Lauren Stephens wins US Gravel Nationals 2024
Posted by Sam Gross on 13th Sep 2024
LAUREN STEPHENS WINS THE US GRAVEL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The Texan makes it two in defending her national title, John Borstelmann gets 2nd in the Men's Elite race.
Lauren Stephens is going two-for-two on gravel national championships.
The Texan, who rides for the Ventum-sponsored Cynisca Cycling team, defended her title on Sept. 8 at the second running of the USA Cycling Gravel National Championships in Gering, Nebraska. Stephens won the 131-mile race after putting in a blistering attack on the final climb, quickly building a gap from the breakaway group to win by nearly a minute-and-a-half.
It's just the second year USA Cycling has awarded national championships in gravel cycling, meaning Stephens isn't just the defending champion; she remains the sole winner of the elite women's national title.
This marks Lauren's third major American gravel win in less than a month, following dominating performances and SBT GRVL and Garmin Gravel Worlds in Nebraska.
Lauren wasn’t the only one who found success in Nebraska this past weekend. Ventum’s John Borstelmann, a Nebraska native, won a nine-up sprint to take second place overall in the Men’s Elite race.
John and Lauren's incredible results at the 2024 USA Cycling Gravel National Championship have earned them automatic qulification into the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships in Belgium. Their performance also came with some cold, hard cash; USA Cycling Gravel Nationals this year came with a $40,000 pro prize purse, from which Lauren earned a $10,000 slice and John $5,000.