Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wins first ever UCI World title for gravel

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (FRA) won the Women Elite race at the inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships. Switzerland's Sina Frei finished second, with Chiara Teocchi (ITA) taking bronze.

For Ferrand-Prévot it’s a historic achievement, not just for being the first UCI Gravel World Champion, but also for being the first rider to earn rainbow bands four times in the same calendar year, having already won three mountain bike titles in the second half of 2022.

The gravel race format 

The first ever UCI Gravel World Championships took place over 140km on a mixed-surface course, with athletes from a wide range of disciplines racing on different types of bikes. The 48 women starters took on the asphalt, gravel, farm tracks and bike paths that made up the fast but not overly technical course. With a course made up of 31% asphalt and raced in dry conditions, the day favoured the faster riders. 

Amateur men aged 50+ and women in all age categories set off on the same course 15 and 20 minutes behind the Women Elite respectively, having qualified through the 11-race global UCI Gravel World Series. Tomorrow, the Men Elite will tackle the course plus two additional 27km loops, while the amateur men aged 49 and younger will also race, completing one extra loop.

How the Women Elite race played out

Action in the Women Elite race was hard and fast from the start. The attack came immediately, with 2021 mountain bike cross-country short track (XCC) UCI World Champion Sina Frei (SUI) and reigning cross-country Olympic (XCO), XCC and cross-country marathon (XCM) UCI World Champion Ferrand-Prévot pushing the pace and making a selection of fewer than 20 riders in the first few kilometres.

With 60km remaining, a lead group of five riders had formed along a fast, flat gravel path: 2021 road American National Champion Lauren Stephens, Jade Treffeisen (GER), Chiara Teocchi (ITA), Frei and Ferrand-Prévot, who, over her career has worn rainbow bands in road, cyclo-cross and mountain bike. They were followed by a group of 12 riders just 40 seconds back – although a crash as riders went through a tight switchback took the wind out of their collective sails – with the next chasers almost 3 minutes behind. 

After 3 hours of racing, approaching a feed zone at around 40km out, the lead five held an advantage of almost 1’30”, with the French and Swiss riders pushing the pace. The American gravel specialist Stephens was missing turns and sat on the back before being distanced at 33km remaining, leaving a lead group of four. 

With less than 20km to go, the chase group – 4 riders from Italy, 2 from the Netherlands and 1 each from USA, Spain, Australia, Latvia, Argentina and Germany – brought the deficit back to under 45 seconds as the leaders considered their tactics for the run-in.

The fast-paced finale

The gap continued to drop with Treffeisen appearing to tire, as the lead quartet rode into the city of Cittadella. The 31-year-old German was dropped briefly at the tricky tight right-hander entering the mediaeval city centre, and raced back on to the trio with the last 1km. Frei and Ferrand-Prévot pushed ahead on the road in the last 500m. The French woman, who won the Cross-county Marathon UCI World Championships in a three-up sprint, outpaced the young Swiss on the final straight.

Thirty-year-old Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won in 4:09.07 from Tokyo 2020 mountain bike Olympic silver medallist Frei, in the same time. It was Chiara Teocchi (ITA) in bronze medal position (+11-sec) just ahead of the hard-working Treffeisen (GER).

The Men Elite race sets off Sunday at 11h00 CEST.