Marianne Vos (Netherlands) made history on Saturday, becoming the first rider to win a second elite women’s gravel world title with a solo victory at the UCI Gravel World Championships in Nannup, Western Australia.
The victory brought Vos’ tally to 15 rainbow jerseys across four disciplines: eight in cyclo-cross, two in gravel, plus world titles on the road and track.
After rolling with Rosa Klöser (Germany) for 21 kilometres, Vos launched a powerful attack in the final 4km in an attempt to drop the German. Klöser fought hard to regain her wheel, but she slid out after hitting a rut on the right-hand side of the road and watched the rainbow jersey ride away from her.
Vos and Klöser broke away from a lead group that had fluctuated in size throughout the race. Both had remained in contention as the front group dwindled to three riders before swelling again, with their attack coming after Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Argentina) and Tiffany Cromwell (Australia) each made impressive efforts to chase back to the leaders.
Getting back up quickly after her crash, Klöser crossed the line 27 seconds down to take second place, and immediately congratulated Vos.
Larissa Hartog (Netherlands) outsprinted Nele Laing (Germany) to take third place, making it two Dutch riders on the podium.
With 16 riders in the field, just one fewer than the host nation, the Dutch squad went to the front at the start, and consistently maintained at least two riders in all the splits at the front until the finale.
Vos, 39, seemed to be at a loss for words when asked what the win meant to her, simply answering "A lot. Yeah, a lot."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"It was more muddy than expected, actually. 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," she said.
Klöser and Vos in the lead (Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
"I knew that that final corner around the top and then the descent were going to be tricky, so I wanted to be in front and take them my own lines. But of course it's unfortunate that Rosa crashed there.
"I was really happy when the World Championships were announced here, and it's a fantastic course here in Western Australia, and it's great to take the rainbow jersey."
More to follow...
Results
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Position
Rider (Country)
Time Gap
1
Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
4:30:01
2
Rosa Klöser (Germany)
+00:27
3
Larissa Hartog (Netherlands)
+2:15
4
Nele Laing (Germany)
Row 4 - Cell 2
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for comprehensive race coverage of the UCI Gravel World Championships, alongside the final Monument of the season, Il Lombardia. Subscribers get unlimited access to exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! Join today.
Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
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.
