Local hero Emily Newsom storms to victory in Gravel Locos
Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank rider wins by 19 minutes in Texas
Local professional rider Emily Newsom (Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank) came out on top in the elite women's race at the first-ever Gravel Locos event in Hico, Texas on Saturday.
The 37-year-old, who raced a full campaign of Spring Classics in Europe earlier in the year finished the 155-mile gravel race in a time of 8:04:28 and beat Alison Tetrick and Jessica Cerra, who finished joint second.
In the men's race Laurens ten Dam beat gravel specialist Colin Strickland by 38 seconds.
"Gravel Locos was what makes gravel racing so great," Newsom told Cyclingnews via text after celebrating her emphatic win.
The rolling terrain was peppered with several river crossings and climbs, and while the majority of the race was held under dry skies the heavens opened in the last few hours with riders' technical skills coming to the fore.
"It was a beautiful and difficult course with a lot of variety and an enthusiastic community that welcomed the riders," Newsom added.
The experienced all-rounder ensured that she was at the front of the race from the very beginning and she matched the men's elite field as part of her race strategy.
"My goal was to stay with the lead men as long as possible. From there I worked together with whomever I was around while also eating pretty much nonstop for
eight hours.
"I came into the race quite confident in my form, but so many things can happen in 150 miles. This race is local for me with it being only 80 minutes from my home so it is very special to me to take the win!"
** The event was free to enter but the race organisers asked riders and fans to donate to the local fire department with the aim of buying a new truck. Anyone can make a donation to the local fire department here.
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Emily Newsom | 8:04:28 |
2 | Alison Tetrick | 8:27:06 |
3 | Jessica Cerra | at s.t |
4 | Christie Tracy | 9:07:26 |
5 | Celine Oberholzer | 9:31:26 |
6 | Carrie Bransford | 9:50:49 |
7 | Molly Benton | 10:13:38 |
8 | Caroline Fratianne | 10:30:17 |
9 | Venny Alub | 10:45:32 |
10 | Liana Randel | 10:49:38 |
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Get the drift: Olympic mountain bike racers worry about gravel on man-made Paris course
Pieterse, Pidcock, Richards and Schurter weigh in on the man-made Elancourt Hill course -
Best road bike pedals - Road pedals that focus on power delivery and performance
A look at the best clipless pedal systems on the market for road bikes -
Matteo Trentin wins the Tour de Wallonie on tie-breaker
Italian beats Corbin Strong as Sam Watson wins the final stage -
Czech Tour: Marc Hirschi climbs to stage 2 victory
UAE Team Emirates one-two as Ulissi takes second while Higuita rounds out stage podium