German riders made the third edition of Giro Sardegna Gravel their own on Friday 1 May, locking out the entire men’s elite podium on the Sardinian coast as the UCI Gravel World Championship qualifying series continued its push toward the 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships in Nannup, Australia.
Tobias Konig (RSC Auto Brosch Kempten) crossed the line in 3:08:05 to claim the elite men’s victory, finishing one minute six seconds clear of compatriot Anton Albrecht (Fit4Stein-Bikes). Albert Gathemann (Benotti Berthold) completed an all-German podium sweep, arriving five minutes and 38 seconds down in third. 45 year old former Czech pro Lubos Pelanek (Carrera Team Vivere) and Britain’s Travis Bramley (Plymouth Corin Inglese) finished fourth and fifth respectively, both over 19 minutes adrift, with Italian Andrea Ricca (Cycling Cafe Racing Team) sixth at 20 minutes.
In the elite women’s race, Italian Giorgia Vettorello (BMX Club Sarrians) took the win in 3:41:04, holding off Dutch gravel specialist Tessa Neefjes (Liv Racing Collective) by one minute and 50 seconds. Nicolien Luijsterburg (Team Tenerife) of the Netherlands rounded out the podium a further 10 seconds back. Australian Janine Vierthaler (Edelsten Racing) placed fourth, with Poland’s Izabela Janusz (VZW KDM Pack Cycling Team) fifth.
The age category racers produced a notable subplot. Elias Tranninger, a 2019 Austrian MTB National Champion now riding for Edelsten Racing, posted the fastest overall non-elite time of 3:17:32 to claim the M19–34 category win — faster than most elite men. A former professional road racer, Tranninger finished just ahead of a local hero: prolific Sardinian amateur Eros Piras (ASD Donori Bike Team), who took the M35–39 category win on his home island a week after sprinting to victory at the Guspini road race.
One of only two Italian rounds on the 2026 series calendar, the 108 km Giro Sardegna Gravel route departs from .and alternates between coastal gravel tracks alongside the Flumendosa River and inland dirt roads, finishing in Villasimius. The top 25% of finishers in each age and gender category earn direct qualification for the UCI Gravel World Championships in Nannup, Western Australia on 10–11 October 2026.
Giro Sardegna Gravel results HERE
Photo Credit: Giro Sardegna Gravel
© 2026 Copyright Gran Fondo Daily News – All Rights Reserved