Ben Kelley Takes The Old Gray GNCC Overall as Tayla Jones and Korie Steede Battle in WXC

Perfect spring weather set the stage for round five of the 2025 Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series at The Old Gray in Tennessee, where Ben Kelley stormed to a dramatic overall win in the XC1 Open Pro class after being hit with a 15-second penalty.

Jordan Ashburn snagged the XC1 Holeshot Award as the afternoon race got underway, but it was Kelley who stole the spotlight. He clawed his way through the pack, making key passes before taking over the lead on lap four and holding strong to claim his third XC1 victory of the season—and his second-straight overall win in Tennessee.

In XC2, defending champion Grant Davis led for much of the race on adjusted time before a crash cost him the overall. He still took second outright and the XC2 win, while Kailub Russell pushed hard to finish second in XC1 and third overall after an early charge into the runner-up spot.

Ricky Russell made history for Triumph, putting the British brand on the podium for the first time with a gritty ride from eighth to third in XC1 and fourth overall. Cody Barnes fought tooth-and-nail to secure fifth overall and second in XC2, edging out competitors in a last-lap surge.

Rounding out the top ten were Craig DeLong (fourth in XC1, sixth overall), Liam Draper (fifth in XC1, seventh overall), and Aussie Josh Strang, who bounced back from tenth in class to claim sixth in XC1 and eighth overall. Australian Lyndon Snodgrass 12th in XC1 and 38th overall and is 8th in the championship.

Fellow Australian Angus Riordan pushed through illness to finish third in XC2 and ninth overall, while Nicholas DeFeo rounded out the top ten and took fourth in the XC2 class.

Grant Baylor made his return after a pre-season injury, finishing seventh in XC1, while brother Steward Baylor led early before radiator issues forced a long pit stop. He eventually crossed the line eighth in class and 12th overall. Defending champ Johnny Girroir was sidelined again following his crash at the last round.

Steede Takes WXC Win as Jones and Archer Battle

The morning race saw Korie Steede take her second WXC win of the season and snatch the championship lead. After grabbing the holeshot, Steede led wire-to-wire under heavy pressure from Australia’s Tayla Jones and New Zealand’s Rachael Archer.

Jones pushed hard in the second half but couldn’t find a way through and settled for second, while Archer was left frustrated after a crash took her out of contention for the win. “Frustrating day for me at Old Gray,” Archer shared. “I was running up front and feeling comfortable… a bad crash took me out of the fight for the win on lap 3.”

It was a tough round for Aussie rookie Danielle McDonald, who showed early promise by running second into the woods. But a heavy crash and a tangle with a lapped rider saw her lose front brakes and make an extended pit stop., resulting in an 8th place finish. “Learning more and more each race,” said McDonald. “We’ll come back swinging in a few weeks’ time for the next round!”