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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1547011
including Steward Baylor Jr, Grant Davis, Johnny Girroir, Jason Tino, Cooper Jones, Toby Cleveland and Australians Angus Riordan and Josh Strang. Among the Women Pro riders, Rachel Gut- ish, Korie Steede and Canada's Brandy Richards were also travel- ing to Portugal, along with many club riders. Other riders took the weekend off to rest or recover. As a result of the non-points- paying decision, there would be no distinction between the XC1 and XC2 classes. Both divisions entered the race as a single class under the Open Pro desig- nation. The result was a leaner, more open field and a race that felt more like a high-stakes local showdown than a champion- ship pressure cooker. DeLong, the 2023 XC1 Champion from nearby Morgantown, Pennsyl- vania, seized the moment on familiar dirt to claim the win. DeLong grabbed the holeshot into the off-camber first turn, with series points leader Jordan Ashburn of Phoenix Honda Rac- ing in hot pursuit. By the seven- mile mark, DeLong had already stretched out a clear advantage, with Ashburn, Phoenix Honda's Angus Riordan and Liqui Moly Beta teammates Walker and Strang giving chase. Notably, Walker was aboard a two-stroke. At the end of the first lap, DeLong held a 17.8-second lead over Ashburn, with Riordan another 1.7 seconds back. On the second lap, Walker slingshot around Riordan for third, then be- gan pressuring Ashburn. Half a lap later, Walker settled into third as DeLong extended his lead to 27 seconds. Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki's Grant Baylor arrived on the scene and pushed Walker through the tight wooded sections. After two laps, the order read DeLong, Ash- burn, Walker, Riordan and Brody Johnson, as Baylor dropped off the pace. A mile into lap three, Walker passed Ashburn for second. Halfway through the race, he had closed to within six seconds of DeLong and was still chipping away. On lap four, Walker was turning the fastest times on the course, nearly 22 seconds quicker than the leader at one point, and he seized the overall lead during a pit stop. DeLong refused to let the two-stroke rider slip away. He turned up the heat and was on Walker's rear fender at the start of the final lap as the leaders dealt with lappers. With a lap- and-a-half remaining, Walker took the safe bet and stopped for a controversial fuel top-off. The Beta team had calculated that the two-stroke could not reach the checkered flag without it. DeLong sailed into the lead. Walker rejoined in second, still within sight of the Husqvarna, and even gained a few seconds, but he never closed enough to mount a serious challenge. Baylor dropped off the pace and gave way to Strang. As the final lap wound down, DeLong held firm and crossed the finish line nearly eight sec- onds ahead of Walker. Walker secured his best-ever overall finish, finishing second. Phoenix Honda Racing's Mike Witkowski slipped under the wire for third. "I feel like I was capable of doing that all year," DeLong said. "So, I don't know if it was just the no points or just a local race close to home. I just felt good. I had a little bit of the upper hand on this dirt. Jhak caught me quick. That two-stroke, he rides it well. That's a tough bike to ride in these conditions, and he did it VOLUME 63 ISSUE 40 OCTOBER 6, 2026 P57 Craig DeLong took the overall win at the Mason- Dixon GNCC in Georgia. PHOTOS: MACK FAINT