UCI Gravel World Championships: Florian Vermeersch turns silver into gold with dominant solo victory to claim world title in elite men's race

Belgium's Florian Vermeersch finally turned two silvers into gold at the UCI Gravel World Championships on Sunday, winning the elite men's race solo after animating the tough, attritional race in Limburg and gradually shelling all of his rivals.

The silver medal went to Frits Biesterbos (The Netherlands), who had been with Vermeersch until 19km to go, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't quite close the gap to the Belgian, who had attacked on a late climb. The Dutch rider took second, which he celebrated as a success.

Former gravel world champion Matej Mohorič (Slovenia) took the bronze medal, more than a minute and a half down on the powering Vermeersch despite being the leading force in the chase.

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The new World Champion had time to absorb and celebrate the win as he soloed to the finish, climbing off his bike at the line to lift his Colnago above his head in triumph.

Vermeersch initially attacked with some 120km to go in the 180km race, but despite going early, and having various riders with him to start with, he slowly dropped every companion, finally going solo with 19km to go to claim a long-awaited world title on the gravel.

The 26-year-old had finished second in the last two editions of the Gravel World Championships, and decisively converted his two silvers into a rainbow jersey on Sunday with an assured and strong ride. It is his first world title in any discipline, and indeed only his second individual win ever as a professional.

Vermeersch succeeds Mathieu van der Poel (The Netherlands) as the gravel world champion.

Belgium started the elite men's race as the best-represented nation on the startlist, and the swarm of blue jerseys turned strength in numbers into a win, after impressive rides from Floris Van Tricht, Quinten Hermans and Tim Wellens as well as Vermeersch.

"It's unbelievable. I don't realise fully yet. It's incredible," a lost-for-words Vermeersch said at the finish.

"It's not only this race. It's the end of a long comeback, I would say. To win again after two difficult years is really amazing. To end the season like this, I have no words really.

"It was a really hectic start, and after 10k I had a puncture, but luckily 20k later I could get back to the peloton. Then I saw a good moment and I went for it, so I didn't see much of the peloton. I was always chasing or in the front, and then when we got away with three and ultimately four, I knew it was only one way to the finish."

Biesterbos captured the Dutch gravel title at the end of September, and said he did not expect to land on the podium as this course, which was on a different level in many ways from nationals.

"I knew he [Florian Vermeersch] would attack at some point, I didn't know when. But when he attacked, I was just not strong enough to follow, so it's fair," the 23-year-old runner-up told Cyclingnews at the finish.

"This [course] is harder, actually, because it's more hilly and the traditional championships were flat.

"It's a big surprise for me. I never expected the second place today, and we will see what it brings in the future."

How it unfolded

The sun peeked out from an overcast morning for the start of the elite men's race from Beek to Maastricht in the Netherlands. The two south Limburg cities are just 14 kilometres apart, an easy train ride, but on Sunday the distance covered was 181km with 1,650m of elevation gain to reach the finish line, 80% of the course on dirt and packed gravel.

There were no long, sustained climbs on the route, just a relentless amount of short, steep hills on three-and-a-half circuits, approximately 35km per loop to the north of Valkenburg through Beekdaelen, Voerendaal and Meerssen and passing regional landmarks such as Wijnandsrade Castle, Vaeshartelt Estate and the Sint Hubertus Mill.

The last half loop leads to a right-hand turn for the final 18km that uses six gravel sections, any final attacks expected on the 1km ascent of the Bronsdalweg, a gravel climb with an average gradient of 8%. Like the elite women's race on Saturday, won by Lorena Wiebes outsprinting Dutch teammate Marianne Vos for the victory, the final 4km covered the packed gravel trail, the Groene Loper ('green carpet'), to the finish.

The march began on 5.5km of tarmac and saw a mass of blue Belgian and orange Dutch kits at the front of the field, with distinctly different kits present at the front for Tom Pidcock of Great Britain, in white with red and blue accents, and Mads Würtz Schmidt of Denmark, the European gravel champion wearing the bold red and white national colours.

One notable non-starter was the highly-touted Tim Merlier (Belgium), who was eighth at last year's UCI Gravel Worlds and came in a hot favourite with 14 victories this year, including two stages at the Tour de France.

