds ahead of two-time winner De Crescenzo.
The elite women started 15 minutes after the men on a foggy Saturday morning with 8,500 feet of elevation gain on tap across gravel and rough pavement in Georgia and Alabama. Because of heavy rains in the days leading up to the race, the opening section of 1.5 miles of gravel was diverted as the Chattahoochee River had overflowed its banks.
The flooding was high enough that participants and spectators staying at the nearby campground were moved to higher ground the night before by local authorities.
The first encounter with heavy mud for racers came 17 miles later on the first gravel sector in Alabama. That is where De Crescenzo lost control of her bike while riding at the front of the lead group of eight.
"It was a really slippery, muddy section, and I tried to take the high line on the left. Then I slid and got caught up in a barbed wire fence. It happens," De Crescenzo said as she took hold of the ripped left sleeve of her jersey and revealed deep scratch marks from her shoulder to her wrist.
"I didn't crash. I just bounded off barbed wire."
Once remounted, De Crescenzo went to work for the next 30 miles, working her way back to the front.
"I gave her a minute-and-a-half lead. Yeah, for the last part of the race, I just did that thing I always do, put my head down. The race had exploded a little bit, with people scattered all over. I was able to catch people one by one, and eventually caught up to Emily and Sierra Sims [Team Winston-Salem]."
Newsom said she didn't see how her competitor slipped in the muddy section of gravel, but knew she went down hard. And it wasn't until De Crescenzo clawed her way back to the front that Newsom could see the blood on her arm.
"I really didn't want to ride 75 miles alone, and I really didn't think I could keep Lauren away for 75 miles," Newsom told Cyclingnews after her debut win at Homegrown Gravel.
"Two girls bridged to me, and we worked really well together. Lauren caught us about mile 50, and we dropped the other [rider]. I could tell she got ripped up by barbed wire, and I could tell she wasn't feeling great. It was pretty epic."
Newsom said she let De Crescenzo push the pace on all the rolling hills, gravel and tarmac, saving her reserves for a short, sharp 6% gradient at the finish line.
However, the lead moto they were following turned off pavement with 1.5 miles to go and onto the previously flooded and debris-filled road along the river, having missed the sign for deviation. The riders followed, and that is where Newsom found her advantage.
"When we got to the river road that they didn't have us go down on the way out, we were like, what do we do? So we're like, guess we're supposed to go that way now. So we took the river road, it was actually quite sloppy and a little bit chaotic because the moto kind of got stuck behind a couple cyclists [from other ride distances].
"It ended up being really good for me, because I like muddy chaos. I came out first and sprinted up the hill, and managed to win it. I'm super proud of myself. I think I had more fun than she had, because she was suffering."
Having lived in the Atlanta area for several years, De Crescenzo had an unofficial fan club at the finish area, including an emergency room doctor from the area. She had him assess her wounds, which he said would not require stitches or scar.
"This is just a little flesh wound and my head is fine," De Crescenzo said, smiling with a runner-up custom pottery mug and a check for prizes. "Emily was super strong today. She had a good off-season, a very nice off-season, obviously."
The duo will square off again in two weeks at The Mid South in Oklahoma, which returns after the event was cancelled last year due to wildfires and heavy smoke in the area. De Crescenzo won the race three consecutive times from 2022 to 2024, while Newsom has finished top 10 each year.
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