Sofia Gomez Villafagne (Specialized Offroad) won the women's pro title at the Tripel Crown of Gravel after winning the three Belgian Waffle Ride events to kick off 2024.

This year, BWR California was the site of the deciding battle for the Tripel Crown of Gravel, which along with Arizona and Utah, is held over a compact seven-week schedule. The total prize purse was $25,500, split evenly between the top five finishers in the Waffle Distance race and the top five women.

For Villafane, it was her first time competing in BWR California's signature event, and she topped the tripel crown with a solo victory. With 120 miles of varied terrain, including 10,000 feet of climbing, she said the hype was "not true."

Australia's Courtney Sherwell (Prova Cycles/QOM/Ekoi/Schwalbe/SRAM) was runner-up in California and held on to second place overall. Emily Newsom (PAS Racing) was fourth, and Whitney Allison, who was second overall in the 2023 Quadrupel Crown, was fifth to finish on the final Tripel podium.

Stetina's win at BWR Utah solidified her lead in the tripel standings over Torbjorn Lord (Trek Driftless), who finished sixth or better in all three races. Lance Heidt (Specialized), Kyle Trudeau (Slow Twitch Good Life Racing), and Griffin Easter (Canyon Opycure Foundation) rounded out the podium of five.

Vida Lopez de San Roman (Bear Development) and Matthew Malott (Weight Endurance Development) won the Lake Sonoma MTB just outside of Healdsburg, CA, a 26-mile cross-country mountain bike ride. The race, with 200 riders relentlessly climbing 5,400 feet in elevation gain, was the third of four events in the 2024 Grasshopper Adventure Series and the only "official" mountain bike event in the set.

U.S. junior cyclocross national champion Lopez de San Roman dominated the tight switchbacks and roller coaster-like terrain, winning by over 21 minutes over Avery Masri (King Factory Racing). Leslie Ethridge was another two minutes back in third place.

In the men's pro, a drag race between two high school seniors on the second lap of the course saw Malott win by a minute over Justin Peck (Los Gatos Bicycle Racing). Griffin Hoppin (Flow Formula/Spinergy) chased the pair down and finished third.

The 2024 Grasshopper Series will conclude on May 11 at the Ukiah-Mendo Hopper, an 80-mile hilly course in western Mendocino County. This event is a new addition to the Gravel Earth Series.

Harriet Owen (DNA Pro Cycling) and Alfredo Rodriguez (REIGN Storm Racing) are the individual leaders in the USA Crit Series with two races remaining.

Owen has not won a race in the series, but in the first four races (Sunny King Criterium in Alabama, Lock & Load Criterium in Georgia, Spartanburg Criterium in South Carolina, and Athens Twilight Criterium in Georgia) He has been on the podium.

The L39LION of Los Angeles duo of Alexis Magner and Kendall Ryan trail Owen in the standings, with Magner trailing the leader by just seven points. Of the first four races, Magner won at Newnan and Athens, while Ryan won at Anniston and Spartanburg.

Roderick Asconegui Diaz (MC Cycling Team), winner of the men's race in Newnan, held on to second place and is only 14 points behind Rodriguez. Danny Summerhill (REIGN Storm Racing), who finished second in Athens, is in third place.

The fifth one-day race in the southern U.S. will be the La Grange Cycling Classic in Georgia on May 4, with the USA Critz Finals taking place at the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic in North Carolina on May 25. All races will be broadcast on a free live stream on the USA Critz website.

Andrea Sill and Paola Muñoz return to USA Speed Week this week after the Miami Knights team disbanded 15 days ago. Sill and Muñoz have moved to Texas Roadhouse and Goldman Sachs ETFs Racing, respectively. Former Knights teammate Brittany Parfrey was competing in Speed Week as part of Velocious Sports.

Johnny Clark, Clever Martinez, and Tyler Williams were also with the Miami Knights, but resumed their seasons with new teams for Speed Week. Clark will play the remainder of 2024 with the Austin Outlaws, Martinez with the Rockland Development Program, and Williams with the Miami Blazers.

The duo of Muñoz and Shea finished as the top two female professional riders in the 2023 American Criterium Cup Series, with Muñoz taking the lead over her teammate on April 25 at the South Carolina Through the first three races of Speed Week, which began at the Greenville Cycling Classic (PBR)/Prisma Health, Shea has taken the lead in the series standings. The fourth race, Peachtree Corners, was won by Colin Labecki (EF Education Cannondale). Carr is now 2nd overall, Palfrey 12th in the series, and Muñoz 21st overall.

Riders from other NCL-owned teams, the Denver Disruptors and Atlanta Rise, have also found new homes, with Elizabeth Harden, now with the East Point Truck Club, and Noah Granigan, formerly with the Disruptors seen at Speedweek, racing for the Miami Blazers, among others.