Annika Langvad (Specialised Off-Street) and Magnus Bak Klaris (PAS Racing) managed two days of technical classes and stacked fields to win normal classification titles at Santa Vall in Girona. Each Danish riders used opening degree wins and follow-up podiums to earn victories to start out the 2025 Eu gravel season.
Langvad distanced all challengers decisively with a blended time of 6:34:25. Geerike Schreurs (SD Worx-Protime) used her 0.33 position on degree 1 and 7th on degree 2 to take 2d total at the ladies’s facet, 12 mins again. Rosa Klöser (Canyon CLLCTV) used to be every other 2:25 again in total time for 0.33 on GC.
Bak celebrated back-to-back degree victories at the males’s facet, completing with a blended time of five:36:11. Petr Vakoc (Canyon) secured 2d total, 3:18 off the tempo, and Paul Voss (Autsaid X Rose Motorcycles) completed 0.33, every other 1:05 of the blended time.
Throughout 196.5 kilometres of gravel racing at Santa Vall, riders earned bonus issues within the Gravel Earth Sequence, the Spanish race now a part of the expanded international sequence. Ultimate 12 months Santa Vall supplied 3 days of racing within the Girona space, with an uphill prologue environment the early GC. This 12 months two days of racing had been held, shifting from Would possibly to the mid-February weekend slot to house a place within the Gravel Earth Sequence, with 10% extra issues on be offering than usual sequence occasions.
Langvad, a six-time MTB marathon international champion, three-time Cape Epic winner and previous Leadville MTB 100 victor, returned to off-road racing two years in the past with an emphasis on gravel.
“It was mentally, and physically, so, so, so, so hard. Just pushing, pushing without really knowing where I was and what happened. It was such a hard day out; I’m relieved right now. I did not believe that it could actually happen,” she mentioned in a interview with organisers.
“I felt really strong out there. With this new team, I just feel so fast on this new bike. I’m very happy.”
A former junior winner at Paris-Roubaix, Klaris received the nationwide gravel name for Denmark in 2023. Ultimate 12 months Klaris used to be 5th on the Eu Gravel Championships whilst blending in 10 most sensible 10s at the street for Danish Continental staff Airtox-Carl Ras.
Level 1
Level 1 rolled south from Sant Gregori throughout 80 kilometres, together with the primary stiff climb with as much as 9% gradient simply 2km from the beginning. There used to be no rain, however dust dappled the path, which used to be greater than 80% gravel.
“It was really good fun. I am here with family. This is my first race back. I retired from being a pro mountain biker years ago. I’m giving gravel a go,” mentioned Langvad, who received two of 3 gravel occasions she attempted in 2023, together with L. a. Monsterrato.
There used to be a bunch of 10 ladies by the point they hit the bottom of the lengthy climb with one-third of race to head, and earlier than the highest the lead trio made separation on the entrance. Langvad mentioned she and Schreurs labored in combination to check out and drop Klöser, however the 3 ran out of actual property and settle accounts within the dash.
“I did not know the course, but I was with two experienced ladies. It was a different dynamic. Me and Gee [Schreurs] tried to do the Specialized teamwork, and put Rosa [Klöser] under pressure. And I think we did pretty well.”
Klaris hammered at the entrance solo at the flat, ultimate 10km into Saint Gregory and received the hole day by means of simply over a minute over Malezsewski. The 24-year-old Belgian sprinted to 2d position from a pack of 12 riders, Wollenberg going 0.33 to close the door on a podium for Mads Würtz Schmidt (PAS Racing). Additionally within the pack had been veteran riders Vakoc in 7th, Jasper Ockeloen in 8th and Paul Voss in 9th.
“There were two big climbs in the beginning, but I was feeling good. I had a little gap on the top, and Petr Vakoc was close to me. I was in doubt if I should wait for him and I tried to go away. Then I had a small crash on the tarmac and he was close again. I had to wait for him because it was still a long way to go,” Klaris mentioned to organisers on social media.
“Actually, he was far better than I was on the technical parts and he knew the route very well. So in the end I think I was stronger and I got away. I just emptied myself the last 40k. It was a really hard, and fun day.”
Level 2
An extended degree on day two, 116.5km, additionally introduced extra gravel and extra mountaineering, a complete of one,600 metres of elevation acquire. And prefer Saturday’s race, professional/elite men and women had devoted races, a complete hour setting apart the 2 divisions.
From Sant Gregori, the path presented two primary climbs on a clock-wise circuit round Girona. The primary climb used to be on pavement, simply 8km in, adopted by means of a protracted gravel descent to the steepest upward thrust throughout 8km in the course of the Gavarres Massif of Catalonia.
Canadian Anna Gabrielle Traxler (Sufficient Biking Collective) took the solo victory, 12:41 sooner than Langvad. Dubau-Prévôt then sprinted from a bunch of 3 riders to safe 0.33, charging forward of Nicole Frain (Ridley Racing Crew) and Karolina Migoń (PAS Racing).
In his comeback gravel race since struggling primary accidents from a coaching crash simply earlier than Unbound Gravel remaining 12 months, Iva Slik (Wilier Manufacturing facility Races) earned the solo victory for elite males, distancing Naesen Lawrence (Subsequent Stage Racing) by means of greater than 14 mins. Klaris trailed for 0.33 position.
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Author : admin
Publish date : 2025-02-16 23:12:57
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