Steward Baylor Jr entered round nine of the 2026 Grand National Cross Country Series at Snowshoe Mountain Resort frustrated after mechanical issues robbed him of a near-certain win at the previous round in Watkins Glen. The Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki rider arrived at Snowshoe focused on one goal: redemption. He delivered, securing his third win of the year and his first overall victory at the legendary Yamaha Racing Snowshoe GNCC after years of coming close.
Photos by Mack Faint
The victory not only made him the sixth different winner of the season but also reignited his championship hopes. Baylor’s breakthrough at the Snowshoe GNCC moved him to within 12 points of series leader Phoenix Honda Racing’s Jordan Ashburn, firmly putting him back in the title fight.
As he often does, Steward rolled the dice, opting for an ultra-soft gummy tire to claw for traction across Snowshoe’s slick, unforgiving terrain. Fully committed to the strategy, he swapped rear wheels at the pit stop for fresh grip. The gamble cost him nearly a minute and first place to Ashburn, but it quickly paid off as he charged back with authority, erasing the deficit on the following lap and reclaiming the lead in decisive fashion.
“I knew we’d have to build up a gap to swap that tire,” said Baylor. “My tire went away on lap three, so those guys closed in a good bit. I knew if I could make it to the pits, I’d have an advantage on those last two laps with a fresh tire. And that’s what we did. We did a lot of work this week. I think my mechanic is better than anybody at changing tires at this point. I think we went through 16 or 17 tires while practicing quick changes, and it paid off.”
Rain began to fall as the top riders lined up for the start. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong grabbed the holeshot ahead of Baylor and Ashburn as 54 rows of five headed onto Snowshoe Resort’s scenic ski slopes for the first time.
Baylor didn’t waste time, taking the lead just after navigating the always muddy and treacherous Howard’s Hole, and eventually dropped DeLong, Ashburn, AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper and FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley by 52 seconds near the end of the lap. Meanwhile, Liqui Moly Beta’s Jhak Walker and Phoenix Honda Racing’s Angus Riordan battled for the top spot in the XC2 250 Pro division.
The race order shifted dramatically once Baylor made his crucial pit stop for fresh rubber. Ashburn capitalized on the timing to move into the lead, with Riordan slotting into second. Baylor’s wheel change dropped him to third, while Walker advanced to fourth ahead of Grant Baylor in fifth. DeLong, meanwhile, fell back to ninth after also opting for a fresh tire.
Steward’s strategy quickly paid dividends. By the six-mile mark of lap four, Ashburn had slipped behind as Steward capitalized on his added traction to reclaim control of the race. At the same time, Walker and Riordan’s XC2 battle intensified, drawing Grant into a three-way fight for third place.
It was clear sailing for Steward on the final lap, while, over a minute back, Riordan and Ashburn fought for second as Walker dropped off the pace. At the checkered flag, Steward claimed his first win of the year by 66 seconds over Riordan, with Ashburn rounding out the podium. Riordan also took the XC2 win, while Walker was second in the class and fourth overall. Grant rounded out the top five overall.
As usual, Steward was not at a loss for words.
“Man, this is the one,” said Steward. “This is the one I never could get. It was so frustrating not to win it after coming so close so many times. I was just picturing the last two hills, the spot where I gave it up to Johnny [Girroir] one year, to Kailub [Russell] another year, and last year to Josh Toth. But when I got there, I knew we had the cushion, and it was good.”
Riordan turned in his best finish by far, taking the overall runner-up position and first in the XC2 class.
“I usually leave this race with my lip on the ground and my head between my legs,” said Riordan. “This place normally kicks my arse, so I told the boys I’m going to make this hill mine. And yeah, it felt good. I got off to a good start. I was last off the jump, then tucked up the inside, and I was second in our group coming out. It was a big train, but I felt good the whole time. But, yeah, it was one hell of a race.”
Ashburn rounded out the overall podium and, by doing so, slipped back into the points lead.
“It was brutal,” said Ashburn. “Conditions were super slick and super technical. I think Power Point Hill was harder than it’s ever been this year. In the last couple of laps, I was like, ‘Man, I gotta get up this thing because it was so loose.’ Stu got away early; he had some good lines on the backside, and I never saw him again. I just charged from there, and then Gus [Riordan] caught up and was right on me. So, we had some good racing today, and I’m pumped to come out of here with a podium today.”
Walker finished fourth overall and second in the XC2 class, just ahead of Grant, who finished fifth overall and third in the XC1 division.
