Brendan Johnston and Tiffany Cromwell claimed the top honours at the 2026 SEVEN Gravel Race in Australia on Saturday 16 May, delivering a compelling preview of what awaits the world’s best gravel cyclists when Nannup hosts the UCI Gravel World Championships this October.
Johnston, winner of the 2024 edition, timed his effort to perfection on the 125km course through the Blackwood Valley to edge defending champion Mark O’Brien at the line, finishing in 03:55:56, with O’Brien just 7 seconds behind in 03:56:03. Harrison Bebbington completed the men’s podium in 03:56:25 — a mere 29 seconds off the winner — underlining how closely matched the lead group was in the final kilometres. Dylan Hopkins took fourth in 03:58:26, with 2023 winner Tasman Nankervis rounding out the top five in 03:59:00.
In the women’s race, Cromwell attacked to win solo, finishing in 04:28:52 to claim back-to-back victories at SEVEN. Maria Laurie crossed the line 2 minutes 30 seconds later for second, while Matilda Raynolds completed the podium just 1 second behind Laurie in 04:31:23. Cassia Boglio — runner-up in both 2024 and 2025 — came home fourth in 04:48:57.
The shorter 85km FIVE race also produced notable performances.
Toni Deutzmann took the women’s honours in 03:35:20, with Tracey Chapman 5 minutes 44 seconds back in second and Bizzy Butterworth third in 03:44:22. On the men’s side, Theodore Trott won in 03:08:30, with Sidney Hills 2 minutes 21 seconds behind in second and Paul Miller — competing in the Male 65-69 category — an impressive third overall in 03:11:25.
Among the FIVE finishers was former Formula One driver Valtteri Bottas, who finished in 03:13:52 to place fifth overall and take the Men 35-39 age-group win. The Finn, no stranger to suffering, showed he has an engine that works well not only at the top of the asphalt motorsport world, but also on gravel.
The 125km SEVEN course packs in more than 3,200 metres of climbing across ten categorised ascents, with gradients frequently touching 20%, on surfaces ranging from dirt and gravel to hard-packed clay, quartz grit and mica through pine plantations and state forest.
More than 2,000 riders from 29 countries lined up across all distances — a field larger than the population of Nannup itself.
Saturday’s race also served as an official qualifier for the UCI Gravel World Championships, with the top 25% of finishers in each category provisionally earning their start bibs for the 10-11 October championships on the same roads.
The October return will carry even greater stakes — and Saturday’s results have given every contender a clear measure of where they stand.
2026 SEVEN Gravel Race results HERE
Photo Credit: Facebook/SEVENgravel
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