Belgian Waffle Ride kicked off its series of gravel events with a sweltering day of singletrack, gravel and pavement in Arizona. And the Canadians were all over it.

In the men’s race, Andrew L’Esperance pushed Russel Finsterwald to what organizers are saying is the closest BWR finish ever after 5 hours 17 minutes of racing.

On the women’s side, Haley Smith battled through a turbulent women’s field to take second behind a dominant Haley Batten. In a truly impressive ride, Victoria, B.C.’s Holly Henry finished fifth.

Andrew L’Esperance goes solo

While the men’s race came down to a sprint finish, with not even a bike-length deciding the win, that doesn’t reflect how the day played out at all. For most of the first 80 miles, it was Andrew L’Esperance versus everyone. The Canadian went solo early on, forcing a dwindling pack to chase.

L’Esperance was initially joined by Chase Wark (Lunchbox Racing) before dropping him on a long section of singletrack. His lead built up to over four minutes at times, before Russel Finsterwald (Look) brought him back. It wasn’t until the final climb that the U.S. racer was able to make contact.

“That was a battle to the end. Shout out to Andrew L’Esperance, I think that was the ride of the day,” Finsterwald said after the sprint. “He had us chasing us all day. I think I caught him on the last climb.”

Despite L’Espy’s legs feeling the long solo effort, Finsterwald said his attempts to drop the Canadian before the finish line faltered.

At the line, though, it was the U.S. rider that still had the kick, or the positioning. Finsterwald entered the short finish straight first and just edged out L’Esperance in a high-speed sprint to take the first Belgian Waffle Ride win of 2026.

Andrew L’Esperance settles for second. Torbjorn Andre Roed (Trek Driftless) takes third, over four minutes back. Julien Gagne (Lunchbox Racing) and Andrew Dillman (Lunchbox Racing) round out the extended podium in Arizona.

Haley’s own Arizona

In the women’s race, Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) apparently had the same course notes as L’Esperance. The U.S. Olympic silver medalist took off early and never looked back. Batten’s lead grew to over 10 minutes at times, with the field rarely able to make a dent in her effort.

That left the field behind her to sort out positions. And that was a battle in its own right. Alexis Skarda (Socc Bicycles Q36.5) led the chase early on, with Haley Smith (Factor Racing) not far behind. By the mid-point, Cécile Lejune (Trek Driftless) had joined the effort.

Why Haley Smith is going her own way

A long stretch of singletrack going into around mile 75 allowed Smith to move back into second place and, after fading slightly back into the field, Skarda to move back into third.

At the end, Batten’s lead was untouchable. It’s a long effort compared to the Specialized Factory Team rider’s usual 90-minute XCO races, but she seemed unfazed and was the only woman to finish in under six hours.

Haley Smith held on to her second place with Cécile Lejune working back into third place and Alexis Skarda holdng on for fourth. In a  truly impressive ride, Victoria, B.C.’s Holly Henry (Broad Street / Bici) takes fifth to round out the extended podium.