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The Grasshopper Adventure Series kicked off Saturday with the Low Gap Hopper in Ukiah, California. Winter rains the week before made for muddy conditions on the beloved 50-mile course, which featured an even split between gravel and pavement. World Cup XCO pros Kate Courtney and Christopher Blevins won the early season race, which is a strong indication of their form ahead of MTB season.
They were joined on the podium by riders with glittering palmarés from multiple disciplines.
Courtney retained her title of last year despite a flat tire very close to the end of the race. She was well clear at that point and had such a buffer that she reached the line almost seven and a half minutes clear of the next riders.
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They were gravel pro Flavia Oliveira Parks and retired cyclo cross rider Katerina Nash, who were less than two seconds apart in the battle for second.
“It was a blast. These races are always such a great way to start the season. We always say it’s like training, it’s January, but it’s a bike race. There’s a start line, there’s a finish line and we work really hard all winter,” Courtney said.
“So it’s fun to get out there and feel good on the bike, test the legs and start to get the stoke up to the maximum level for the season.”
She was hit by bad luck very close to the end of the race.
“I managed to make it within one mile of the finish without flatting and then coasted across the line. It was a front tyre, I hit a sharp rock on the way down. I’m glad I didn’t have to sprint.”
“Everyone sets their PRs for the year here”
Blevins was involved in a tighter tussle in the men’s race. He, Peter Stetina and Sean Bennett were clear after the first paved summit, with the latter dropped inside the final 20 miles.
Blevins and Stetina battled it out in the finale, with the gap between them just six seconds.
“I’ve had a lot of really good battles with Pete Stetina in early season races in north Cal,” Blevins said. “Today was super fun.
“It is awesome to have someone who can really push me, especially on the climbs. He is one of the best climbers, if not the best climber in America. It was a great battle, the mud helped me.”
The former short track MTB world champion was able to use his skills to help make the difference. “Coming from a mountain bike background I can really get gaps on the descents and use that to my advantage,” he said.
“I haven’t done too much too much gravel racing, but it’s fun. I think gravel is so much more fun when it is technical like this. I’m biased, but the more technical the better.”
Stetina has a WorldTour background and tried to use those climbing skills to make a difference. However he said that Blevins has stepped up in that area, something which made the battle harder.
“It’s just such a vicious start to the year. You start with a full-on threshold 20-minute test up a paved road climb. Everyone sets their PRs for the year here, it seems,” he said.
“Chris was on a new level this year and I couldn’t shake him on the climbs. So we were really evenly matched.
“With Sean Bennett, a former WorldTour pro as well, we crested [together] and we just ripped the pavement all the way to the dirt. I think we set a record up Four Springs in the process, actually. These kids are only getting faster, I’m the old pro.”
He said that they shook off Bennett ‘pretty quickly’ once they hit the dirt. Their own battle only amped up there.
“Chris was real cagey. He made a really smart move where he attacked me before the muckiest downhill and used that mountain bike expertise to dance away from me.
“I actually had to be on the defensive climbing on my preferred terrain, so I had to use a lot of my effort to get back to him on the final big dirt climb. I made contact and went all in. I threw the kitchen sink at him on the final climb and I couldn’t shake him. Accelerations, hard tempos, everything, but he just held it.”
Blevins finally snapped the elastic on the final logging road. Stetina said they were approximately ten seconds apart for much of the last ten miles, something he described as a “purgatory of a pursuit.” Both riders were cramping, with that gap fluctuating slightly depending on who was being affected most at any time.
“He held me off, so dang. It was a joy. I think we went even faster than last year.”
The next event in the four-round Grasshopper Series is the Huffmaster Hopper on Feb. 24.
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January 29, 2024 at 04:10AM
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Kate Courtney and Christopher Blevins Win Low Gap Hopper as Grasshopper Adventure Series Begins - Outside Magazine
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