The first hour of racing saw the peloton spread out in a long line and riders kicking up the dust on the narrow, twisty roads. Würtz Schmidt made an appearance at the front, as did Nils Politt (Germany). The field was beginning to thin, down to 100 riders in a short time

After the first lap, the main field was down to 60 riders after three riders emerged at the front for the first separation of the race – Quinten Hermans (Belgium), Connor Swift (Great Britain) and Pepijn Reinderink (The Netherlands). That first flourish lasted 5km and it was back together.

The next trio to strike out were Belgian duo Florian Vermeersch and Floris Van Tricht with Frits Biesterbos of the Netherlands, at 125km to go. They were joined a short time later with a solo effort by Politt.

The quartet churned out more than a minute over the peloton with 100km to go. Rather than just let this break develop into a real threat, Magnus Bak Klaris (Denmark) and Fabio Christen (Switzerland) took off for a chase on the second lap and were joined by Belgians Gianni Vermeersch and Quinten Hermans.

Another 20km on, the four leaders had 50 seconds on the chasers and another 30 seconds on what was left of a decimated peloton, now about 25 riders remaining.

2023 gravel world champ Matej Mohorič (Slovenia) pushed the pace at the front of the peloton, and his work pulled back the chase group with just under 80km to ride.

With under 70km to go, there seemed to be some urgency in the peloton. Politt was seen on the broadcast stopping to clean out one of his cleats, and restarted quickly, but he was no longer at the front of the race, leaving Florian Vermeersch, Van Tricht and Biesterbos to push ahead.

Now the composition at the front saw Pidcock sparring with Mohorič. The green-clad Slovenian accelerated once again, taking Félix Stehli (Switzerland) and the duo picked up Politt as a three-rider chase group, 34 seconds off the front.

With 65km to go, Klaris and Rick Ottema (Netherlands) tried to advance out of the peloton as attacks began to fly on some flat gravel terrain dividing fields of dried cornstalks and areas past harvest.

The next duo to strike, 5km later, was Pidcock and Hermans. They were soon joined by Toon Aerts, Wellens, Gianni Vermeersch and ​​Wout Alleman. The five Belgians and one Brit then caught Ottema and Bak Klaris for a solid group of eight.

Ahead the lead trio held 30 seconds on the first chase group of Mohorič and Stehli, who were minus Politt.

Only 50km remained for Florian Vermeersch, Van Tricht and Biesterbos as leaders. Stehli and Mohorič could barely see the trio in the distance on a long straightaway of pavement headed to a final pass through the grounds of the Wijnandsrade Castle. Hermans rode another 30 seconds behind the two chasers, all seeking to complete the third lap and not enjoy the scenery.

About 8km beyond the castle, Hermans had company as Ottema and Wellens tagged along. They held a slim 15-second gap over chase duo Pidcock and Timo Kielich (Belgium), and the reduced peloton began to see more splits.

In a gravel section of a forest, Van Tricht dropped from the front. Florian Vermeersch and Biesterbos carried on, but their pace held steady as they hit pavement and zig-zagged through a small town on the way back to more narrow dirt roads leading to Beek.

With 32km to go, a formidable group combined with Hermans, Ottema, Wellens, Kielich and Pidcock, their bait – the trio of Stehli, Mohorič and Van Tricht – only 20 seconds away. However, the real catch of the day was the lead group of two, now with nearly a full minute to their advantage in pursuit of one rainbow jersey.

With about 25km to ride, Van Tricht had a miscue and clipped out of his pedals. The delay was critical and he lost sight of Stehli and Mohorič, now in between chase groups on his own.

A few kilometres past Vroenhof where tarmac transitioned back to packed dirt, Florian Vermeersch unleashed a huge attack on a wooded path, which Biesterbos could not match.

The Belgian was now alone at the front with 18km remaining to Maastricht. Biesterbos was alone, with Stehli and Mohorič behind at about 45 seconds. Van Tricht was going backwards as well while Pidcock charged with Wellens in an attempt to close down 1:45 to the leaders.

Biesterbos tried valiantly to try and rejoin Vermeersch, keeping him within sight for a long time. Behind, Mohorič dropped Stehli with 15km to go as he went on the hunt for a medal, but he was by then over a minute down on Vermeersch.

Once it was clear that Biesterbos was not going to be able to close the gap, all that was left for Vermeersch to do was keep his head down and grind on to the line in Maastricht, where he triumphantly celebrated only his second win as a pro, taking with it a rainbow jersey.

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