Wertz and Rollins Claim Victory at 2025 SBT GRVL® Presented by Wahoo

June 30, 2025

GRVL® Femmes Team Challenge Debuts and Achieves Over 32% Female Sunday Race Participation in First-of-Its-Kind Format

Steamboat Springs, Colo./ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – 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 De Crecenzo charging 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

1. Brennan Wertz, (Scott – Skipstone), 4:56:19
2. Keegan Swenson, (Santa Cruz – HTSQD), 4:56:26
3. Cobe Freeburn, (Trek Driftless), 4:56:26
4. Alexey Vermeulen, (ENVE – Orange Seal – Q+M), 4:56:29
5. Pete Stetina, (GRVL PRVTR), 4:57:06

Top Five Women’s Elite Finishers

1. Melisa Rollins, (Liv Racing Collective), 5:36:55
2. Lauren De Crecenzo, (Factor Racing/TheFeed/Castelli SOG/Maxxis), 5:36:57
3. Lauren Stephens, (Aegis Cycling), 5:37:26
4. Sarah Lange, (Velocio-Pivot), 5:37:30
5. 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.