Gravel Earth Series - Annabel Fisher and Brennan Wertz win Octopus Gravel

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The Gravel Earth Series moved to Switzerland for the fourth round on July 1, with Annabel Fisher (Cafe du Cycliste) and Brennan Wertz (Mosaic Cycles) taking out victories at the Octopus Gravel. They delivered the fastest times over the three timed gravel climbs.

In the men’s race, Czech rider Petr Vakoc was just 12 seconds behind the time posted by USA's Wertz of 35 minutes and 58 seconds, while Australia's Adam Blazevic was a little over three minutes further back. In the women’s category, the Swiss-based Fisher finished the three climbs in 47 minutes and 48 seconds, while Alyssa Mahoney finished second, just 44 seconds back, and Karolina Migoń came third.

“From the beautiful views, to the friendly people, to the extremely challenging course, this was a truly unforgettable event,” said men’s winner Wertz in an Instagram post ”I loved the format of the event and how it enabled us to really appreciate the course and all the beauty of the Andermatt region.”

It’s a novel concept as far as gravel races go, with riders having to complete at least six of seven scenic dead-end timed climbs up gravel passes in Andermatt, Switzerland. The climbs spoked out from a central event hub, making it easy to understand where the race name of 'octopus' originated. 

The timed element also meant it was somewhat a mystery how riders had fared until it came to the podium ceremony at the end, where the winners were presented with an absurdly-large post-race beverage.

“The real victory was lifting the excessive quantity of beer,” joked Fisher in an Instagram post.

Those who chose to challenge themselves to all seven climbs covered 155km with 4,350 metres of ascent. While there was clearly a fair degree of levity surrounding the event, it was far from an easy day out on the bike, particularly with the height of the climbs.

“I was feeling good and knew I was climbing well, but there were also a few riders I hadn’t seen on some of the climbs so I wasn’t sure how they had been going too,” Blazevic told Cyclingnews. 

“To end the day in third was really nice after a hard day of racing through the Swiss Alps. It was my first time racing at altitude like this and it definitely wasn’t easy. The last timed section started at 2000 metres in elevation.”

The race, with goats as roadside spectators, was the fourth of seven events in the Gravel Earth Series. The next event is the Nordic Gravel Series is The Rift in Iceland on July 22. Girona's The Traka, Nature is Bike Gravel Festival, and the four-stage Migration Gravel race in Kenya provided the opening rounds.