Octopus Gravel winner Olivia Hottinger takes second in women's contest while Britain's Toby Perry goes runner-up in tight men's finale
Joel Roth rides solo at The Majestics for home win in Switzerland at 2026 UCI Gravel World Series event(Image credit: Fabian Hartmann - BIXS Race Team)
Swiss riders Joel Roth (BIXS Race Team) and Elena Hartmann (RMV Chur) won the climbing-heavy Majestics Gravel race on home soil on Sunday, both using the main 26.5km ascent into the Vaud Alps on the back half of the race as the launching point of solo victories in the Gravelking UCI Gravel World Series event.
Roth launched his effort on the long climb from a reduced front group and rode 40km alone to finish in 3:35:28. Great Britain's Toby Perry (Reverb Cycling-3T) trailed 26 seconds later for second, pushing eight seconds ahead of Belgian Floris De Tier (Swatt Club). Swiss rider Kevin Kuhn (EF Education Nippo Development) was another 17 seconds back for fourth.
"I’m really happy that it finally all came together after coming so close to victory a few times," Roth said after the race to his team, having ridden to three recent top 10s, including fifth at Ranxo Gravel.
"This win gives me a lot of confidence for the second half of the season and is a huge confirmation that all the hard work over the past months has paid off."
Unlike a week ago when her legs cramped and she finished off the podium at Hegau Gravel, Hartmann powered away from Olivia Hottinger (SCOTT Offroad Racing) to win in 4:15:22, nearly six minutes to her compatriot. Clara Koppenburg (Tudor Pro Cycling) of Germany was another 45 seconds back for the final spot on the women's podium.
Hartmann, a three-time Swiss time trial national champion, put the power down in time trial form on the final climb, moving away from Hottinger, who came in with a recent victory at Octopus Gravel. It was her first victory of a full season on gravel, having finished with four top 5s across UCI Gravel World Series and Gravel Earth Series events, including fifth at The Traka 200.
It was a third season for Majestics Gravel (formerly Gravel Suisse), which used a 106km route for elite riders, called the Summit, from Aigle to Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland. The first half crossed the Rhône Valley with 60 fast and flat kilometres. The second half added most of the 2,500 metres of elevation gain with long gravel ascents and cresting the highest point at 1,800 metres. This region in the Vaudois Alps is slated to host the 2029 UCI Gravel World Championships.
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The top 25% of riders in this year's edition of the UCI Gravel World Series event will qualify for this year's World Championships in Nannup, Western Australia, which is being held October 10-11. Riders can also qualify through continental and national championships.
Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. On the bike, she has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast), and spends time on gravel around horse farms in north Georgia.
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