2025 Gravel Worlds: Mud, Dust, & Mayhem
Some of the biggest names in gravel racing gathered in Lincoln, Nebraska, drawn by one of the largest prize purses in the sport. Brennan Wertz and Cameron Jones headed for the rolling Nebraska hills to battle the best in the world and take a shot at the top step. Armed with their Addict RC gravel bikes, Cam and Brennan reconned the course and were ready for the dawn rollout.
The night before the race, bikes were cleaned, equipment was selected, and race plans were made. With racers in bed early for the 5:55 a.m. start, heavy thunderstorms rolled through the previously dry minimum maintenance roads (MMR), transforming them into race-defining time bombs.
Brennan and Cam lined up in the early morning darkness, surrounded by a sea of blinking LED lights, and set off for 150 miles of endlessly rolling gravel roads. The terrain suited their powerful riding styles, but surprises were waiting. They moved smoothly with the front group as planned, until the first MMR. That’s where riders’ best-laid strategies unraveled. The group slammed into thick peanut-butter mud, instantly splitting apart. Some riders found grassy lines at the edge of the road, while others were forced to stop and scrape heavy, sticky mud from clogged drivetrains and tires.
Cam managed to slip around the first MMR with only minimal mud slowing him down and joined the now much smaller front group. Unfortunately, Brennan wasn’t as lucky—bogged down in the muck, he lost several minutes cleaning his bike before remounting and chasing with other mud-struck riders.
Brennan fought hard, pulling relentlessly in an effort to regain contact with the leaders. But bridging solo proved too big of a task. Exhausted from his efforts, he eventually called it a day and began shifting his focus to the next race on the calendar.
Cam pressed on with the front group, adapting to the punishing rhythm of hammering through MMRs, then hopping off the bike to run in order to save his equipment. No stranger to adversity, he rolled with the chaos. As the sun climbed and dried out the roads, Cam found himself in a select lead group working well together. He followed every move, but after losing a critical bottle of fuel in the muddy chaos, he was forced to stop at natural aid stations for refueling. Even with Formula One–style pit stops, the effort of repeatedly chasing back took its toll.
In the final 20 miles, with the race raging at full gas, Cam clung to the leaders until his earlier efforts caught up with him. When the front group of four splintered, he was left chasing with one other rider. Knowing the race would come down to a sprint, Cam balanced conserving energy with keeping the pace high enough to stay clear. With 100 meters to go, he launched his sprint, never looking back, and secured third place on the podium—along with a well-earned payday.
The rolling hills of Nebraska take no prisoners, and everyone crossing the finish—from pros to amateurs—earned it. Congratulations to everyone who lined up at Gravel Worlds! The battles only make the victories that much sweeter.
Cam now has a few weeks to log miles on his SCOTT Spark RC before heading to Chequamegon, the next stop on the Lifetime Grand Prix. Brennan heads north from Nebraska to prep for Gravel Nationals, where we’ll be cheering him on as he defends his gravel national championship title.
