Vermeulen outsprints Stetina to win The Rad Dirt Fest

Alexey Vermeulen (Jukebox) went back-to-back with events in the Life Time Grand Prix and won The Rad Dirt Fest presented by Wahoo on Saturday. 

He outsprinted Peter Stetina in downtown Trinidad, Colorado for the victory, in a time of 5:05:29. Brendan Johnston, who was part of the trio who climbed their way to the front in the second half of the race, trailed for third seven seconds later.

The elite riders took on a 112-mile long course, named Stubborn Delores, where the start line is just a short distance from the border of New Mexico and sits over a mile high (6,025 feet; 1,836 metres).

The route piled up more than 10,400 feet (3,169 metres) of elevation gain for a circuit in the foothills of the Spanish Peaks. Winds of more than 30mph (48 kph) created havoc with dry conditions. 

A large pack of elite men stayed together until the early sections of the 20-mile climb, Lachlan Morton and Nathan Spratt gaining a three-minute advantage. Once the climb was crested, three riders struck out in the lead – Stetina, Vermeulen and Johnston – while Morton and Spratt went into chase mode with Alex Howes and Eric Brunner. 

After a very punchy climb in the final five miles, Vermeulen and Stetina dropped Johnston. Once back in Trinidad and with a slight descent in the last quarter mile, Vermeulen overtook Stetina and sprinted to the win. 

It was the second consecutive victory for Vermeulen in the series, having won Chequamegon MTB Festival in mid-September, giving him a solid second place overall. And for Stetina, it was his second runner-up finish in the Grand Prix, putting him one spot behind Morton for sixth place. 

The men’s overall leader, Keegan Swenson, opted to travel to Italy to prepare for the UCI Gravel World Championships and will finish his lock on the Grand Prix overall victory with a start at Big Sugar Gravel in Arkansas on October 21.

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