Nele Laing and Jonas Lindberg claimed the Elite titles at 3RIDES Gravel Winterberg on Sunday 19 July 2026, topping the final race of a three-day gravel weekend in Germany’s Sauerland region that doubled as a qualifier for the 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships.

Sunday’s race marked the finale of the newly relocated event, which moved from Aachen to Winterberg for 2026 and forms a stop on the UCI Gravel World Series. Stage 3 served as an official qualifier for the Gravel World Championships, with the top 25% of finishers in each age group earning their spot. The result also carried extra weight as a qualifying race for the European Gravel Championships in Houffalize, Belgium, on 30 August, under the UEC’s new qualification system linking European rounds of the World Series to the continental title race.

Germany’s Laing, riding for the newly formed Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing squad, soloed to victory in 04:35:44, holding off Switzerland’s Elena Hartmann by 3 minutes 24 seconds. The win continues a breakthrough season for the 27-year-old, a former handball player who claimed her first UCI Gravel World Series win at Hegau Gravel in Singen, edging out her own teammate in the process. Australia’s Nicole Frain completed the podium, 10 minutes 8 seconds down, ahead of Dutch riders Wendy Oosterwoud (14 minutes 3 seconds back) and Maaike Coljé (14 minutes 6 seconds back). 

In the men’s race, Denmark’s Jonas Lindberg produced the day’s dominant ride, crossing in 03:55:00 to beat Belgium’s Kevin Panhuyzen by 6 minutes 33 seconds. The 28-year-old began his career as a mountain bike pro, winning two Danish championships before turning his attention to the freedom of gravel racing. Germany’s Hannes Riegger took third, 8 minutes 32 seconds adrift, with Czech rider Michael Boroš and Belgium’s Arne Janssens finishing fourth and fifth, both 8 minutes 48 seconds behind the winner.

The Winterberg stage race featured a time trial, a tough gravel stage, and Sunday’s UCI qualifier across nearly 6,000 metres of combined climbing over the weekend. Kevin Kuhn and Nele Laing won the overall titles for the men and women respectively.

Photo Credit: Jonas Lindberg

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