Alexey Vermeulen and Lauren De Crescenzo win 2023 The Rad Dirt Fest

TRINIDAD, Colorado (September 30, 2023) – The Rad Dirt Fest took place this weekend in Trinidad, Colorado. Going into the third year of the event, the town was buzzing with gravel excitement from pros and amateurs alike, welcoming 1,000 cyclists from 46 states and nine countries.

“I am incredibly proud of the third annual The Rad Dirt Fest held in Trinidad, Colorado. This event has been a great collaboration between our team at Life Time and our dedicated community partners in Trinidad. Together, we have both created an exceptional experience and also aided in positioning Trinidad as a promising new destination for outdoor recreation,” says Michelle Duffy Smith, Senior Marketing Director at Life Time.

“Participants traveled from near and far to this eclectic community and were rewarded with what is arguably one of the most beautiful courses in the country. The addition of our professional cyclists in the Life Time Grand Prix has further elevated the event’s profile, putting it on the map in a big way. We look forward to continuing this exciting journey of growth and adventure with Trinidad.”

Cyclists tackled the 112-mile ‘Stubborn Delores’ featuring more than 10,400 feet of elevation gain, while the 68-mile ‘Anteloop’ and 47-mile ‘Frijole’ course distances offer 6,500- and 4,200-feet of climbing, respectively. All three courses were new for this year’s race and featured a mix of pristine and punchy gravel. As the day went on the wind picked up for riders and made for a challenging end of the race, but riders preserved until the finish.

The men’s 112-mile race course started with a lap around Trinidad Lake State Park, where the men stayed in a large pack. At mile 46 the group started to break up with Lachlan Morton and Nathan Spratt about 3-minutes ahead of a large chase group that included Alexey Vermeulen, Alex Howes, Peter Stetina, Matt Beers and more. After 55 miles of gradual climbing, the course finally began to descend. At mile 65, Stetina, Vermeulen and Brendan Johnston led the race with Morton, Howes, Spratt and Eric Brunner not far behind. Going into the final sections of the race Stetina, Vermeulen and Johnson were all very close coming back into downtown Trinidad. After a very punchy climb, Vermeulen and Stetina dropped Johnston. In the descent in the last quarter mile, Vermeulen overtook Stetina, for a sprint to the finish to win the men’s race.

Coming out of the state park in the women’s 112-mile race, the lead group of women included Crystal Anthony,  Alexis Skarda, Michaela Thompson, Whitney Allison and Lauren De Crescenzo. A number of chase groups had formed behind. At the halfway point, the lead group was charging up the long climbs, led by De Crescenzo, Paige Onweller, Skarda and Anthony. After the long 20-mile climb section, at mile 64, De Crescenzo was leading with Skarda just 10-seconds back and Onweller, Anthony, Melisa Rollins and Heather Jackson all chasing. Coming off the lake trail, De Crescenzo had thirty seconds over Skarda and ultimately took the win by over two-minutes following the finish circuit through the streets of Trinidad. This is De Crescenzo’s second win at The Rad Dirt Fest after winning the inaugural year in 2021.

The Rad Dirt Fest was the sixth race in the 2023 Life Time Grand Prix The series will be capped off on Oct. 21 with the Big Sugar Gravel in Bentonville, Arkansas. To view the current standings and learn more about the Life Time Grand Prix, visit www.lifetimegrandprix.com.