Lauren De Crescenzo wins first Life Time Grand Prix event at The Rad Dirt Fest

Lauren De Crescenzo (Cinch Cycling) won The Rad Dirt Fest presented by Wahoo in Trinidad, Colorado, on Saturday, putting down the power on a full day of climbing to outdistance all chasers. It was the victory for De Crescenzo in a Life Time Grand Prix race and vaulted her to fifth overall in the series standings. Alexis Skarda, second overall in the Grand Prix, finished second and followed in third. 

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 as riders started with a lap around Trinidad Lake State Park and then headed for a lollypop route in the foothills of the Spanish Peaks. Winds of more than 30mph (48 kph) just made efforts to create breaks or close gaps more stubborn.

The initial lead group of women included a trio of LIfe Time Grand Prix competitors - De Crescenzo, Anthony and Skarda, along with Michaela Thompson and Whitney Allison. With 64km to go, the long 20-mile ascent to the highest point on the course, a little more than 8,900 feet, made dents in the chase groups, with Paige Onweller the only one able to bridge to the front, Thompson and Allison dropping back. 

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Once across the climb, De Crescenzo pushed to a solo lead by just 10 seconds over Skarda. The next group included Onweller, Anthony, Melisa Rollins and Heather Jackson. De Crescenzo continued to power ahead and added more seconds, which turned her winning time of 5:52:17  into a 2:18 margin ahead of Skarda. Anthony was another three minutes back for third.  It was De Crescenzo’s second women’s title at The Rad Dirt Fest, having won in 2021 when the distance was 165 miles.

De Crescenzo was the biggest mover in the Life Time Grand Prix standings, moving into the top 10 for the first time. Skarda, who has a trio of runner-up finishes, remained second overall, and Anthony moved to sixth, tied with Hannah Otto. 

Series leader Sofia Gomez Villafaña and third-placed Haley Smith did not compete in Trinidad, as Villafañe travelled to Italy for the UCI Gravel World Championships on October 7 and Smith focused on mountain bike World Cup events. Both are expected to wrap up podium spots at the series finale at Big Sugar Gravel in Arkansas on October 21.

Results