Mo Wilson (Specialized-Meteor) was in a class of her own at the 2022 Belgian Waffle Ride California, where she won by 25 minutes over second-place Flavia Oliveira.
Derek Betcher was on course to capture the action over the seven-hour-plus day. Enjoy his images below.
Mo Wilson (Specialized-Meteor) talks with others riders at the early morning start in San Marcos, California.
Isabel King in a pensive moment before the start. King would crash but go on to finish sixth.
Amity Rockwell at the start. Rockwell also crashed, and finished 11th.
The course began with a 2km climb that averaged 8 percent before diving into the first singletrack of the day. Unlike the past two years, the women and men raced together at the 2022 BWR California.
Wilson wasn’t always alone, but she was untouchable.
Raylun Nuss, Tiffany Cromwell, and King early on in the day.
Wilson went clear with Flavia Oliveira and the duo rode together for many miles.
Cromwell was chasing for the back half of the day, and ended up in third.
BWR CA featured 23 off-road or what race organizer Michael Marckx called ‘unroad’ sectors.
Rockwell back at it after a spill.
Wilson never looked remotely in trouble.
In the ebb and flow of mixed-gender groups on the road, Wilson was often the one on the front, driving the pace.
Wilson with a Supersapiens glucose monitor on her arm.
King getting bandaged up after her crash.
Oliveira conceded that Wilson is the better bike handler in the dirt.
What’s this? A Wendy’s take-out soda?
Wilson driving the train, regardless of who the passengers are.
And then, towards the end, there were no passengers.
While many chose to race in road cleats with road pedals, putting a foot down was unavoidable in some sections.
A nasty 22-percent grade awaited riders towards the very end of the BWR CA.
Then they descended back down that same sharp pitch, reversed back on the same singletrack they started on earlier in the day, and zoomed down the paved descent to the finish.
Wilson had plenty of time to celebrate. Some 25 minutes, in fact.
More gravel and mountain-bike races lie ahead on Wilson’s calendar. How many more will she win this year?