Tukums, Latvia, hosted its first-ever round of the Panaracer GravelKing UCI Gravel World Series on Saturday 08 August, with Gravel Weekend offering two distances across the rolling Latvian countryside: a 140km long course and a 75km short course, both serving as qualifiers for the 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships in Nannup, Australia, this October.
In the Elite men’s 140km race, France’s Eddy Le Huitouze, 23, took the win in 03:43:39, edging Norway’s Linus Ostdal by just 1 second. Denmark’s Magnus Bak Klaris completed the podium, 36 seconds back.
Le Huitouze is a fresh face to gravel. A former Groupama-FDJ road and track rider, he moved into the discipline this year with The Grip after not being retained by the WorldTour squad and quickly made his mark with stage wins at February’s Sahara Gravel race in Morocco. Bak Klaris, meanwhile, arrived in form after finishing third at the Gravel Earth Series round in Lithuania just days earlier.
The Elite women’s 140km race was just as close. The Netherlands’ Marjolein Van’t Geloof, 30, crossed first in 04:24:22, with compatriot Wendy Oosterwoud 1 second behind and France’s Axelle Dubau-Prevot rounding out the podium, 2 seconds down.
Van’t Geloof currently races on the road for Spanish WorldTeam Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi and has been in similarly sharp gravel form all summer. She beat the same Dubau-Prevot, France’s reigning gravel champion, in a photo finish at Lithuania’s Megre Gravel only days before Tukums.
On the shorter 75km route for older age categories seeking to qualify for the Worlds, Sweden’s Henrik Hegender (M60-64) won the men’s race in 02:19:12, finishing 7 minutes 40 seconds clear of John Steward.
Marie Rydne (W50-54) topped the women’s field in 02:36:39, with Poland’s Magdalena Chmielewska 4 minutes 39 seconds back in second.
Selling out in its first edition with a stacked international field, UCI Gravel Weekend marks Latvia’s arrival on global gravel scene.
Gravel Weekend Latvia results HERE
Photo Credit: Adam Kus
© 2026 Copyright Gran Fondo Daily News – All Rights Reserved