2026 UK National Gravel Championships Results: Sophie Wright and Jenson Young take Titles
The 2026 UK National Gravel Championships brought the country’s top off-road talent to Ae Forest in Dumfries and Galloway, where riders battled for the first ever national gravel jerseys across Elite, Junior and Youth categories. The racing was fast, selective and decisive, with two standout solo rides delivering the inaugural Elite titles.
Sophie Wright (Ribble Outliers) stamped her authority on the Elite Women’s race from the start. She attacked early, committed fully, and continued to build her advantage as the kilometres ticked by. Her solo ride to the line in 3:09:26 made her the first rider to pull on the women’s national gravel champion’s jersey. Behind her, the fight for silver and bronze came down to the final metres. Elizabeth Hermolle and Grace Inglis (Team HUP) were locked together throughout, with Hermolle edging the sprint by a single second.
Sophie said afterwards: "Had a plan, stuck to the plan, committed 100%, had a couple doubts at times during my 70km solo mission ??, but swiped them out, kept believing and just KEPT pushing. Only when I saw the finish line did it suddenly hit me that I really was going to become National Champion, then a huge wave of emotion hit me. One of the most memorable highlights was giving 1 million hugs to everyone waiting there for me at the end, I love you guys. Thank you so much to everyone in my corner; my family, friends, coach, team, etc you all know who you are and I appreciate you a lot. This is my 4th National title, and I will always wear these stripes with great pride."
In the Elite Open race, Jenson Young (Ribble – Verge Sport) produced a similarly dominant performance. A four-rider move formed early, but Young broke clear and went all-in on a long solo effort. His winning time of 2:38:32 secured the men’s national gravel title. The chase group of Toby Barnes (UV Aube), Jack Rootkin-Gray (Swatt Club) and Thomas Mein (Hope Factory Racing) fought for the remaining podium places, with Barnes taking silver and Rootkin-Gray completing the podium.
Jenson said afterwards, "Very proud to be able to wear these stripes for the next year! So much hard work went into this race with a clear goal of winning. I definitely felt the pressure which gave me an extra few gears of suffering out there especially on a day I didn’t feel 100%, but for everything to come together and deliver what I’d hoped feels pretty special. Mega weekend outing for Ribble Outliers taking a clean sweep with @sophiekwright8 taking a well deserved win. Also myself and Abije Smith taking the wins in the Elite TT. Huge thanks to the team for the continued support and Ben Thomas Coaching for getting me in top shape!"
Junior racing delivered tight finishes across both categories. Aaron Cocker (camsmajaco) outsprinted Ross Eastaugh (Scotia Offroad Race Team) for the Junior Open win, with Edward Hall (Otley Cycle Club) in third. In the Junior Female race, Ava Luce (Brother UK – On Form) took victory by just one second over Helen Stevenson (Magspeed Racing), while Georgia Mahoney (Magspeed Racing) rounded out the podium.
Youth titles were spread across clubs nationwide, with wins for Emie Smith (Stirling Bike Club) in the U16 Female, Gregor McNaught (Falkirk Junior Bike Club) in the U16 Open, Angus Dowens (West Lothian Clarion CC) in the U14 Open, Elizabeth Whall (Colchester Rovers CC) in the U14 Female, Sophie Tomb (Glasgow Riderz) in the U12 Female and Finn Revell (Edinburgh RC) in the U12 Open.s
2026 UK National Gravel Championships Elite Men Top 10
1. Jenson Young (82) – Ribble - Verge Sport – 2:38:32
2. Toby Barnes (57) – UV Aube – 2:40:10
3. Jack Rootkin-Gray (75) – Swatt Club – 2:40:41
4. Thomas Mein (70) – Hope Factory Racing – 2:41:40
5. Ben Thomas (79) – Ben Thomas Coaching Club – 2:43:03
6. Tom Martin (69) – Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli – 2:43:03
7. Dexter Leeming-Sykes (67) – Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli – 2:43:11
8. Damien Clayton (60) – — – 2:47:23
9. Ben Swift (77) – NetCompany Ineos – 2:47:24
10. Metheven Bond (58) – Ribble Outliers – 2:49:10
2026 UK National Gravel Championships Elite Women Top 10
1. Sophie Wright (12) – Ribble Outliers – 3:09:26
2. Elizabeth Hermolle (4) – — – 3:12:00
3. Grace Inglis (5) – Team HUP – 3:12:01
4. Abi Smith (11) – Ribble Outliers – 3:17:35
5. Madeleine Nutt (8) – — – 3:19:23
6. Honor Elliott (1) – — – 3:19:25
7. Caroline Livesey (7) – TrainXhale – 3:24:44
8. Izzy Filor (3) – Forth Velo – 3:33:13
9. Kacey Eyeington (2) – SCOTT Alpha Theta – 3:36:08
@sophiekwright8 @jenson__young #britishcycling