Ben Gomez-Villafane of California had a successful cross-country trip to Connecticut for the first UCI Junior Men’s races at the KMC Cross Fest this past weekend. Gomez-Villafane finished third on Friday and then followed it up with a win on Sunday.
Ben Gomez Villafane keeps the mood light during the heavy load of Montana Cross Camp. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
High-level success is nothing new to the TopClub CycloCross rider. Gomez-Villafane won the Junior Men’s 15-16 category at the 2016 Nationals in Asheville, and his older sisters are Carolina and Sofia Gomez-Villafane, both of whom have achieved a substantial amount of ’cross success.
Ben Gomez Villafañe leading Gaelen Kilburn with one to go. Junior Men 15-16, 2016 Cyclocross National Championships. © Cyclocross Magazine
The 2017 Montana Cross Camp was Ben’s second. He said coming back was a good start to his cyclocross season. “Being here in Helena, being exposed to all the work we do instructed by Geoff Proctor is a very good environment to shake off the rust and get the momentum going for the upcoming ’cross season,” he said.
Ben Gomez Villafane powers through the sand during the final day of cyclocross drills. 2017 Montana Cross Camp © Cyclocross Magazine
Gomez-Villafane also said he has already adopted running, which is a big part of Proctor’s training philosophy, into his training. “Since February, March I have been doing twice-a-week runs,” said Gomez-Villafane. “Doing some bleachers and all that, kind of like we’ve been doing in the morning. In a sense, I was a little bit prepared for all that.”
A clean, well-oiled machine matters. Ben Gomez Villafane cleans his rig after a big gravel day to get ready for the final day’s cyclocross drills. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
Cyclocross Magazine sat down with Gomez-Villafane in Helena for the latest in our series of interviews from the 2017 Montana Cross Camp.
Ben Gomez-Villafane – 2017 Montana Cross Camp Interview
View more photos from Montana Cross Camp and Cyclocross Nationals and see all our coverage from the 2017 Montana Cross Camp.
