UCI Gravel World Series, Blaavands Huk – Solo victory for Emma Norsgaard as Tim Merlier wins in sprint

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Early crash leaves last year's winner Tessa Neefjes chasing way back through field to take second

Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) and Emma Norsgaard (Movistar)
Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) and Emma Norsgaard (Movistar) (Image credit: Getty Images)
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At Blaavands Huk, it was a weekend where the road riders dominated with Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) sprinting to victory in the men's elite race at the round of the UCI Gravel World Series in Denmark, while in the women's elite race it was a solo win for Emma Norsgaard (Movistar).

Just a week out from finishing the Giro d'Italia with three stages victories, Merlier beat Danish rider Jonas Lindberg (Willing Able) in the sprint while his Soudal-QuickStep teammate Bert van Lerberghe came third. The top spots were decided from a group that was whittled down to four by the final stages and also included Julian Siemons, who tailed off as the sprint unfolded.

"For us this was the perfect situation," said a mud covered Merlier in a post race interview, adding that he also planned to race the UCI Gravel World Championships in Belgium. "I'm really happy – the first gravel race I have won.”

Norsgaard didn't have to unfurl her sprint power, instead taking off solo early. Tessa Neefjes (Liv) – who won the event last year – had a chase on her hands after getting caught in a crash about 8km in. The Dutch rider chased back through the field to take second, 4 minutes and 51 seconds behind Norsgaard. Klara Sofie Skovgaard Hansen (PAS Racing) came third.

Women's results

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Men's results

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Simone Giuliani
Simone Giuliani
Australia Editor

Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg. Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.

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