UCI Gravel World Series: Nicole Frain wins at Sea Otter Europe to secure top spot in series overall

By published

Daan Soete beats Dorian Godon in sprint to win 107km elite men's race

Nicole Frain at the time her signing with Ridley Racing was announced
Nicole Frain at the time her signing with Ridley Racing was announced (Image credit: Mason Hender/Ridley)

Nicole Frain (Ridley Racing) claimed her second UCI Gravel World Series victory of the season at Sea Otter Europe Girona on Saturday, in the process also securing the top spot in the series for 2025, a result that will leave the Australian well-placed on the UCI Gravel World Championships start grid in Limburg.

Frain's Ridley Racing teammate Daan Soete also won the men's elite race in the final weekend of racing in the 2025 qualifying series. The Belgian beat Dorian Godon (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) in a two-way sprint, while it was a minute-and-a-half later that another Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider, Stan Dewulf, crossed the line to take third. Petr Vakoc (Canyon) and Romain Bardet (Picnic Post NL) came to the line next to claim fourth and fifth.

In the elite women's race, it was an emphatic solo victory for Frain, who crossed the line nearly six minutes ahead of second-placed Emilie Morier (St Michel-PREFERENCE HOME-Auber93) while Marta Torà Milà (Movistar Gravel) made it onto the podium this time, moving up one place from the third spot she claimed at 66 Degrés Sud the previous weekend. Morgan Aguirre (PAS Racing) and Clara Koppenburg (Cofidis) took fourth and fifth.

"The course was rough, hot, rocky and really combined all my favourite things," said Frain in an Instagram post. "Esmée Peperkamp and I got away early on the first climb together after Esmee set a savage pace which I knew I had to stick with.
I found myself in the solo lead halfway through the lap and settled into finding my rhythm and trying to hold an unknown gap on the rest of the girls.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Elite men's top 5

Position

Rider

Time

1

Daan Soete

3:10:49

2

Dorian Godon

+01

3

Stan Dewulf

+1:32

4

Petr Vakoc

+2:45

5

Romain Bardet

+2:47

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Elite women's top 5

Position

Rider

Time

1

Nicole Frain

3:40:00

2

Emilie Morier

+5:54

3

Marta Mila Tora

+5:58

4

Morgan Aguirre

+7:04

5

Clara Koppenburg

+10:05

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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