Veteran Worldtour pro and Spain’s new national cycling coach Alejandro Valverde (MOVISTAR GRAVEL TEAM) qualified for the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships with an overall victory at the second edition Castellón Gravel Race on Saturday.

The 44 year-old man won the first of 31 Gravel World Series races this year that serve as qualifying events for the world championships. It was his second win at Castellón and third win in the series since he switched from road to gravel racing in 2023.

From a sold-out field of 800 graveleurs, Valverde finished the 97km route solo in 3:27:53, slightly in front of Portuguese mountain biker Tiago Ferreira and Italian Matteo Fontana. Fellow WorldTour old-man and UCI Gran Fondo World Champion Johnny Hoogerland, 41, finished sixth.

The German Carolin Schiff (CANYON CLLCTV) claimed her first UCI Gravel World Series race, covering the entire route solo to win for the women in 4:20:08. Spain’s Sofia Rodriquez Revert and Marta Romeu Solaz chased valiantly, but finished over a minute back to take second and third place.

In the shorter 85km race for old age categories, Belgian Marike De Smedt, W50-54, and Spaniard Javie Salamero Subias Francisco, M60-64, earned overall wins.

Riders finishing in the top 25% of their UCI age/gender category automatically qualify to race at the gravel world championships next October in Nice, France.

Complete Castellon Gravel Race results HERE.

Photo Credit: Instagram/castellongravelrace

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