core4 2025 – Mud, Storms, and Sprints

Words by James Ion - Photography provided by Geerike Schreurs

Gravel has a way of humbling even the best-laid plans. In Iowa, at the core4, the skies opened the night before the race and soaked the course with a ferocity that only the Midwest can deliver. Storms swept through Des Moines and Iowa City, and when the sun rose on race day, the organisers were left with a choice: send riders into chaos or adapt. They chose the latter. The singletrack—the unique calling card of core4—was cut. What remained was a wet-weather edition of the race, one where the infamous B-roads became bogs of peanut butter mud, bikes ground to a halt, and legs had to do as much pushing as pedalling.

The core4 Women’s Race: Elbows Out

For the women, the day belonged to Rosa Klöser. The German rider thrived in the sticky conditions, clashing all the way to the line with the Netherlands’ Schreurs. The pair survived the mud, survived the storms, and after hours of riding shoulder-to-shoulder, it came down to a sprint.

“At 100km, I was the only one to make it through a muddy section clean and suddenly I had a gap,” Schreurs recalled. “But I missed a turn. Rosa came back in her aero bars, time trialling to me. From there, we stayed together all the way to the finish.”

With 150 metres to go, Klöser boxed her rival in, held her ground, and powered through to victory in 5:12:44. Schreurs crossed just three seconds later, disappointed by the sprint but satisfied with her form. Emily Newsom of PAS Racing rolled in third, nearly six minutes adrift.

“I know Rosa is a beast, hard to beat, but I saw a chance in the sprint. Then she closed the door,” she wrote with a wry smile.

The Men’s Race: Canadian Strength tops podium at core4

The men’s race unfolded in a different rhythm. Canada’s Julien Gagné, racing for DEVINCI, found his moment in the mud and never looked back. He broke free on the back half of the course, soloing through the sludge to take the win in 4:37:00. Adam Roberge (Felt UN1TD) gave chase but finished two minutes down, while Denmark’s Tobias Kongstad (PAS Racing) grabbed third, another thirty seconds back.

It was a performance of strength and patience from Gagné—proof that in gravel, sometimes the smartest move is simply to keep the wheels turning while everyone else bogs down.

Beyond the Finish Line

core4’s 2025 edition wasn’t just another race; it was its Gravel Earth Series debut, offering a 10% bonus in series points. That bonus mattered—particularly for Kongstad, whose third-place finish kept him firmly in the hunt. The race also carried a deeper resonance, with a $10,000 equal prize purse supported by River Products Company in memory of local cyclist Chris Lillig, a reminder that gravel’s community roots run as deep as its ruts.

At the finish, the riders were greeted with cold towels, ice, and laughter—small mercies in the blistering Iowa heat.

“The vibes were super chill and fun,” Schreurs wrote, “one of the nicest gravel races I’ve done in the US.”

A Storm-Tested Classic

When the storms cleared, what remained was a race defined by resilience. Riders left with mud-caked frames, salt-stained kits, and stories that will echo into next season. The singletrack may have been missing, but the essence of core4 remained: friendly locals, rolling Iowa hills, and a test of character that only gravel can deliver.

For Klöser and Gagné, it was victory. For Schreurs, it was close combat and a diary full of lessons. And for everyone else, it was survival, grit, and perhaps a quiet vow to return next year for redemption—if the weather gods allow it.

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Read Geerike's full recap here