Petaluma cyclist Yuri Hauswald finishes 8th in gravel race

Yuri Hauswald, the former schoolteacher from Petaluma who rode himself into racing lore in certain cycling circles for his gutsy win at the Dirty Kanza 200 in May, took eighth place at the Gravel Worlds competition Aug. 22.

The 150-mile course with a start and finish in Lincoln, Neb. drew approximately 300 of the top gravel riders in the world.

Hauswald finished in 8:57:26.

Gravel riding competitions typically put riders on rolling hills of mostly gravel roads and often require that they navigate courses by map or GPS coordinates.

The race Saturday required riders to go through checkpoints to collect a pipe cleaner to wrap on their handle bars, proving they had made the stop. The final checkpoint required riders to stop in Malcom, Neb. to buy a time-stamped Powerball ticket to prove they stayed the course.

“I struggle in the heat really badly,” he said, adding that the hot wind gusts also presented problems.

“We battled the headwinds for most of the day and when the course shifted back towards Lincoln the irony of it was the tailwind made it hotter,” he said.

Hauswald had to make a last-minute stop on a farmer’s property to refill water bottles.

“We probably lost about a minute and half but that saved me. I was having some real problems with the heat,” he said.

“Near the end of the day, the buzzards where circling,” he said. “I wasn’t sure I was going to make it.”

Neil Shirley of Santa Clarita, Ca. won the race in 7:54:03.

You can reach staff columnist Kerry Benefield at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com, on Twitter @benefield and on Instagram at kerry.benefield.