French gravel champion Hugo Drechou claimed victory at the Wish One Millau Grands Causses on Sunday after a tight four-hour battle across the rugged trails surrounding Millau in southern France. The UCI Gravel World Series qualifier, widely regarded as one of Europe’s toughest gravel races, finished beneath the towering Millau Viaduct after a demanding route through the Grands Causses and Larzac plateau.
Drechou stopped the clock in 04:00:09, narrowly defeating Belgium’s Jente Michiels by just 4 seconds. Britain’s Toby Perry completed the podium a further 8 seconds back in third with a time of 04:00:21. France’s Robin Bourdier finished fourth at 1 minute 5 seconds, while fellow Briton Tom Martin rounded out the top five at 1 minute 10 seconds.
The demanding 130 km event once again served as a qualifier for the 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships and attracted elite and amateur riders from across Europe. The men’s race featured a stacked international field, including riders from Alpecin-Deceuninck development pathways and leading independent gravel squads.
In the women’s race, Britain’s Sophie Wright produced a dominant ride to win in 04:35:25. American Sofia Schugar finished second at 23 minutes 1 second, while Germany’s Leonie Laubig completed the podium at 31 minutes 32 seconds.
The Wish One Millau Grands Causses has rapidly become one of the flagship races on the UCI Gravel World Series calendar since becoming the first UCI gravel event held on European soil in 2022. Previous winners include former Paris-Roubaix champion Niki Terpstra and Germany’s Carolin Schiff.
Photo Credit: Hugo Drechou
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