UCI Gravel World Series – Hugo Drechou outsprints Petr Vakoč and Torbjørn Røed to win Alpine Gravel Challenge
Morgan Aguirre earns solo victory in pro women's division in Swiss race

USA's Morgan Aguirre (Enough Cycling) and French rider Hugo Drechou (Groove Gravel) won the elite category of the Alpine Gravel Challenge on Sunday in Champéry, Switzerland.
The 94km route was one of the final three Trek UCI Gravel World Series events of the 2024 season that qualify riders for the UCI Gravel World Championships in Belgium, October 5-6.
Aguirre finished second in the women's overall behind Swiss mountain bike specialist Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing), who took the top honours for the women's 19-34 age category. On the pro women's podium with Aguirre were Annabel Fisher (Classified Ridley Factory Team) and Axelle Dubau-Prévót (Groove Gravel).
On the men's side, Drechou, who won the Oregon Trail Gravel stage race and was fourth at The Rift Gravel, emerged from a three-rider sprint for the victory.
After a little more than 3 hours and 31 minutes, he took a one-second advantage across the line ahead of Petr Vakoč (Canyon Integray L27) and Torbjørn Andre Røed (Trek Driftless). Just the week before Vakoč and Røed went 1-2, respectively, at La Monsterrato in Italy.
The longest of the three routes, the 94km route headed across the Dents du Midi mountain range of south-western Switzerland with 3,190 metres of elevation gain. The first 30km from Monthey was mainly on a paved surface, and included a long 17.5km climb with a few small sectors of dirt and a 6.2% average gradient.
Gravel took over once passing through Champéry, getting a glimpse of the finish line on a circuit near the French border. On that loop, a 10km climb on an un-groomed surface was a key element with a 5.7% average gradient, leaving a shorter third climb before the final 15km back on pavement for the downhill run into Champéry.
Aguirre said she rode at her own pace and let a front group rush away at the start, and used the three main climbs to claw her way back to the front of the women's race, winning in a time of 4:15:56.
"After really trying to kick things into gear this second half the season this one means a lot," Aguirre said on her Instagram account to celebrate her first UCI podium.
"I knew that a race with lots of climbing would play to my strengths, but it’s always hard to know how exactly if the legs will come around after back to back weekends."
She called it "a four-hour TT with some really fast descents" once she moved solo to the front on the third climb.
The week before she finished one spot off the podium at Monsterrando Gravel in Italy, and two weeks before that was seventh at Gravel Grit n' Grind in Sweden.
Only two other events in the UCI Gravel World Series remain for athletes to gain qualifications for the UCI Gravel World Championships: the Sea Otter Europe Girona on September 21 and the Graean Cymru in Wales on September 22.
Results
Position | Rider (Team) | Time |
---|---|---|
1 | Morgan Aguirre (Enough Cycling) | 04:15:56 |
2 | Annabel Fisher (Classified Ridley Factory Team) | +1:08 |
3 | Axelle Dubau-Prévót (Groove Gravel) | +1:36 |
4 | Anna Gabrielle Traxler | +9:11 |
5 | Theresa Rindler-Bachl (Cake Collective // bachelotelli.com) | +15:58 |
6 | Paula Schmidl (1OF1 Cycling Team) | +25:03 |
7 | Caroline Livesey (Xhale / Club Felanitx) | +38:04 |
8 | Hayley Simmonds (Movistar Gravel) | +47:59 |
DNF | Minna-Maria Kangas (Baloise WB Ladies) | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
Position | Rider (Team) | Time |
---|---|---|
1 | Hugo Drechou (Groove Gravel) | 03:31:06 |
2 | Petr Vakoc (Canyon Integray L 27) | +0:01 |
3 | Torbjørn Andre Røed (Trek Driftless) | +0:01 |
4 | Matteo Fontana (Swatt club) | +1:31 |
5 | Lukas Malezsewski (Urbano-Vulsteke) | +1:42 |
6 | Seppe Rombouts (PAS Racing) | +3:38 |
7 | Christian Kreuchler (PAS Racing) | +5:42 |
8 | Basile Allard (Origin Vojo Connection) | +6:21 |
9 | Loïc White (Peaks Cycle) | +6:48 |
10 | Rémi Groslambert (Origin Vojo Connection) | +11:23 |
11 | Bram Rombouts (Individual) | +12:23 |
12 | Sampo Malinen (TWD-Länken) | +13:08 |
13 | Jarne Vandersteen (NOW CYCLING TEAM) | +15:45 |
14 | Emilien Barben (Team SCOTT PAPIVAL) | +15:59 |
15 | Josep Termens Nadal (Cannondale ISB) | +17:10 |
16 | Thomas Tichler (WSA KTM GRAZ Continental) | +19:10 |
17 | Jasper Britz (bergankunft.at) | +20:16 |
18 | Bart De Veer (ORCTA) | +20:17 |
19 | Douwe Doorduin (Team Last Dance) | +22:27 |
20 | Pierre Billaud (TEAM HEXATRI) | +24:41 |
21 | Alexander of Marans (Team Dark Night) | +25:11 |
22 | Vladyslav Makogon (GIF Cycling Team) | +25:13 |
23 | Stinus Bjerring Kaempe (WSA KTM Graz Continental Team) | +25:41 |
24 | Luuk Van Der Meer (RadUNION Salzburg) | +26:20 |
25 | Martin Kapr (CCACHE x By Küp) | +27:59 |
26 | Johannes Közle (Eichenkreuz Göppingen) | +34:39 |
27 | Bjorn Koster (Giant store assen) | +37:14 |
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
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. She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast). Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France), and some mtb rides in Park City, Utah (USA).
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
‘A really tough moment’ – Lotte Kopecky needed to dig deep at Dwars door Vlaanderen
'I’m not exactly sure what caused it. The legs just weren’t there' says SD Worx Protime rider after falling out of favourites group but then fighting back -
How EF Education capitalised on pressure on Wout van Aert to win Dwars door Vlaanderen
'It was up to Visma to reduce the noise around Wout' says DS Vanmarcke as team perfectly anticipate Dutch team's tactics -
Pedal performance: How Matteo Jorgenson re-learnt the art of pedalling
When the American moved to Visma-Lease a Bike, he knew the superteam's big budget would accelerate his development, yet he didn't plan on having to re-learn how to pedal -
Tour of Flanders 2025 contenders - Can anyone beat Tadej Pogačar?
Mathieu van der Poel, Wou van Aert and Mads Pedersen are a few of the riders hoping to deprive the world champion of a second victory