This weekend the UCI awarded its first ever gravel world championship titles and rainbow jerseys in Veneto, Italy. 19 gravel bike racers can now proudly display and wear the symbol of a reigning UCI World Champion – the rainbow jersey, with its five distinctive and easy to recognize horizontal blue, red, black, yellow and green coloured bands.
On Sunday Gianni Vermeersch, 29, of Belgium became the first Men’s Elite UCI Gravel World Champion after riding the best gravel racers off his wheel and defeating an elite group of world class road riders – who took the top 10 spots. The Alpecin–Deceuninck team rider finished the 194km race in 5:10:41, with Daniel Oss of Italy and Mathieu Van Der Poel of Belgium finishing 44 and 89 seconds behind Vermeersch to claim the silver and bronze medals respectively.
On Saturday in the Pro/Elite Women’s race Pauline Ferrand-Privot of France was the fastest rider on the 140km course and is the world’s first UCI Gravel World Champion. She barely beat Swiss rider Sina Frei in a furious final sprint to the finish line, with Italian Chiara Teocchi earning the bronze medal 10 seconds later.
| 2022 UCI GRAVEL WORLD CHAMPIONS – WOMEN | |||
| SATURDAY 140KM | |||
| W PRO/ELITE | Pauline Ferrand-Privot | FRA | 4:09:06 |
| W 19-34 | Sara Mazzorana | ITA | 4:30:57 |
| W 35-39 | Chiara Ciuffini | ITA | 4:31:24 |
| W 40-44 | Jannitta Van Den Brink-Spigt | NED | 4:33:03 |
| W 45-49 | Cinzia Sartori | ITA | 4:40:00 |
| W 50-54 | Antonella Incristi | ITA | 4:33:34 |
| W 55-59 | Dale Maizels | AUS | 5:04:55 |
| W 60-64 | Debra Kempe | AUS | 5:53:18 |
| 2023 UCI GRAVEL WORLD CHAMPIONS – MEN | |||
| SATURDAY 140KM | |||
| M 50-54 | Ibon Zugasti-Arrese | ESP | 4:10:54 |
| M 55-59 | Jan Olav Beitmyren | NOR | 4:15:46 |
| M 60-64 | Dirk Claes | BEL | 4:19:34 |
| M 65-69 | Bo Dertell | SWE | 4:32:10 |
| M 70-74 | Regis Pinson | FRA | 4:39:13 |
| M 75-79 | Robert Braszell | AUS | 6:32:20 |
| SUNDAY 194KM4 | |||
| M Pro/Elite | Gianni Vermeersch | BEL | 5:10:41 |
| SUNDAY 167KM | |||
| M 19-34 | Kevin Panhuyzen | BEL | 4:40:13 |
| M 35-39 | Bommel Henning | GER | 4:41:44 |
| M 40-44 | Igor Zanetti | ITA | 4:55:19 |
| M 45-49 | Joan Sepastian Horrach Ripoll | ESP | 4:59:32 |
Photos: Sprint Cycling/2022 UCI Gravel World Championships
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