Romy Kasper and Tobias Mørch Kongstad won Falling Leaves on Saturday, a UCI Gravel World Series race which will next year host the UEC European Championships across two days of racing on Saturday July 31 and Sunday August 1.
Kasper (PAS Racing) won a tight elite women's race after fending off Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-SRAM) in the finale, beating the Australian by four seconds. Local rider Elisa Serné finished in third place.
"I really enjoyed it. It's a super nice course - a bit of everything," Kasper said afterwards.
In the men's race, Kongstad topped a PAS Racing 1-2 ahead of Rasmus Bøgh Wallin after a long solo breakaway. Estonian Riko Tammepuu (UN Cycling Team) was third.
"It was a long day out there," Kongstad said. "The tactic today was to be in the front. Sometimes it plays out in the correct way and today I was lucky."
The 175km finish race takes riders through the Salpausselkä UNESCO Geopark. After leaving from Pajulahti the first 50km takes place on wider scenic roads and through forested sections, then it is onto what organisers describe as a "rollercoaster" with no long climbs but also no flat to be seen. After that is the 35km northern loop, with a mix of dual track rods and hardpack gravel deep in the forests. At Vuolenkoski the race then heads south to return to the Pajulahti start/finish line of the course which is 87% gravel.
The race was one of the late season qualifiers for the UCI Gravel World Championships, which is being held in Nannup, Western Australia on October 10 and 11.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg. Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
