Villafane Wins Big

at Big Sugar Classic Week

Sofia Gomez Villafane repeated as the Life Time Grand Prix women’s champion, earned her first Big Sugar Gravel win and dominated the Little Sugar MTB race in Bentonville back in October.

Alexey Vermeulen had finished fourth and third the previous two years at Big Sugar before breaking through for the win this year.

“My big goal this season was to win the first race of the season and the last race of the season,” Villafane said. “In the last few years, I’ve tended to fade and crumble at the end and Big Sugar has always kind of kicked my butt.”

Villafane was victorious in three of the six Grand Prix events this season.

At Big Sugar, she broke away with Melisa Rollins and Cecily Decker with just 12 miles to go. The trio was whittled down to two as Decker was dropped when they hit the final punchy hills on the run-in back into Bentonville.

Rollins finished second, 15 seconds behind Villafane. Decker was able to hang on for third, 39 seconds after Villafane.

Vermeulen finished second overall in the first two years of the Grand Prix – a six-race series that culminates at Big Sugar – but a year of bad luck had him motivated to finish the season strong at Big Sugar.

After several attacks, Colby Simmons and Simen Nordahl Svendsen finally splintered what remained of the lead group with 38 miles to go. Vermeulen was chasing the pair, trying to close a 30-second gap. With 30 miles to go, Vermeulen made the catch and Svendsen was dropped on the descent back into Arkansas from the portion of the course that rolls through Southwest Missouri. Vermeulen and Simmons remained together over the final two climbs before Vermeulen stuck an attack in downtown Bentonville to secure the victory. Vermeulen finished eight seconds ahead of Simmons.

“I made a mixture of questionable choices today but it somehow worked out,” Vermeulen said. “It’s been a turbulent year with a lot going on and I just wanted to go out there and race. I didn’t want to look back all day and that’s kinda what I did.”

Keegan Swenson finished fourth at Big Sugar but claimed his third consecutive overall win in the Grand Prix. He won four of the six races this season. Matthew Beers finished second in the Grand Prix followed by Payson McElveen. In the women’s overall Grand Prix standings, Rollins finished second behind Villafane and Bentonville resident Paige Onweller was third.

Former world short track mountain bike champion and Paris Olympian Christopher Blevins won the men’s race at Little Sugar in a three-man sprint. Beers finished second and Swenson was third.

Riley Amos, another Olympian, finished 21st after battling a major headache and the heat.

Villafane was able to power away from the field to win the women’s race by nearly two minutes. Kelsey Urban finished second and Sofia Waite was third.

Olympians Haley Batten and Savilia Blunk sat out Little Sugar, but along with Blevins and Amos were honored during the week by Visit Bentonville and USA Cycling.

The celebration included a parade down Main Street.

Batten, who won the silver medal at this summer’s Olympics, is excited about what Bentonville has built.

“What’s cool about coming to Bentonville is there aren’t many places that have such a strong cycling community, and people who are so passionate about this sport,” she said. “It’s amazing to see a place that really has built the infrastructure to celebrate the sport, and give back to their people and their communities by providing these opportunities to ride and get outdoors.”