UCI Gravel World Series: Femke Markus and Jordan Habets win Gravel Grit ‘n Grind

Dutch riders Femke Markus (SD Worx-Protime) and Jordan Habets (Metec-SolarWatt p/b Mantel) claimed victory at the Gravel Grit ’n Grind in Halmstad, Sweden, securing their second straight win in the UCl Gravel World Series after triumphing at the Gravel One Fifty last month.

Markus finished the 146km course in a time of 4:34:53, outsprinting Nicole Frain (Ridley), and Irina Lützelschwab (Bulls Swiss) for the victory.

The 23-year-old Habets soloed to victory in a time of 3:56:30, crossing the line 11 seconds ahead of a chasing Anton H. Stensby (Coop-Repsol), who took second. Ian Millennium (Cykling Odense) rounded out the podium.

In his first foray into gravel racing, after retiring from the road, Romain Bardet (PicnicPostNL) finished tenth. 40 seconds behind the winner. Bardet is targeting the upcoming Gravel World Championships in October.

Starting in Halmstad, the route set off across gravel through the extensive Wapnö farms before turning into the hills, serving up real backcountry terrain almost from the start. At halfway, riders passed through the village of Torup and tackled a brutally steep, short climb before pressing on towards the remote village of Gräsås and north to Getinge along technical forest tracks. The final stretch wound over Harplinge and Nyårsåsen, featuring tricky roads and rocky descents, before finishing in front of the beer tent.

The race also doubled as the 2025 Nordic Gravel Championship, open to riders from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, or the Faroe Islands. In the women’s race, Swedish rider Hanna Nilsson (Sartoria Ciclistica Squadra) crossed the line fourth overall, but it was enough to secure her the Nordic Gravel champion’s jersey, while Norway’s Stensby claimed the men’s crown.