“That last lap, I was still in contention for the lead, just 30 seconds off,” said Grant. “I was right there with Jhak and Gus. Jordan was just ahead of us. I came into that new rock section a little unprepared and tucked the front end. It was an uphill section, so it took me a minute to get going again. That was the last lap, so I was trying to charge back up to Gus and those guys. I was worried I wasn’t going to get going up that last hill. I was just sitting there, spinning and spinning. And then she finally grabbed traction, and off we went. I made it up the hill and rode it down to the finish.”
Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki’s Josh Toth, who won this race last year, finished sixth overall, six seconds ahead of FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Grant Davis.
Liqui Moly Beta’s Josh Strang rode a strong race to finish eighth overall, while DeLong and Kelley rounded out the top 10 after both riders ran inside the top five early in the race.
The AM bike race saw on-and-off showers, but as the checkered flag flew after two hours of intense racing, it was Gavin Abboud taking the 150 B Schoolboy (12-17) win and AM bike race win. Gary Fridley would come through to earn second on the AM bike podium and first in the Super Senior A (45+) class. Rounding out the AM bike race podium was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Korie Steede who pushed her way through to earn the WXC class win.
Steede claimed her second win of the year in the WXC division, beating FMF KTM’s Brandy Richards by nearly four minutes, with AmPro Yamaha’s Danielle McDonald finishing third. Carly Lee (KTM) and Elizabeth Allen (Triumph) finished fourth and fifth.
“I got off to a good start and then made a pass for the lead at around two miles in,” Steede said. “I was having so much fun out there. I had a good flow going. I saw on the pit board after lap two that I had a two-minute lead. I was just riding my own race, and then by the end I think I had around a five-minute lead, so obviously it was a solid day for the team and me.”
“Snowshoe is no joke,” said Richards. “It was super-technical, and with the rain it made it that much harder. I rode smart at this one, so I am stoked to come away with a solid finish and some good points.”
McDonald leads the WXC point standings by seven points ahead of Richards, with Steede third, another point back.
On Sunday morning, the Youth Bike race saw rainy, slick conditions as they lined up and took off into the Snowshoe Mountain trails. Ace Tokar would fight his way back to the front of the pack, coming through to take the youth overall and YXC1 Super Mini Sr. (14-15) class win. Phillip Arnold would be close behind him after pushing his way up to finish second overall and in the YXC1 class. Rounding out the top three overall youth bike and YXC1 class finishers was Gavin Harwell. All three top youth finishers would have their work cut out for them as they put their heads down and pushed through the gnarly Snowshoe conditions for their podium finishes.
In the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. (12-13) class it was Hunter Jones earning the win, Evan Porter would win the 86 Big Wheel (14-15) class while Colton Propst earned the win in the 85 Big Wheel (11-13) class. Maddox Welborn took first in the 85 (12-13) class and Tripp Lewis earned the 85 (11) class win. Kane Morrison earned the 85 (7-10) class win at Snowshoe Mountain. Davey Fairfield earned the 65 (10-11) class win, Kash Brummage earned the win in the 65 (9) class and Carson Zink earned the 65 (7-8) class win. Isla Kastel would earn the Girls Super Mini (12-16) class win, and Aubrey Tsakanikas earned the Girls 85 (7-13) class win. In the Girls 65 (7-11) it was Matilda Revoyr earning the class win. Jacob O’Haver earned the Trail Rider (7-15) victory.
2026 GNCC Round 9 Results
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Steward Baylor Jr (Kaw) 02:43:21.700
- Angus Riordan (Hon) 02:44:27.438
- Jordan Ashburn (Hon) 02:44:57.890
- Jhak Walker (Bet) 02:45:25.010
- Grant Baylor (Kaw) 02:46:21.959
- Josh Toth (Kaw) 02:48:20.678
- Grant Davis (KTM) 02:48:26.060
- Josh Strang (Bet) 02:48:57.416
- Craig DeLong (Hus) 02:49:03.970
- Ben Kelley (KTM) 02:51:18.788
XC1 Open Pro Event Results:
- Steward Baylor (Kaw)
- Jordan Ashburn (Hon)
- Grant Baylor (Kaw)
- Joshua Toth (Kaw)
- Grant Davis (KTM)
- Josh Strang (Bet)
- Craig Delong (Hus)
- Benjamin Kelley (KTM)
- Ryder Lafferty (Hon)
- Michael Witkowski (Hon)
XC2 250 Pro Event Results:
- Angus Riordan (Hon)
- Jhak Walker (BET)
- Jason Tino (KTM)
- Toby Cleveland (Hus)
- Gavin Simon (Hus)
- Brody Johnson (Hus)
- Jason Lipscomb (Hon)
