SOFIA GOMEZ VILLAFAÑE Is Not a Dreamer

THE GRAVEL SUPERSTAR IS OUTSPOKEN, FEARLESSAND LASER FOCUSED ON SUCCESS

- ROSAEL TORRES DAVIS

The three leading women pedal the undulating hills of Fort Ord National Monument on California's Monterey Bay, answering one another's accelerations as they streamline in and out of chaparral clusters and oak woodlands. The group stretches and recoils as the riders dive into descents and negotiate the corners, dried-up ruts, loose rocks, and sand that could take them out of contention.

Fans edge the start-finish stretch of the 2022 Fuego 80K XC race at the Sea Otter Classic cycling festival in Laguna Seca Raceway, where the pro racers are soon to arrive after two laps of an old-school cross-country course. The race is the first in the inaugural Life Time Grand Prix series, six off-road courses-mountain bike and gravel-where 60 professional racers will battle it out for a $250,000 prize purse.

The Fuego course, which gains 5,700 feet of elevation with its short punchy climbs, is traditionally flowy, with a few blind turns, grassy mounds, and sand dunes that spill onto the tracks. It's not a technical course-no drops, jumps, or rock gardens-but it is fast. There are only two sections where riders can attack: Hurl Hill, a steep half-mile stretch of singletrack; and Lookout Ridge, which is less steep, but at two and a half miles long, it can take up to 20 minutes (if you are in race shape) to complete before the last five-mile push to the finish line. The top women in this race ride it in 15 minutes or less.

It's now the riders' last time over Lookout Ridge, its crest illuminated by an early April sun that reveals the trio slowing down as the grade kicks up again. The drone shot shows Alexis Skarda struggling to stay attached. And as the sun grows hotter, the rolling ribbon of dirt between Sofia Gomez Villafañe and Moriah Wilson in front of her gets longer. Already driving a hard pace, Sofia's legs go silent to her demands.