This year we were excited to add a new category to the awards mix - theAttaqeur Awards which are presented by our friends at Viair!

The Belgian Waffle Ride has many prizes available, as it isn't all about the Yellow Jersey (GC)! There is also the Green (Sprint), Polka-Dot (Mountains), Brown (Dirt), and White (Juniors) jerseys, Blue (Hardpersons), and Orange (kUDOs/spirit). Now a Red Jersey is up for grabs as well for the most aggressive rider, the Attaqeur.

The Attaqeur Awardis a prize given for the most combative rider overall during the race. In the past at the Le Tour de France, this competition favored constant attackers as it was based on the distance spent in a breakaway, included winning checkpoints and outright stage wins. Today, the winner of the red jersey of the Le Tour is chosen by a jury, and the BWR will follow the same format. We’re looking for those that truly animate the race.

This year, new to the BWR and American gravel racing, Matt Beers, who is South Africa's reigning national marathon MTB champ, left his mark on the BWR. For those at the front of the race - the media, race officials, lead riders - there was a consistent refrain on which rider had animated the race the most. And while it was Alexey's ferocious attack up the Bandyweg the second time that was the definitive attack of the day, it was Matt Beers' consistent driving of the pace, digs in the dirt, and powerful riding at the front that created the front group and kept it animated. He led the race from the get go and most pictures of the front group feature the tall MTBer on the front.

Ultimately, Matt suffered a number of mechanicals with his chain coming off repeatedly, yet he would still manage to chase back to the leaders. He eventually finished second, outsprinting Griffin Easter and Alex Howes.

We are delighted to award Matt Beers this inaugural award!

The toughest terrain demands the best from both rider and equipment.
 
To celebrate Spinergy’s partnership with the Belgian Waffle Ride, we offered the non-pro participants in this year's Wafer the chance to prove they are, indeed, #builtforthis on one of the courses toughest segments, Roofvogel Bergkam: https://www.strava.com/segments/30925347
 
The Queen and King of this new 6-km unroad sector that will give new definition to the BWR parcourse henceforth have won a set of Spinergy’s bombproof, GX gravel wheels.

Congrats to high school standout, Ian Lopez, and Dubbel Header second place, Caroline Dezendorf, for their winning efforts on Roofvogel Bergkam.

REFLECTING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD

Whether your recent race was a “personal best, a “DNF,” or somewhere in between, now is the time to reflect—making written notes even—on how things went and why.

Start with reviewing what went well from the race, so that you can be sure to incorporate it into your next race. This includes factors like physical performance (such as pacing) and your gear and fueling choices.

Next, take note of areas of opportunity, such as consuming too many or insufficient calories or fluids, timing them wrong, going out too fast, or choosing the wrong gear. These extremely helpful “lessons learned” can lead to improvement next time.

Instead of allowing these setbacks (and don’t worry, we all have them!) to be “stumbling blocks,” turn them into “stepping stones” so that you can achieve greater success in your future races.

For recovery and future adventures, check out Hammer Nutrition’s fuels, supplements, and recovery products made for athletes just like you here.