Froidevaux surprises big name-rivals to win Serenissima Gravel

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Robin Froidevaux (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) may hail from a track background, but his dearth of off-road experience proved no impediment as he soloed to victory at the second edition of Serenissima Gravel in Piazzola sul Brenta.

The Swiss champion, who rides for Fabian Cancellara’s Tudor squad, was not the loftiest name in the small peloton that set out from Porto Barricata on the Po Delta on Friday morning, with Mathieu van der Poel and freshly-minted gravel world champion Gianni Vermeersch widely regarded as the pre-race favourites. But he proved full value for his victory after a canny move in the finale.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck pair of Vermeersch and Van der Poel had been prominent in making the running on the long haul inland towards the finishing circuit around the 16th-century Villa Contarini, but they were outmanoeuvred on the final lap by Froidevaux, who anticipated the gravel specialists with a solo effort 10km from home.

Van der Poel was held up by a crash on the penultimate lap, and though he succeeded in latching back onto the front group just before they took the bell with 11km remaining, he and Vermeersch were on the back foot all over again after Froidevaux’s smart attack.

With 4km to go, Froidevaux had built up a lead of almost half a minute over a chasing group of a dozen or so riders. That margin was sliced considerably thanks to the efforts of Van der Poel, but by the time Froidevaux crossed under the flamme rouge, it was already clear that only a late mishap could deny him the win.

Froidevaux duly rolled home 11 seconds clear to claim the day, while Emils Liepins (Trek-Segafredo) outsprinted Gianni Vermeersch for second place, with Florian Vermeersch (Lotto Soudal) just squeezed off the podium. After an assured display at last weekend’s inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships, Miguel Ángel López (Astana Qazaqstan) enjoyed another solid afternoon here, placing 6th, two spots ahead of Van der Poel.

“For sure it was unexpected,” said Froidevaux. “I’m not too much of a gravel specialist and even in mountain bike, I’m not so good technically, but I took the opportunity and went on the attack. I knew if I stayed with the group, it would be hard technically against the best on the last lap. It worked. I wasn’t really believing it until the last kilometre, I’d say.”

Froidevaux was European Madison champion in 2019 and he competed on the track at the Tokyo Olympics before switching his focus to the road this season. The 23-year-old’s campaign was blighted by ill fortune, with a concussion ruling him out of the Tour de Romandie, but he returned in time to claim a notable triumph ahead of Sebastien Reichenbach in the elite men’s road race at the Swiss Championships.

“He crashed on the head, so we didn’t let him ride for many months,” Cancellara told Cyclingnews after he had watched the podium ceremony. “He missed Romandie, which was sadness, but we also said: ‘Look: learnings, stay calm.’ He was Swiss road champ after what was not an easy Spring.”

There was further frustration for Froidevaux in the wake of his break-out win, when he sustained a finger injury in another crash at the Tour Alsace. He only returned to action at the Giro del Veneto two days ago, but he now ends his campaign on a high with his unexpected gravel triumph. He will hope for further progress when his team moves up from Continental to ProTeam level next season.

“I had an injury on my fingers two-and-a-half months ago. I had to rest for nearly a month and then start training again, so I’m fresher than most of the riders because I didn’t have a middle of the season,” Froidevaux said. “I’m really happy to win like that.”

How it unfolded

Now its second edition and coming just days after the first World Championships in the discipline, Serenissima Gravel – the only gravel race for pro road riders – lacked the same novelty value as a year ago, though the route was significantly altered. With the start moved from Jesolo down the Venetian coastline to Porto Barricata, the race was now some 195km in length, 80% of which was billed as being off-road.

The sheer distance understandably served to discourage early attacking of the kind unleashed by Astana twelve months ago, but the pace was still brisk. The 50-strong peloton, already fraying, was torn into two distinct parts after 70km or so, with Van der Poel and Vermeersch to the fore.

Geoffrey Soupe (TotalEnergies) and Robeet Ludovic (Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB) were among those to try to slip away, while Vermeersch was briefly caught out and forced to chase back on. Still, the flurry of attacks continued, leaving a group of 17 together as the race approached the finish line at Villa Contarini for the first time with 33km remaining.

“We got in front with a big group, after Mathieu and myself in particular made the race. But I had to pay for those efforts around halfway through the race and I got surprised,” said Vermeersch, in his first outing in the rainbow jersey. “I was afraid I was in a lost position, but with that rainbow jersey around my shoulders I really wanted to fight back.”

Van der Poel stretched things out further with a searing effort on the first of three laps, but he was held up by a crash with a little over 20km to go, which forced him into a ferocious lone pursuit of the leaders. He made it back, of course, but perhaps at a cost. After Froidevaux slipped away, Van der Poel now opted to sacrifice himself for Vermeersch. The gap tightened as the kilometres ticked down, but Froidevaux held his nerve on the gravel and cobbles to claim the day.