A gravel race now enjoyed by thousands of riders from across North America and beyond, the BWR covers some of our favorite local terrain here in San Diego. And while most of us take on the event as a major challenge to complete at our own pace, there’s always a serious race at the front where the top riders are experiencing the course in a completely different way. In this two-part series, we check in with some of our favorite pro gravel athletes to get their impressions of the 2021 Belgian Waffle Ride from their unique perspectives. We asked each athlete to share their favorite and least favorite parts of the race, and we found their responses so good we had to share. First up, the women of the BWR…

Whitney Allison

LOVED

Having that women's only start was pretty rad and I really appreciate BWR trying that. I think the takeaway was that the starting groups would need to be assembled a little differently (i.e. Cat 1-3 + Top 150 men's BWR finishers in Wave 1) and/or have more time between in order to not have multiple waves entering Lemontwistenburg at the same time and providing more opportunity for the women's field to stick together for head-to-head competition. I hope they keep experimenting with this as I think it's really positive for women's racing! I'm looking forward to testing the legs at a few more BWRs this year and to getting to try out BWR next spring!

LOATHED

Although I've been an instructor at three Belgian Waffle Ride Survival Camps p/b Source Endurance, I had never actually done BWR before this year. Through the camps, I had assembled all the rumors to give me a sense of where things might be most chaotic and spicy and help me design a loose general strategy for the day. All that ended up not mattering as I had some of the worst legs I've ever had for a race day and was stuck in full survival mode all day, which happens!

Follow Whit on Instagram 📷

Katerina Nash

LOVED

BWR. I enjoyed most of the dirt section and had really fun time riding the trail along Hodges Lake. I actually cracked a bit on the Black Canyon second half of the climb but continued to drink and eat and recovered pretty well once I was back on the road. Surprisingly one section I also enjoyed was the Double Peak climb. I saved enough energy to attack Hannah but it was also so close to the finish and that helped me mentally.

LOATHED

Least favorite parts was probably some of the road section with cars. Luckily we never had a huge group and everyone was being safe and respecting the yellow line rule.

Follow Katerina on Instagram 📷

Amanda Nauman

LOVED

My favorite thing about the BWR course is the dirt sectors. If I had to pick one, I'd say Lemontwistenberg. I don't enjoy the sprint to the entrance of it when it's placed at the beginning of the routes, but the singletrack is so fun!

LOATHED

My least favorite thing about the BWR course is how it hasn't changed much in the past three iterations. The '18, '19 and '21 routes were nearly identical and I miss the surprises that were around every corner in the early years. I completely understand this is probably mostly due to permitting, but I miss the different routes. The Lusardi sectors in previous iterations were always a blast. Suffice to say my least favorite part is that I know the recent route too well and maybe that just means there needs to be a second San Diego edition with a new route ; )

Follow Amanda on Instagram 📷

Lauren Stephens

LOVED

My favorite part of BWR was going to the beach to eat dinner and watch the sunset the night before the race with my teammate Emma Langley and my husband Mat. We even saw a dolphin!! When it came to the race my favorite part was the feeling I had of finishing the race after having a slow day, cramping and suffering on the bike. I didn't win or even come close but I beat my pain and suffering and finished.

LOATHED

My least favorite part was cramping while descending and being terrified I was going to crash because I felt I had no control of my legs. But other than that I can't complain I love racing and suffering and I gave it my all that day! I wanted to quit so many times but I couldn't think of a good enough reason. And I knew Mat would come looking for me after he finished and that kept me pedaling toward the finish line.

Follow Lauren on Instagram 📷

Jessica Cerra

LOVED

By far my favorite sections are the single track. Those used to me my home trails and I rode them weekly. Since the women’s field collided with the men’s field and was stormed from behind by another men’s field it was pretty chaotic going into Lemontwistenburg and I waited for a gap to hop the curb and as soon as I did a guy came barging through and knocked me into the fence. I lost about 20 spots and that sealed my fate for the race. I still make sure to enjoy that section.

LOATHED

My least favorite part is from the top of Black Canyon (Mesa Grande intersection) to Sutherland Dam Road. All busy highway and windy AF. That was the only section I didn’t want to be alone and ironically I was alone THE WHOLE TIME fighting the wind. I was really looking forward to getting on the trails again near the end - that’s where I find my best flow.

Follow Jess on Instagram 📷

Isabel King

LOVED

My favorite part was crossing the finish line and having my mom standing there as a surprise. Best hug ever. In the race, black canyon was my favorite because I was able to just get into a groove and pick off girls one by one.

LOATHED

My least favorite part was getting to the bottom of that final climb and realizing it was much more than just the 1 mile double peak climb. The dirt part and neighborhood kickers before double peak were the worst.

Follow Isabel on Instagram 📷

Hannah Finchamp

LOVED

I actually think my favorite part of the course was Black Canyon. In such a long race where suffering is inevitable, I loved just setting my own pacing and embracing the challenge.

LOATHED

It’s difficult to pick a least favorite part of the course in particular but if I had to choose it would probably be just some of the flat road sections not because of the terrain but because it required a lot of patience and when I’m racing I like to go, go, go!

Follow Hannah on Instagram 📷

If you participated in the BWR let us know what you loved and loathed in the comments below!

And tune in tomorrow 8AM Pacific for the second part of this series as we hear The Things They Loved & Loathed from the Men of the BWR including Peter Stetina, Alex Howes, Ted King and more.