What a morning for racing in Camboriú, Santa Catarina for UCI Gravel Brazil. Under a blazing summer sun the Gravel World Series made its only Brazilian stop of the season, and the local riders did not disappoint – delivering outstanding results that had the whole country cheering.
36 year-old Henrique Avancini was, as always, in a class of his own. The cycling superstar – two-time Mountain Bike Marathon world champion and the first Brazilian ever to lead the UCI XCO world rankings – dominated the elite men’s 113km race from the very first pedal stroke, separating himself from the pack early and never looking back.
He crossed the line in 3:27:21, setting a new course record and even surprising himself with the time, having returned from an eight-day stage race in Rwanda just days earlier. Joaquin Plomer Vilotta came home second in 3:39:34, with Vitor Pompeu rounding out the podium in 3:45:14.
But the story of the day – and fittingly so on International Women’s Day – belonged to Ana Luisa Korc Panini. The 38 year-old from Indaial, just down the road from the race, put in months of dedicated preparation for this race and it showed. She conquered the elite women’s field in 4:25:10, ahead of Ana Paula Finco Silva (4:28:26) and last year’s champion Madeleine Nutt (4:31:48) of Great Britain.
“I’m so emotional — I simply can’t believe I finished first,” a thrilled Ana Luisa told NSC Total afterwards.
With UCI rainbow accented jerseys on their backs and victory in their pockets, both elite winners advance to the 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships arriving in Australia next October.
Complete UCI Gravel Brazil results are available HERE, with competitors finishing in the top 25% of their age/gender category automatically qualifying for the world championships too.
Photo Credit: Tati Borges / NSC TV
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