On 5 and 6 October the World Gravel Cycling Championships took place in Flanders. Here is a short summary of what it was like.
How the race went: WOMEN
The women lined up at the start of the 134km race from Halle to Lovena. Right from the start, Marianne Vos managed to pull away from her rivals at a high pace in the Brabant Forest along with Lotte Kopecky. For the last 50 km the two racers worked together. Despite several attempts to join, they were unable to break away from each other and therefore the final spurt had to decide. The disadvantage for road world champion Lotte Kopecky could have been the choice of a different bike than she is used to. Marianne Vos started the spurt from 2nd position and did not let Lotte in front of her anymore. For Marianne Vos, this is her 14th world championship title across cycling disciplines. Marianne Vos used a self-inflating wheel system for the race, which was seen for example at this year’s Paris-Roubaix.
Women Elite results
1. Vos Marianne, 4:01:07
2. Kopecky Lotte, 4:01:08
3. Wibes Lorena, 4:05:04
4. Pieterse Puck, 4:05:16
How the race went: MEN
The men lined up to the start of the 180km race. Compared to the women, the men rode an extra lap in Leuven. 251 registered competitors took to the start. So the race promised to be a tough positional ride from the start. During the race, a 16-strong group with all the favourites at the front was formed, which went into the final circuits. With about 60km to go, Van der Poul took the lead, followed only by Swift. However, they were then caught again by a group of 5 riders, which included Mohoric, both Vermeerschs, Hermans and Stuyven. With 36km to go, Florian Vermeersch then upped the pace, with only Van der Poel holding on. The pair managed to hold the lead and with 13km to go Van der Poel came on again and didn’t let up again until the finish, taking a clear win. The battle for bronze was eventually won by Quinten Hermans. The legend Van der Poel is now only missing the world mountain bike champion’s jersey.
Men Elite results
1. Van der Poel Mathieu, 4:41:23
2. Vermeersch Florian, 4:42:26
3. Hermans Quinten, 4:45:10
4. Stuyven Jasper, 4:45:10
Results of other well-known participants
7. Mohoric Matej, 4:45:11 (2022 World Champion, TdF stage winner, Milan San Remo winner)
8. Merlier Tim, 4:45:38 (TdF stage winner)
18. Benoot Tiesj, 4:53:26 (top class WT rider)
26. Hoogerland Johnny, 4:53:28 (famous for TdF crash into the fence)
36. Van Avermaet Greg, 4:55:52 (Rio Road Olympic champion)
54. Lakata Alban, 4:55:56 (famous MTB rider)
68. Mason Cameron, 5:01:13 (2021 U23 World Cup cyclocross winner)
94. Terpstra Niki, 5:05:52 (Paris- Roubaix winner)
+ some DNF
Kulhavy Jaroslav (London MTB Olympic champion)
Iserbyt Eli
Sweeck Laurens
Oss Daniel
Ten Dam Laurens
Del Toro Isaac
For more detailed information and results, you can visit these websites:
- UCI Gravel World Series: https://ucigravelworldseries.com/en/
- Gravel World Championships Flanders: https://gravelchampionshipsflanders.com/en/