Kenya’s Hell’s Gate National Park delivered edge-of-the-saddle drama on Saturday as Uganda’s Lawrence Lorot and Rwanda’s Claudette Nyirarukundo claimed elite victories by a single second at the second leg of the 2026 LOOP Safari Gravel Series in Naivasha — a qualifier for the UCI Gravel World Championships.
A record 956 cyclists from around the world lined up for the event, the largest turnout for any round since the series launched in 2024.
In the men’s 100km elite race, 21-year-old Lorot crossed the line in 03:29:04, with Stanley Ngugi just one second behind in 03:29:05, while Ivan Kipruto completed the podium in 03:29:22. Lorot, who said he is still finding his gravel legs, described the finale after outsprinting Ngugi: “It was a brutal pace. In the last few hundred metres, I just gave everything I had. Those one-second margins are what make racing special.”
The women’s 100km produced an equally dramatic finish.
Nyirarukundo stopped the clock in 04:16:52, narrowly defeating Sarah Diekmeyer, who finished one second back in 04:16:53. Theresa Rindler completed the podium in 04:27:23. Nyirarukundo, runner-up at the venue in 2025, said the victory carried extra meaning: “We rode as a tight group for most of the day. It came down to pure determination at the finish.”
The course, which starts at Sulmac Village on the southern shore of Lake Naivasha, features 62 percent gravel across red clay roads, singletrack and game trails, with the toughest sector running through the eastern section of the park.
The Naivasha round is one of four African qualifiers for the 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships, alongside two events in South Africa and one in Namibia. Riders finishing within the top 25 percent of their category earn qualification for the world championships, scheduled for October in Nannup, Australia.
Photo Credit: LOOP Safari Gravel Series
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