Rebecca’s Private Idaho in southern Idaho, the three-day event featuring 203 miles across 12,645 feet of elevation gain, was all about the queen stage on Sunday, September 13.
On the final day, the standalone ‘Fully Loaded Baked Potato’ race, with 118 miles and nearly half of the elevation gain, all ears were on event founder Rebecca Rusch for an update on the event, while all eyes were on a new teammate for former WorldTour rider and gravel pioneer Lachlan Morton (EF Education-EasyPost).
Morton completed the course as a rider-coach for the Adventure For All non-profit, helping 20-year-old Christian Loafman finish in 10:54:03. This RPI event was not about winning or the four-hour deficit to men’s stage winner Allan Schroeder, or the three-hour deficit to women’s winner Britt Mason. It was about completing a challenge.
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Loafman, a neurodivergent endurance athlete who has faced significant medical challenges since the age of two, now adds this high-elevation gravel stage race to his list of accomplishments, having completed Unbound Gravel 100 in May with Ian Boswell.
“He was really determined. I was never questioning whether he could get it done. I recognised pretty early on we got a pretty similar mindset, and he committed to it. He was hurting, I’ve been in that place so I know what that feels like,” Morton said about his ride partner.
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“The roads are rough, high elevation, the course is always throwing something at you, and then we had a big headwind coming home. So plenty of challenges out there today.
“We had a definite low point on the new loop, on the far end. The headwind was like ripping off the mountain. I could see the body language, he was quiet. So I said we’re gonna stop here, take the pack off, sit down, stretch for a sec, eat something and just do a total reset.
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“It was wild, he really reset and then took off. From then I’m like we’re gonna make it. He was in that [hurt] locker deep for probably six hours. It’s not something most people can tolerate. Hard things suck because they’re hard.”
In 2027, Rusch, a seven-time world champion and celebrated endurance athlete, will step away from the event, which will be rebranded as The Big Lost, taking its name from a ‘disappearing’ river, the Big Lost River, that moved underground in the area.
“14 years ago, there wasn’t even a gravel culture. There wasn’t the equipment, the community, or the trails I now call home. I was the only one riding up Trail Creek. This weekend, we closed the final chapter of Rebecca’s Private Idaho, and I was overcome. Not with sadness, but with pride, for what we built together.
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“So yes, this is the last RPI. But it’s a chapter, not the end of the book. The race lives on as The Big Lost, under new leadership, on the same trails you love,” Rusch posted on social media, saying she would now focus on coaching and her podcast, What’s the Rusch.
Sidney McGill and Rhett Bates win Canmore Cross
Former two-time U23 Canadian national champion Sidney McGill and 19-year-old rising Canadian talent Rhett Bates won the elite C2 races on Saturday at Canmore Cross in Alberta, the North American opener for the 2026-2027 cyclocross season.
McGill dominated the women’s field in a time of 53:30, with USA’s Amelia Shea finishing second, a little more than three minutes back, and Christiane Bilodeau another minute later for third.
Bates needed a strong kick at the end to distance USA’s Ben Frederick, who was seven seconds off the winning time of 1:00:33. First-year U23 US rider Jack Billowitz completed the podium, holding off Mark Fagnan of Canada.
The upcoming weekend features the start of six UCI races that comprise the USCX series, one C1 and one C2 at each of the trio of events beginning with Rochester Cyclocross on September 19-20. Virginia’s Blue Ridge GO Cross follows on September 26-27 and the series concludes with Charm City Cross on October 3-4.
Marles Mejías and Cade Bickmore best in sprint finishes at Bucks County Classic
Marles Mejías (Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28) wins 2026 Bucks County Classic in Pennsylvania ahead of Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles) (Image credit: Resul Kurt Biden / Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28)
Marles Mejías (Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28) and Cade Bickmore (Team Cadence Cyclery pb Waldo Racing) won elite titles at Bucks County Classic in Doylestown, Pennsylvania on Sunday.
Now in its 22nd edition, the Bucks County Classic marks the traditional conclusion for criterium racing in the US. Early rain left the 1.4-mile, eight-corner course slippery for the Penn Medicine Doylestown Health Pro Women race, which saw a large crash on lap three split the field. From there, most of the favourites rode in a 16-rider front group which contested a final-lap sprint.
Last year’s runner-up and 2024 winner Mejías took the lead on the final uphill straightaway and saw only daylight for the victory. 2023 winner Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles) could not get around the Cuban rider and settled for second. WorldTour rider Barbara Guarischi (SD Worx-ProTime) swept past Arrielle Verhaaren (Automatic Racing) to grab the final podium spot.
“I love this race and I decided at the last minute to go, and I’m so happy I did,” said Marlies, who was joined by her family. “The race was really hard and the group got smaller, but I felt strong. I love an uphill power sprint, so when we came into the finish I knew I had a good chance. It was a really special win.”
It was a different scenario for the Thompson Pro Men’s race, with a group of five riders lapping the field with 11 circuits to go. Bickmore, Michael Reidenbach (Total Civil Construction), Daniel Uhranowsky (Visit Pittsburgh) and Kelly Benefits Cycling duo Julien Ruhe and Dillon Lee were all able to reconnect with other teammates to position for the charge to the line.
Using pulls on the final two laps from Sam Smith and Danny Summerhill, Bickmore edged Ruhe for the victory. Dillon then gave Kelly Benefits two riders on the podium with Lee riding solo for third. Reidenbach was fourth and Uhranowsky fifth.
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