Marianne Vos sprints to 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships Title
Dutchwoman Marianne Vos sprinted to victory in Leuven on Saturday, outsprinting breakaway companion Belgian Lotte Kopecky at the end of a tough 134 km racing around Flanders
The pair went clear with Dutchwoman Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands) and Itlaian Soraya Paladin before breaking away inside the final 50km. They rapidly gained time over the chasers, with their gap soaring and going to over four minutes.
Vos attacked on the climb with 2km, but Kopecky was able to counter. Shesat on her wheel in the final straight, the race becoming a track stand sprint in the fina 300m
Vos launched her sprint and Kopecky couldn't close the gap, adding the championship to her 14 world titles.
“I didn’t think about the previous 13, to be honest,” she said. “Of course it is something fairly new, but then it is a world championships so you try to do your best. It was of course nice to be in the front with Lotte, but you know it is going to be hard as well.”
Vos said afterwards "Last week she got the world title, so I knew she was in good shape. It was really great to race together here, especially with these crowds. “It’s not a shame to be second after Marianne. But it was my first gravel race and it was something completely different,” she said.
The racing really started with 40 riders at the head of the race after just over 50km. Most of the big names were in the main lead bunch but one notable absentee is Tiffany Cromwell (Australia), who was a minute off the pace.
There were severall attacks and a breakaway of 11 riders got away including; Puck Pieterse, Marianne Vos, Lucinda Brand, Lorena Wiebes, Letizia Borghesi,Soraya Paladin,Marie Schreiber,Christine Majerus, Lotte Kopecky, Romy Kasper and Emma Norsgaard.
Kopecky, Vos, Wiebes, and Paladin have attacked and established a 20-second lead, behind chasing trio of Puck Pieterse (Netherlands), Romy Kasper (Germany), and Nicole Frain (Australia). 30s back to a main bunch of 30-odd riders before Marianne Vos (Netherlands) and Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) went clear with 50 km to go.
Behind Wiebes attacked Pieterse and Kasper on the uphill section before the park and took bronze, 3:57 behind Vos, with Pieterse a further 12 seconds back and Kasper taking fifth.
HIGHLIGHTS: 2024 Women's UCI Gravel World Championships
2024 Women's UCI Gravel World Championships Top 10
1 VOS Marianne 4:01:07
2 KOPECKY Lotte 0:01
3 WIEBES Lorena 3:57
4 PIETERSE Puck 4:09
5 KASPER Romy 4:15
6 PALADIN Soraya 6:00
7 MARKUS Riejanne 6:04
8 MARKUS Femke 8:52
9 NORSGAARD Emma ,,
10 BRAND Lucinda 8:53
2024 UCI Gravel World Championships Age Group Category Winners
| Category | Riders Name | Riders Country | Winning Time |
| Men's Elite | Mathieu Van der Poel | NED | 4:41:23 |
| M19-34 | Killian Tharrut | FRA | 5:05:49 |
| M35-39 | Jo Pirotte | BEL | 5:03:03 |
| M40-44 | Carlo Porco | BEL | 5:11:04 |
| M45-49 | Loic Herbreteau | FRA | 5:13:02 |
| M50-54 | Horrach Ripoll Juan Sebastian | ESP | 4:01:14 |
| M55-59 | Jonas Tell | SWE | 4:01:32 |
| M60-64 | Fernandez Martinez Mario | ESP | 4:13:19 |
| M65-69 | Andreas Suls | BEL | 2:50:55 |
| M70-74 | Wilfried Straub | GER | 2:52:06 |
| M75-79 | Jozef De Wever | BEL | 3:04:59 |
| M80-84 | Roger Landeloos | BEl | 4:19:29 |
| Women's Elite | Marianne Vos | NLD | 4:01:07 |
| W19-34 | Marine Lenehan | IRE | 4:22:06 |
| W35-39 | Kim Knaeps | BEL | 4:23:01 |
| W40-44 | Joyce Vanderbeken | BEL | 4:22:00 |
| W45-49 | Stefanie Adam | BEL | 4:21:23 |
| W50-54 | Marijke De Smedt | BEL | 2:51:14 |
| W55-59 | Bente Kortbaek Kibsgaard | DEN | 2:56:46 |
| W60-64 | Laura Van Gilder | USA | 3:05:52 |
| W65-69 | Ruth Clemence | USA | 3:10:23 |
| W70-74 | Vanessa Cooney | USA | 4:17:09 |
| W80-84 | Wendy Skean | USA |
4:34:32 |