Harry Leask won the elite men’s race and Ruby Taylor the elite women’s race at UCI Gravelista on Sunday 25 October, on an abbreviated course covered in mud, potholes and puddles in Seymour, Australia.
Organisers announced at short notice on Saturday that due to rainy weather competitors in the 135 km race would complete one loop instead of two, reducing the distance to 97 km. A more technical gravel sector on the return to Seymour was also removed, and the start changed from 09:00 to 10:00. The event still served as a qualifier for the 2027 UCI Gravel World Championships in Haute-Savoie, France, with the top 25% of finishers in each age category earning a starting slot.
Leask, 31, won the elite men’s race in 02:31:16. Gravel specialist Tasman Nankervis finished second, 23 seconds behind, while Mark O’Brien, who finished 25th at the World Championships two weeks ago, was third, 27 seconds back. Oliver Johnston placed fourth, 3 minutes 30 seconds behind the winner.
It is a significant step up for Leask, although not entirely unexpected given his rowing pedigree. The Olympic silver medallist finished ninth at Gravelista last year, 4 minutes 19 seconds behind winner Brendan Johnston. O’Brien was also runner-up in that race. Sunday’s victory was Leask’s second UCI Gravel World Series podium this year, following his second-place finish at the Devils Cardigan in Derby last June.
Taylor, 19, won the elite women’s race in 03:08:36 with a commanding performance. The 2026 Australian MTB XC champion finished well ahead of Karoline Risager Schmidt, who placed second in 03:19:27, 10 minutes 51 seconds behind. Amanda Poulsen finished third, one second later.
In the women’s age-group races, Laura Tomlinson (19–34) and Belen Lopez Morales (40–44) delivered strong performances, recording the next-fastest times overall behind Taylor in 03:17:25 and 03:17:26, respectively.
View UCI Gravelista results HERE
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