Mike O'Connor
Dutch cycling great Marianne Vos has become the first rider to win two UCI Gravel World Championships, claiming the elite women’s title in Nannup, Western Australia.
Vos made her decisive move inside the final 4km, breaking clear of Germany’s Rosa Klöser on the technical course to secure the rainbow jersey two years after her first gravel world title.
Klöser had been Vos’s strongest rival in the closing stages but crashed on the run-in after struggling to shake the experienced Dutchwoman. She remounted and continued to finish second, 27 seconds behind the winner.
Fellow Dutch rider Larissa Hartog completed the podium, winning a two-up sprint to take third, 2:15 behind Vos.
The victory adds another chapter to Vos’s remarkable career, taking her tally to 15 world titles across cross, gravel, road and track.
“It was more muddy than expected, actually,” Vos said after the race.
“We had to be careful and some really slippery parts. And Rosa was really, really strong, so on the uphills I had to dig deep to follow.”
Vos said she knew the final corner and descent would be particularly challenging, prompting her to move to the front.
“I wanted to be in front and take my own lines. But of course it’s unfortunate that Rosa crashed there.”
The Dutch star also praised the Western Australian course, saying she was delighted when the championships were announced for the region.
“It’s a fantastic course here in Western Australia, and it’s great to take the rainbow jersey,” she said.
Australian Ella Bloor was the first to attack, going solo before the first gravel section and gaining a maximum advantage of one minute.
Cromwell signs off with top-eight finish
Australian Tiffany Cromwell finished eighth in the elite women’s race, bringing her professional racing career to a close.
“I left nothing out there,” Cromwell said after the race. “I knew I wasn’t the strongest on the climbs, I knew I couldn’t match the girls on the climbs, so I took my chances.
“Going off the front of the bunch when I did − it wasn’t the most ideal spot, but it gave me a head start on the Balingup climb, which is super hard.
“It was like that to the end: ‘Well, I’m dropped anyway, I might as well try something, I’ve got nothing to lose.”
Cromwell’s ride brings the curtain down on a long and storied professional career that included two Australian gravel titles and six road wins.
Meanwhile Nicole Frain also impressed, finishing 12th after working her way back into the leading group and making a few moves of her own in the closing stages.
The technical course also proved challenging for several prominent riders, with Dutch rider Geerike Schreurs and South Africa’s Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio among those to crash out.
In the age-group racing, Nannup local Paul Miller, a former Australian road champion in 1988, claimed victory in the men’s 65-69 category.
UCI Gravel World Championships: Elite women’s top 10 in Nannup
| Pos. | Rider | Country | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marianne Vos | NED | 4:30:04 | — |
| 2 | Rosa Klöser | GER | 4:30:31 | +0:27 |
| 3 | Larissa Hartog | NED | 4:32:19 | +2:15 |
| 4 | Nele Laing | GER | 4:32:19 | +2:15 |
| 5 | Erica Magnaldi | ITA | 4:34:21 | +4:17 |
| 6 | Sofia Gomez Villafane | ARG | 4:35:19 | +5:15 |
| 7 | Irina Luetzelschwab | SUI | 4:35:32 | +5:28 |
| 8 | Tiffany Cromwell | AUS | 4:37:19 | +7:15 |
| 9 | Elisa Serné | NED | 4:37:19 | +7:15 |
| 10 | Haley Smith | CAN | 4:38:59 | +8:55 |
Mike O’Connor – A keen cyclist, runner and photographer, Mike O’Connor is the Editor of Bicycling Australia. He manages the BA website and social media, and loves promoting the achievements of Australian cyclists.
