Svenja Betz wins La Monsterrato Gravel World Series round in Italy

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Barbara Guarischi comes second in 122km event with Tiffany Cromwell third

WAREGEM BELGIUM MARCH 30 LR Svenja Betz of Germany and Team Ibct and Victorie Guilman of France and Team FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope compete in the breakaway during the 10th Dwars door Vlaanderen 2022 Womens Elite a 120km one day race from Waregem to Waregem DDV22 DDVwomen on March 30 2022 in Waregem Belgium Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images
Svenja Betz racing on the road earlier this season, before turning her attention to the UCI Gravel World Series (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Svenja Betz (IBCT CyclingTeam) took another win at the La Monsterrato Trek UCI Gravel World Series round in Italy on Saturday, taking the win ahead of Women's WorldTour professionals Barbara Guarischi and Tiffany Cromwell.

Betz, who came second in Poland and first in Sweden, finished the 122km event in Quattordio more than three minutes ahead of her nearest rival, Movistar rider Guarischi. Canyon-SRAM's Cromwell was just a further two seconds back.

"This result actually means a lot to me but not because it's a win, but because it was pure fighting spirit," said Betz in an Instagram post. "It started super fast, on dusty gravel roads with lots of sand and stones. 

"The first 20k were mostly flat, than 13 short but step and painful climbs started. I found some kinda good working groups, til I lost them on downhill sections. I came back, I lost them again. I was suffering the uphill sections. At some point I was by myself, just kept on going! And again: I came back."

The Italian round was the eighth of 11 in the UCI Gravel World Series, with the races actins as qualifying for the first UCI Gravel World Championships in the Veneto region of Italy on October 8-9. The Gravelista Beechworth round in Australia was also held on Sunday, with  Justine Barrow (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) winning the women's category.

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Results top ten - Overall Women's 122km
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Svenja Betz (IBCT CyclingTeam) 4:14:01
2Barbara Guarischi (Movistar) 0:03:07
3Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon/SRAM) 0:03:09
4Annabel Fisher (Café du Cycliste) 0:05:17
5Jade Treffeisen (Team Embrace the World) 0:09:12
6Carlotta Borello (GB Junior Team) 0:16:49
7Segolene Leberon (Velo Club Tournus) 0:22:37
8Danielle Larson (Café du Cycliste) 0:25:12
9Hannah Fandel (RSV Stuttgart-Vaihingen) 0:25:27
10Lydia Iglesias Bares 0:31:00
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