Racing zebras at the UCI Gravel World Series – Hailey Hunter Smith goes solo to win Safari Gravel Race

Haley Hunter Smith leads Claudette Nyirahabimana during 2025 Safari Gravel (Image credit: Safari Gravel / Salt Lake Lian)

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Hailey Hunter Smith (Trek Driftless) claimed the women's elite victory at the Safari Gravel Race with a solo sortie, while Lukas Malezsewski (Scott) triumphed in a sprint at the UCI Gravel World Series race in Kenya.

The 111km event, which wound through the Hells Gate National Park after starting in Sulmac Village on the south side of Lake Naivasha, played out in dry and dusty conditions.

Defending champion Hans Becking got away with Malezsewski, Charles Kagimu and Lukas Baum in the men's race, with the Belgian claiming victory in a sprint ahead of Kagimu and Baum.

Malezsewski said the race was special as it was his first UCI Gravel World Series event victory. He next heads directly to the four-day Migration Gravel Race, also in Kenya.

Smith took out the overall women's win ahead of Claudette Nyirahabimana from the local Black Mamba Development Squad, though she was racing the 19-34 category not the elite so took the win in that division. Slotting in as third woman over the line but second in the women's elite was Svenja Betz, and last year's winner Maddy Nutt was next to complete the elite women's podium.

Smith may have crossed the line solo, but she wasn't out there completely alone, having had some striped company along the road.

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Men's top 3
Position	Rider
1	Lukas Malezsewski
2	Charles Kagimu
3	Lukas Baum

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Women's top 3
Position	Rider
1	Hailey Hunter Smith
2	Claudette Nyirahabimana
3	Svenja Betz

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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