Stage 2 of the Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder, a five-day point-to-point stage race, saw Sarah Sturm claim the stage that took her out in 2019, and Pete Stetina furthered his lead in the overall with another win.
Stage 2 also saw all manner of gorgeous Oregonian scenery, with a day that began in tents and ended in a cool river.
Stage 2, a 59mi jaunt from Blue River to Oakridge, was aggressive early on. Jonathan Baker (Rodeo Labs) attacked solo, but was caught and passed by Eddie Anderson (Alpecin-Fenix), Stetina (Canyon), and Coulton Hartrich (Manzur) on the day’s main climb.
“Baker was attacking like a madman,” Anderson said, adding that Stetina again proved the strongest. “Unless Stetina has a mechanical or a flat it’s going to be impossible to beat him in the GC, but I’d love to beat him in at least one stage. He’d gap me on every climb, but that’s okay as he was one of the best in the WorldTour.”
In the women’s field, Sturm (Specialized) showed up to win the stage where she crashed out in the event’s last running. And win she did, taking 10 minutes back in the overall. Becca Fahringer (Kona) struggled with a mechanical, which allowed Serena Gordon move into the overall lead, 46 seconds ahead of Sturm. Hillary Heskitt (Squad Cycles) and Flavia Oliviera (Cinch) were second and third on the day, respectively.
Check out the gallery below for a view of the gravel trail from Blue River to Oakridge.
Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder stage 2 women
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Place
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Name
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Time
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Sex
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Category
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Cat Place
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Gap
|
Speed
|
Bib
|
Team
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarah Sturm | 2:49:43 | F | Open Women | 1 | — | 16.7 mph | 243 | Specialized | |||
| 2 | Hilary Heskett | 2:57:18 | F | Open Women | 2 | +7:35 | 16.0 mph | 216 | Squad Cycles | |||
| 3 | Flavia Oliveria | 2:57:18 | F | Open Women | 3 | +7:35 | 16.0 mph | 228 | CINCH ELITE | |||
| 4 | Serena Gordon | 2:59:37 | F | Open Women | 4 | +9:54 | 15.8 mph | 254 | Liv Racing | |||
| 5 | Lauren Cantwell | 3:00:33 | F | Open Women | 5 | +10:50 | 15.7 mph | 205 | Velocio // Exploro | |||
Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder stage 2 men
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Place
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Name
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Time
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Cat
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Cat Place
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Gap
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Speed
|
Bib
|
Team
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Stetina | 2:28:41 | Open Men | 1 | — | 19.1 mph | 159 | Team Ruined Gravel | |||
| 2 | Edward Anderson | 2:29:17 | Open Men | 2 | +36 | 19.0 mph | 5 | Alpecin-Fenix | |||
| 3 | Coulton Hartrich | 2:29:27 | Open Men | 3 | +46 | 19.0 mph | 68 | Manzur Cycling Design | |||
| 4 | Geoff Kabush | 2:32:18 | Open Men | 4 | +3:37 | 18.7 mph | 82 | Yeti, Maxxis, Shimano, Fox, Stans-NoTubes, Velocio, GU, PRO, Lazer, CushCore | |||
| 5 | Cory Wallace | 2:32:18 | Open Men | 5 | +3:37 | 18.7 mph | 174 | Kona Endurance Team | |||
The finish of stage 2 provided a welcome cold soak.
Racers camp between stages of the point-to-point Oregon Trail.
Plenty of time for smiles in Oregon.
Flavia Oliveria was third on the day.
Women and men race together on the Oregon Trail.
Sarah Sturm took the stage win and moved within striking distance of the overall lead.
Fox’s prototype gravel fork was used by a few riders.
Eddie Anderson was able to dispatch everyone but Pete Stetina, who took the stage.
Stetina is in the leader’s jersey with no signs of relinquishing it.
Jonathan Baker put a lot of daylight between himself and the field early on stage 2.
Stage 2 was a short and fast stage.
Riders at the start in Blue River.
Barry Wicks says hello.
Five days of nothing but gravel riding and camping – how does that sound?
The Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder continues through Sunday, making a big loop back up to Three Sisters where it started.