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](https://www.cxmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/montana-cross-camp-ben-IMG_5342-cyclocross-cxmagazine-ay-full-v2_1-750x500.jpg)
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](https://www.cxmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/junior-15-16-2016-cyclocross-nationals-junior-15-16-2016-cyclocross-nationals-img_0542-cxmagazine-ay-v2_1-750x493.jpg)
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](https://www.cxmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/montana-cross-camp-ben-gomez-villafane-IMG_5413-cyclocross-cxmagazine-ay-full-v2_1-750x500.jpg)
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](https://www.cxmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ben-gomez-villafane-IMG_4419-cxmagazine-ay-v2_1-750x500.jpg)
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.