Third last year when Marianne Vos took the title, Lorena Wiebes outsprinted her Dutch compatriot to win the fourth edition of the World Gravel Championship at Maastricht in the Netherlands. Italy’s Silvia Persico took the bronze medal.
In a race dominated by home riders, Shirin van Anrooij looked like she would claim a solo victory after attacking with 13km remaining from the seven-rider lead group that contained five Dutchwomen. Van Anrooij pushed her lead out to 20 seconds, but her advantage was gradually reduced approaching the finish.
Vastly outnumbered by orange Dutch jerseys for the second half of the 131km race, Persico fully deserved her bronze medal, with Kastelijn fourth. It was impossible, though, not to feel disappointed for Van Anrooij, who rolled across the line in fifth when she’d seemed so close to her first world title at elite level.
Right from the start, Dutch riders dominated proceedings, setting the pace, marking any rider who wasn’t kitted out in orange. Wiebes signalled her intentions at the halfway mark, when she lifted the pace on the front of the large lead group, Persico tracking her, splits appearing behind them.
With 60km remaining, Wiebes was one of five riders who went clear alongside compatriots Femke Gerritse, Maud Rijnbeek and Vos, Germany’s Romy Kasper the odd one out. A chase group of 15 formed behind as the leaders pushed their advantage out to almost a minute.
With 40km to go, seven of those chasers began a more determined pursuit. No fewer than five of them were Dutch – Femke De Vries, Larissa Hartog, Van Anrooij, Kastelijn and Femke Markus – with Persico and Kopecky also in there.
With 23km left, Vos attacked and Wiebes was the only rider to respond, although the sprint specialist struggled to hold her compatriot’s pace. On the climb that followed, Wiebes rode up alongside Vos, which prompted another acceleration by the defending champion.
With 13km to the finish, Van Anrooij bolted away on a short road section. Her departure left the five riders behind looking at each other until Vos and then Kopecky took up the chase. With 10km to go, Van Anrooij’s advantage had reached 20 seconds.
2025 WOMEN’S WORLD GRAVEL CHAMPIONSHIP:
BEEK – MAASTRICHT (131km)
