Emily Newsome and Adam Roberge win BWR North Carolina Velo

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(Photo: Brad Kaminski)

Adam Roberge and Emily Newsom took victories at the 2025 Belgian Waffle Ride North Carolina after long days in the saddle among the early fall foliage of the southern Appalachian mountains.

BWR North Carolina has distinguished itself as one of the premier gravel races on the East Coast, despite gravel’s struggle to gain the same foothold as it has in the Midwest and West. Nevertheless, BWR North Carolina cuts through as a favorite due to its diverse terrain and brutally sharp climbs around the Hendersonville area, just north of the South Carolina border.

In years past, the North Carolina BWR offering has been the most challenging of the entire set and one of the most difficult courses in the country. This year, the race was de-fanged slightly, with the long course weighing in at 100 miles with just under 9,000 feet of climbing. The altered course proved to be plenty challenging to produce action throughout the day, and two deserving winners in Roberge and Newsom, two experienced and decorated riders on the gravel scene.

How it unfolded

Roberge took charge of the men’s race after a group of five broke away early in the event, with the Canadian going off the front with a mix of road pros and gravel specialists. Originally, the group was chasing Evan Boyle, with the Axeon Hagens Berman Jayco road pro getting a gap of over three minutes before the favorites behind began chasing in earnest. Roberge was joined in that primary chase by Drew Dillman, Brody McDonald, Jura Gerlach, and Cole Davis. While Boyle’s gap looked threatening, his stint off the front came to a premature end after he suffered two punctures and a broken saddle, which ultimately forced him out of the race at mile 57.

Among the remaining favorites, Davis was likely to be Roberge’s biggest challenger with the Project Echelon road racer building a nice late-season string of results with a second place at US Gravel Nationals and a win at the Rad Dirtfest over the last few weeks. Sure enough, Davis proved to be one of the strongest with an attack on the big climb of the day with 35 miles to go.

That attack came from a group of three as Davis, Roberge, and McDonald gapped the rest of the leaders at the base of the climb. Davis’ attack was enough to pull ahead of the other two as McDonald and Roberge looked at each other. McDonald has been a standout on the criterium scene this year and was looking strong for a podium finish before he, too, was doomed by a flat later on the climb, leaving Roberge alone to pull back Davis.

Nevertheless, Roberge used his strength and skill to power back to the wheel of Davis and turn the deficit into a commanding solo win, two minutes ahead of Davis and over five minutes to Drew Dillman, who settled for third. The win was Roberge’s second at BWR North Carolina.

“It was so fun, please keep this race,” Roberge pleaded to the race’s social media account after the race. “I don’t know if I’m biased since I like the East Coast, but this course is just perfection.”

In the women’s race, it was a story of utter domination from Emily Newsom. The Pas Normal pro was far and away the most experienced rider on the startlist, and she delivered. Newsom started the race fast, and simply stayed consistent, powering through the course well ahead of the rest of the women. When all was settled, Newsom won with a gap of 23 minutes ahead of Florence Howden, her closest competitor, and 54 minutes ahead of Katherine Lin in third.

“We started with the guys, so it was a big group and pretty chill until the first long climb, where it exploded,” Newsom said. “I was a little worried because I wasn’t sure if my legs were good, but I warmed up and I was able to get with a really good group of men. We stuck together for almost the entire race. I pushed it really hard on the climbs and tried to hang through all the technical stuff.”

Unfortunately, with massive time gaps early on and only eight women finishing the race, there was a significant divide in the action between the men’s and women’s races, with Newsom the only professional-level woman on the startlist.

Men’s top five finishers:

1.  Adam Roberge – 4h 46m 26.36s
2. Cole Davis – 4h 48m 34.75s
3. Andrew Dillman – 4h 52m 11.91s
4. Jura Gerlach – 4h 54m 38.55s
5. Brody McDonald – 5h 02m 58.99s

Women’s top five finishers:

1. Emily Newsom – 5h 25m 23.17s
2. Florence Howden – 5h 48m 37.34s
3. Katherine Lin  – 6h 19m 42.95s
4. Cassie Cobb – 6h 35m 08.02s
5. Andrea De Leon – 6h 40m 33.40s

Source – Indonesia News