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Lauren Stephens and Bradyn Lange win 2025 US Gravel National Championships

Lauren Stephens and Bradyn Lange won the elite titles at the 2025 USA Cycling Gravel National Championships in La Crescent, Minnesota, after a grueling 100-mile contest that tested riders with steep climbs, shifting course lines and fierce competition.

The 2025 event marked the third edition of the USA Cycling Gravel National Championships and the first held in the Driftless Area of southeast Minnesota, a landscape of steep bluffs, dense forests, narrow canyons and vast gravel roads. The 100-mile course packed in 7,171 feet of climbing and was 70 percent gravel. It was a route that rewarded both road racing finesse and rugged gravel skill. Amid the ongoing ‘big tyre’ debate in gravel, Minnesota favoured setups closer to 40mm rather than the 2.2-inch widths common at Unbound, Big Sugar or Mid South. In the end, the winners proved themselves masters of versatility, evidence that gravel racing remains a discipline that resists easy definition.

Lauren Stephens (Aegis Cycling Foundation) successfully defended her crown, earning a third consecutive national gravel title with a winning time of 5:09:51 over the 161 km course that featured 7,171 feet (2,816 m) of elevation gain. Close behind, Sarah Lange crossed the finish just 24 seconds later to take second, while Laura De Crescenzo (LDC LLC p/b Factor Racing) completed the podium in third. Emily Newsom (PAS Racing) placed fourth and Melisa Rollins (Liv Racing Collective) took fifth.

“Every climb, the group would splinter and kind of get down to a selection,” Stephens said after the race. “Finally, at the most southern end of the course, we were probably a selection of six or seven riders. The race was, I think, the hardest one we've had so far with, I don't know, six to 8,000 feet of climbing. I was confused as the course changed, but somewhere between there we made it work.”

On the men’s side, Bradyn Lange (Pinarello / Orange Seal) emerged victorious in a competitive elite field, seizing the title after a day of tactical riding across rolling gravel roads and challenging climbs. The race route, renowned for its mix of fast sections and punishing ascents, repeatedly fragmented the peloton and forced decisive moves throughout the day.

Winning gravel nationals ahead of Michael Garrison and Cole Davis will be a feather in his cap going into the final off-road races of the year.

Lauren Stephens and Bradyn Lange win 2025 US Gravel National Championships

Race organizers praised the athletes for demonstrating both endurance and strategy on a course that rewarded fitness, bike handling and patience. The championships drew top domestic talent from across the country and highlighted the continued growth and depth of the U.S. gravel scene, with close finishes and high-caliber performances in both elite fields.