On a sunny Sunday in Ourique, Portugal, Filipe Francisco of Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé won the elite men’s 119 km race at the UCI Alentejo Gravel in 03:18:00, just a split second ahead of Belgians Olivier Godfroid and Daan Grosemans, runner-up at last year’s inaugural edition. Defending champion Lukas Malezsewski finished fourth, 2 minutes 22 seconds behind.
The 28-year-old from Loulé has come close before, finishing second at the Portuguese national gravel championships in Coruche last month. Godfroid, a former footballer and triathlete, progressed rapidly from winning gran fondos such as Mont Ventoux and Mallorca 312 to securing a professional road contract in just two years. This was the second time he had narrowly missed out on a UCI podium, following Legacy Gravel in Leuven a week earlier.
Germany’s Rosa Klöser, who won in 2025 and finished second at the 2026 world championships, repeated as elite women’s winner in 03:42:32. American Sarah Lange, runner-up at the 2025 US national championships, finished second, 11 minutes behind. Portugal’s Klara Hansen took third, almost 20 minutes back. France’s Emilie Morier, competing in the women’s 19–34 age group, recorded the fastest overall women’s time in 03:40:11.
On the shorter 84.9 km course, João Oliveira won the men’s race in 02:36:31. Lucio Oliveira finished four minutes behind, with André Graça of Ourique Desportos Clube third. Portugal’s Raquel Dias won the women’s race in 03:01:51, ahead of Italy’s Alice Segre and American Katrina Niez.
Organised by Cabreira Solutions, the second edition on 25 October attracted about 1,000 riders from 34 countries, up from roughly 800 starters in 2025. The event is a qualifier for the 2027 UCI Gravel World Championships in Haute-Savoie, France. Riders finishing in the top 25% of their age and gender categories qualify for the world championships. Results remain provisional pending official confirmation.
View UCI Alentejo Gravel results HERE
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