PicoBlog

Picture two cow fields bisected by a hilly road. In a non-peer-reviewed study, I've concluded that those are the essential building blocks for any Spring Classic.

Belgium's famed Koppenberg cobbled climb is between two well-used cattle grazing hot spots. Liege-Bastogne-Liege's Cote de la Redoute is also watched over by resident bovine spectators. Similarly, Hall County, Texas, home of the Valley of Tears gravel race, features race-changing climbs nestled between cow pastures.

Am I saying the Valley of Tears, which took place for the first time this past Saturday, is a gravel racing fall classic? I may be.

The brainchild of Amarillo, Texas' cycling-obsessed Fairly family, the Valley of Tears starts in Turkey, Texas, population 326, and winds through sand, dirt, gravel and a small amount of road before reaching two defining climbs that proved decisive in the pro men's and pro women's fields.

The 112-mile open race—scheduled for 115 miles but changed by the organizers to remove some of the longer unrideable sand sections—follows the script of your favorite spring classics. It's full-on from the start, with the pro fields jockeying for position from the gun. After two blocks on the road, the field turns left and heads onto the sandy red dirt roads. After three miles of smooth riding on the dirt, the fun begins with long stretches of sand. Much like cyclocross at Koksijde—a Winter cycling classic for any true cyclocross fan—momentum is the rider's ally. Lose it, and you're off the bike and running. But momentum can also be your enemy: carry too much of it into the sand, and you will soon be stuck in a rut and flying over your handlebars.

If you make it through the first 10 miles of dirt and sand, your next obstacle is the Limestone Pits sector. Like the Arenberg Forest in Paris-Roubaix, you can't win a race in the Limestone Pits, but you can lose it. Rocky terrain and several limestone shelves make riding the section impractical, if not impossible.

It is no surprise that Keegan Swenson not only led the field through this section but already had a gap, thanks to pristine dismounting and remounting skills. Chase Wark and Innokenty Zavyalov led the men's field pursuit.

Not too far behind, in a line of riders finding their way through the pit, Sofía Gómez Villafañe maintained a minute or so gap over second place in the women's field, Jenna Reinhart. At the back of the pack was Emily Newsom, nursing a badly cut knee following a crash at the start that left her with a broken rear derailleur and only two working gears, thanks to her 2X setup.

After the Limestone Pit, the field rode to the hilly western loop of the course and the Clarity Tunnel, an abandoned train tunnel and home of half a million Mexican free-tailed bats. Once through the tunnel and an impressive accumulation of guano, the race continued on the Caprock Canyons rails-to-trails section.

By this point, Wark had bridged the gap to Swenson, and the two began to work together to distance the field. With his distinctive HED disc wheel and aero bars, Wark had no issue putting in time at the front, and the duo quickly relegated the pursuers to a race for third place.

Villafañe remained at the front of the women's field, but Jenna Reinhart soon joined her. Not long after, Emily Newsom pedaled her two-speed bike through the entire field and made contact with Villafañe and Reinhart. Newsom, realizing she had nothing to lose at this point, attacked the group after they crossed the iconic Caprock Canyon rail bridges.

While Reinhart and Villafañe worked in a group of eight to pull back Newsom, Wark was making things exciting at the front of the men's race. After a bobbled hydration pack handoff in the feed zone, Wark lost his balance and went down. With nowhere to go, Swenson ran into Wark, crashing on top of him. Both riders were a bit bloodied but otherwise fine. The biggest casualty of the incident was a broken strap on Wark's hydration pack that left him with no fluids for the remainder of the race.

With many miles left, Swenson gave Wark something to drink in a semi-altruistic gesture. "He had nothing to drink, and I needed him to do some more pulls. I couldn't have him blowing up too early," Swenson joked after the race.

The eastern loop of the race took riders through the Tampico Tundra, with flowy dirt roads and punchy climbs. The Tundra is where it happens. The Tundra is where truces are broken. It is here that the attacks occur.

About a mile into the Tundra and about 90 miles into the race, there is a long descent followed by a punchy half-mile leg breaker of a climb. Like the Paterberg in the Tour of Flanders, this Tundra ascent is the decisive climb. Get to the top with a gap, and you could take that lead to the finish.

Swenson tucked in behind Wark for the descent and let him take on the hill for about 100 meters. As soon as the terrain started to show its steepness, Swenson turned on the power and left Wark behind. That was the move, and it stuck.

Continuing through the Tundra, the terrain remains rolling and punchy. There is one other significant power climb before you reach the Tampico monument marking the Ozark Trail and head east towards Turkey and the finish. When the three leading women approached that climb, and Sofia refused to take her turn at the front, Newsom knew the gig was up. In a possibly unintentional Ruthian gesture, Sofia called her shot. By not taking a pull, Villafañe showed her cards, letting her competitors know what was about to go down.

As the group hit the base of the climb, Villafañe punched it, dropping the remaining men in the women's lead group and stretched the elastic to the breaking point for Newsom, who chose the easiest of her two gears and ground it out as the others rode away. Reinhart reacted immediately to the move and was able to keep on Villafañe's wheel. Newsom was left to chase alone, with the rest of the group cracked by the climb. She gave it what she had (at a very low cadence due to her gear restriction) but could only watch as the lead duo disappeared ahead. Ultimately, Villafañe distanced herself from Reinhart and rode into downtown Turkey to take the solo win.

The men's and women's pro races at the inaugural Valley of Tears gravel race were not your typical war of attrition events. These contests were not just carb-ingesting and watt-producing contests but full-on bike races. 112 miles of tactics, strategy and power. A classic in the making.

Full results from the Valley of Tears event are here.

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