AUDREY AND THE TOSCANO TAKE ON THE DRIFTLESS REGION AT GRAVEL NATIONALS
Last weekend, our intrepid Project Manager Audrey Mace lined up for the 2026 USA Cycling Gravel National Championships in La Crescent, Minnesota, taking on the 107-mile course in the Women's 19-34 age-group. If you remember her amazing UNBOUND Gravel finish earlier this year, then you know she doesn't shy away from a hard day on the bike. Gravel Nationals certainly delivered another one.
Laying the Foundation for Future Domination
Audrey wasn't feeling in peak form heading into the race, and unfortunately, it caught up with her early. "I was hoping I'd be able to fake it and stay with the front, but my group got dropped on the first climb," she said. It's a familiar story in gravel racing. (Anyone who races gravel regularly will experience a mid-race implosion eventually!) It's especially challenging if the course doesn't give you anywhere to hide. "The climbs were just long enough to not be able to fake it temporarily," Audrey explained.
Portrait of a future national champ (?)
In the end, Audrey finished 8th in a stacked Women's 19-34 field, behind a podium of Maire Noonan, Annika Lampen, and Colleen Larocca. A fantastic result, even if it's not what she hoped for.
"It was not a great day, but here you go!" she said afterward. Though she's not thrilled, Audrey came away with a solid experience and plenty to build on. This is (hopefully) the first of many Gravel Nationals, and a stepping stone on her journey to complete domination of the 19-34 women's field in future years. We look forward to watching her keep improving!
The Best of Midwest Gravel Racing
The fourth edition of USA Gravel Nationals visited Minnesota's Driftless Region for the second time, and Audrey had nothing but good things to say about the setting. "The event was really well organized, and Minnesota is so beautiful. The Driftless region is so cool and unique," she said.
The Driftless Region is a 24,000-square-mile pocket of the Upper Midwest that was never covered by glaciers during the last ice age. Without glaciers to flatten the landscape, the Driftless features ancient terrain with steep limestone bluffs, narrow river valleys, and ridgelines that rise hundreds of feet above winding coulees.
For gravel riders, that geological quirk is a gift. Instead of flat, arrow-straight roads, the Driftless delivers a constantly shifting mix of punchy climbs and technical descents. It's terrain that rewards both bike-handling skill and durability, which is exactly why it's one of the country's premier gravel racing destinations
The 107-mile course used for this year's Gravel Nationals was scorchingly fast. It ramped up the speed early with long stretches of smooth gravel, before dropping riders into a technical, private-property snowmobile track for the final 5km. "It was the best part of the race for me," Audrey said, "being able to bomb down the last technical section with nothing to lose, knowing that the finish line was so close."
The Perfect Titanium Gravel Race Bike
Once again, Audrey raced on her new Cerakote Litespeed Toscano, the same rig she piloted through this year's brutally muddy UNBOUND Gravel. It's the world's lightest titanium gravel bike, and Litespeed's fastest gravel race frame. Her build showcases our newest Cerakote finish option, and it's a fitting bike for a course that rewarded speed on the smooth stuff and confidence on the technical finish.
