BWR CA: Fake it until you can't?
By Alexey Vermeulen
HPT Athlete
HPT athlete Alexey Vermeulen takes us through a packed spring season in his latest race recap. From the Life Time Grand Prix opener to a booming Gran Fondo, Alexey reflects on key lessons, standout moments, and what’s next.
April has been a busy month. I had big goals, fell a bit short, but that is what they are there for. The final goal was to win BWR CA again. 3 races, 3 different bikes.
As the race kicked off I knew I was in for a tough day. I was mentally there, but lacked the efficient feeling in my legs. Every acceleration felt like I was watching a battery drain on a video game, it was just a matter of time. This wasn't unexpected, the previous 5 days since Levi's had been anything but optimal. Avery and I had flown back from SFO to DEN for one night to change bikes, pick up Willie and prepare for 4 days with the FTGU crew. After 4 days in Memphis not riding my bike and staying up until 2am, my legs were confused at best when we arrived in San Diego.
Quick intermission for Levi's Gran Fondo update: I was FLYING at Levi's. Maybe I felt a bit too good, because I raced a bit stupidly at times. With $25k for the win, I tried not to think about money while racing and wanted to race my best race. With about 23 miles to go I looked back and saw Matt Beers and Keegan had come off the wheel - this is not something you typically see, and I said let's hit it! I went solo and went over the top of the climb alone only to be caught by the group and come apart with 6 miles to go. Alas, 6th place. Back to your BWR report...
BWR CA is a beast, always has been and always will be. The course changed a lot this year, but still had a lot of asphalt and some BWR esque gravel. What I think most people forget is that the out and back style course lures you into riding really hard because you are more than halfway done at the turn around, but wow are you far from the finish. You HAVE to save something for the return trip.
From mile 15 after the first pinch point and a rough lap, we had a group of about 7 of us that would swell to 10 or 12 as we hit the asphalt. From here our group would dwindle to only 5: myself, Matt Beers, Pete Stetina, Jonas Woodruff and Truman Glasgow. As we neared the far end of the course everything was feeling pretty good, legs felt a bit heavy, but I was ready for the 12 minute climb out back to Ramona. The 12 min effort was around 380 watts and further whittled the group down to Matt, Pete and myself.
From there I knew the battery was at a critical level. I wanted to hold on as long as I could with the headwind trip home. With about 35 miles to go, Matt took off - I chased, but not with much panache. As we hit the descent back towards the finale, Pete and I were separated by only 10 seconds, but I knew that I [wasn't racing him] sadly. Catching him wasn't the goal - surviving alone for 3rd was what I had resigned myself to. I limped home while saving watts for the final climb and in case I was caught for the sprint.
The next 90 minutes went by quite slowly. Riding my pace, saying thanks to amatuers as I passed by. It is an odd feeling to be going as fast as you can and not knowing where the group is behind you. At the end of the day, the race had blown apart enough that I was able to cruise into the finish without having to sprint. A 3rd place I am proud of even though my mindset and goal were forced to change mid race.
BWR CA will always have a special place in my heart. From the first year I did this in 2019 thanks to a friend and current partner, Q+M Agency (if anyone needs PR help, REACH OUT, ha), I knew somewhere inside of me that the course fit me well. It took flatting out in 2019 and 2021 to figure it out, but I eventually won in 2022 with the biggest tires anyone had ever used, 40mm Kenda 4titude Slicks. Since then, winning again has been elusive, but the consistency has been there! 2023: 3rd, 2024: 2nd, 2025: 3rd. Here's to 2026 restarting this pattern!
Fueling for BWR was pretty straight forward. The race had plenty of feedzones over the 106 miles which allowed for lots of chances to grab fuel.
At any given moment I had both Skratch High Carb in one bottle and water in the other bottle. My goal was to take in 125-135 g/carbs an hour. I was utilizing SIS Beta Fuel Gels as well as SIS Isotonic Gels to compliment the 400g/carbs I took in via bottle.
BWR can be technical in sections, so my thought process was based around when there was enough room to eat and drink and when it would be tougher.
Photo Credits: Nolan Carney