Kate Lessman
Jun 29, 2025
GRVL® Femmes Team Challenge Debuts and Achieves Over 32% Female Sunday Race Participation in First-of-Its-Kind Format
Steamboat Springs, Colo., (June 29, 2025) – This past weekend 2,500 riders
participated in SBT GRVL® presented by Wahoo, experiencing pristine mountain
conditions on ‘champagne gravel roads’ during this year’s premier gravel cycling event.
Yesterday riders enjoyed routes through beautiful Steamboat Springs while today amateur
and professional cyclists raced a 37-mile circuit style event on a new 79-mile and 117-mile
Black Course, respectively, that started and finished 25 miles from Steamboat Springs in
Hayden, Colorado.
Wertz and Rollins secured the win in the Elite Men’s and Women’s race with a time of
4:56:19 and 5:36:55.
The Elite Men’s race had early attacks from Alex Howes (Velocio-Cannondale) at mile 5
followed by a breakaway at mile 28 of six men including, Brennan Wertz (Scott -
Skipstone), Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz - HTSQD), Cobe Freeburn (Trek Driftless),
Alexey Vermeulen (ENVE - Orange Seal - Q+M), Pete Stetina (GRVL PRVTR) and Torbjørn
Andre Røed (Trek Driftless). At mile 55, Torbjørn Andre Røed fell off the main group, while
the leaders stayed together trading pulls and a game of cat and mouse through mile 112,
where Wertz powered through the final rollers to break apart the leaders and finish solo.
The Elite Women started five minutes after the men and stayed together until mile 36
where Emily Newsome (PAS Racing) attacked early, but the real breakaway began at mile
50 when Alexis Skarda (Santa Cruz - HTSQD), Melisa Rollins (Liv Racing Collective),
Sarah Lange (Velocio-Pivot), Paige Onweller (Trek Driftless), Lauren De Crecenzo (Factor
Racing/TheFeed/Castelli SOG/Maxxis), Lauren Stephens (Aegis Cycling), Haley Smith
(Trek Driftless) and Emma Grant (Ventum Racing) rode off the front. The women worked
together swapping pulls and pushing the pace until mile 90 when Emma Grant
disconnected and at mile 100 the final top four formed with Melisa Rollins, Lauren De
Crecenzo, Lauren Stephens and Sarah Lange with Melisa Rollins and Lauren DeCrecenzo charged into the finish with Rollins notching the win and Lauren Stephens and Sarah
Lange battling it out for third and fourth.
Podium elite results included:
Top Five Men’s Elite Finishers
Brennan Wertz, (Scott - Skipstone), 4:56:19
Keegan Swenson, (Santa Cruz - HTSQD), 4:56:26
Cobe Freeburn, (Trek Driftless), 4:56:26
Alexey Vermeulen, (ENVE - Orange Seal - Q+M), 4:56:29
Pete Stetina, (GRVL PRVTR), 4:57:06
Top Five Women’s Elite Finishers
Melisa Rollins, (Liv Racing Collective), 5:36:55
Lauren De Crecenzo, (Factor Racing/TheFeed/Castelli SOG/Maxxis), 5:36:57
Lauren Stephens, (Aegis Cycling), 5:37:26
Sarah Lange, (Velocio-Pivot), 5:37:30
Paige Onweller, (Trek Driftless), 5:39:02
2025 also saw the inclusion of the GRVL® Femmes Team Challenge, which opened
additional spots for amateur female gravel racers. The team category was designed in the
spirit of Zwift’s Watch the Femmes movement to create a welcoming and empowering
environment for amateur female cyclists by promoting team-based racing and community
support. The GRVL® Femmes Team Challenge featured a $3,000 prize purse for the top
three fastest amateur women’s teams and a $500 prize for a team unity challenge. This
year’s team winners included World Bicycle Relief, who won the fastest overall time, and
Adventure Femmes, who won the Team Unity Challenge.
“We were thrilled to see our participants, brand partners and our community embrace the
events both in downtown Steamboat and Dry Creek Park in Hayden,” said Amy Charity,
founding partner and CEO of SBT GRVL®. “It’s a testament to the stunning riding in Routt
County, the challenging, fun, and inclusive nature of the event that’s both a ride, race, and
festival to celebrate gravel cycling on the greatest gravel roads on earth.”
For photos see here and full results visit www.sbtgrvl.com
About SBT GRVL® Presented By Wahoo
Co-founded in 2019 by former professional cyclist Amy Charity, SBT GRVL® p/b Wahoo
has quickly become one of the largest and most sought after gravel races in the United
States. With a commitment to elevating the sport and creating a community-driven
experience, SBT GRVL® continues to push boundaries in cycling. In recent years, GRVL®️ events have expanded globally, with FNLD GRVL in Finland and RADL GRVL in Australia, further strengthening the movement toward greater participation and equity in gravel racing. For more information visit www.sbtgrvl.com.