Emma Langley (Haute Factory Racing) and Matt Wilson (Scott Sports USA) claimed the win at the inaugural Pulaski MTN-X Gravel Bike Race in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia on Saturday.
Starting and finishing in downtown Pulaski, the course took riders through the rugged landscape of the New River Valley in Southwest Virginia: crossing Case Knife Ridge, over Big Walker Mountain, into the heart of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, before climbing back over Big Walker Mountain on the return.
Following an Enduro-style race model, a total of six timed sectors across paved, gravel, and mixed-surface roads were used to determine the winners in the 102-mile route with 12,602 feet of elevation gain.
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The six sectors totalled 68.8 miles, with the fourth the longest at 24.1 miles. Starting at mile 44.5, the road kicks after several rolling miles, climbing over Flat Top Mountain and Sugar Run Mountain. The route then turns sharply downhill, sending riders through a long, rugged descent toward Dismal Creek Rd.
Strong off his victory at Life Time Grand Prix Chequamegon MTB Festival last weekend, New Zealander Wilson was the fastest in three sectors and claimed the victory with a time of 3:31:23.
His compatriot, Unbound Gravel 200 champion Cam Jones (Scott Sports USA-RCC), who currently lives in Blacksburg, Virginia and trains throughout the New River Valley, took second with a time of 3:36:45.
Olympian Martins Blums of Latvia rounded out the podium.
In the women’s race, Langley set the fastest time over four sectors to take the win with a time of 4:27:54. The American, who finished third at the 2026 USA Cycling Gravel National Championships earlier this month, went on to claim a top-10 finish the next day at Virginia’s Blue Ridge GO Cross in Roanoke.
Kate Buss was second, with a time of 4:28:28, while Britt Mason rounded out the podium.
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