The UCI Gravel World Series rolled into Denmark on Saturday at the second edition of Gravel Challenge Blaavands, ending with Grand Tour speedster Tim Merlier (Soudal Quickstep Pro Cycling Team) unleashing his explosive power in the final meters to win.
The 155km UCI Gravel World Championshiup qualifying race came down to an elite four-man group vying for victory. After winning three sprint stages last month at the Giro d’Italia, the 31 year-old Merlier sailed over the finish line in 4:22:04, just ahead of Jonas Lindberg of Denmark. Fellow Soudal Quickstep teammate Bert Van Lerberghe finished third, with Julian Siemons just missing the podium in fourth place.
“It was a relaxing and fun race to do. It was of course different than what I am used to, but riding my Specialized Crux on this demanding parcours together with Bert was great and I enjoyed every single moment of this race. Bert’s presence was really important and I’m delighted I could finish off the job and I could live this experience together with him”, a smiling Merlier said afterwards.
In the women’s race, Movistar Gravel Team rider Emma Cecilie Norsgaard Bjerg, 24, dominated the race, dropping last year’s champion Tessa Neefjes to finish in 4:53:47, almost five minutes ahead of Neefjes who placed second. Klara Sofie Skovgard Hansen earned third place, finishing 8:46 down.
Riders finishing in the top 25% of their UCI age/gender category automatically qualified for the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships also taking place in Denmark later this year.
Photo Credit: Facebook/soudalquickstepteam
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