Alexey Vermeulen's Belgian Waffle Ride Michigan Win

9 Oct

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5 MIN

Alexey Vermeulen has won two of the four Belgian Waffle Rides this year, starting with the big win in San Diego and ending his BWR season with a win in Michigan. Here, he's sharing how the race went:

Michigan was awesome: It was great to come back home and race. The race itself was a very slow burn over the 135 mile course. It's long day with lots of hills. Over 135 miles, you have to pay attention to nutrition and protecting your bike and protecting your body. In a couple of the off the bike sections, you have to run through sand. There was a mix of road, some double tracks, single track sand river crossings. On the dirt roads and some asphalt roads, I went in knowing I was "the best on paper," but that doesn't always mean anything.

This race is one where you have to be focused on doing all the things well: eating well, drinking well, being in position all day and knowing when push comes to shove and when to make a move. There were lots of exciting moments! I had pre-ridden the course really well and kind of knew what to expect and all the dangerous areas. I was able to stay relaxed all day, which was the goal.

It wasn't a massive field, but that it makes it even harder to actually take a win—you might think it's easy, but it's harder, I think!

It's great race, there were awesome people and it was great to have so many fans out. And it's a great setup for Big Sugar in two weeks—I'm excited to see what comes next!