Gravel World Championships in Nannup: Klöser narrowly misses out on the title, Vermeersch beaten

​Rosa Klöser was in contention for the rainbow jersey in Australia but had to concede defeat to Marianne Vos following a crash. In the men’s race at the Gravel World Championships, it was, of all people, the supposed outsider in the leading group who caused the upset.

​A single bend proved decisive in two races at the Gravel World Championships in Nannup, Australia. In the women’s elite race, it cost Rosa Klöser her chance of gold; a day later, it brought down the men’s top favourite. This is how the Gravel World Championships unfolded for the professionals on the other side of the world.

Gravel World Championships: Klöser is risking everything

Yet the race got off to a difficult start for Klöser. Following a mechanical problem, she had to chase down the leaders and expended a great deal of energy to catch up again. The four of them then headed towards the final climb, where the group broke up. Klöser and Marianne Vos were left at the front. It was clear that Klöser would be at a disadvantage in a sprint against the Dutch rider. So she tried to make her move on the descent, took a big risk and crashed on a bend. She was unable to catch Vos afterwards, but silver was still assured.

The winner had anticipated the difficulties of the descent. “In the final bends, I moved up to the front because I knew I wanted to choose my own line,” said Vos. However, Klöser didn’t make the victory easy for her: “On the climbs, I really had to dig deep to keep up with Rosa.” She expressed regret at her rival’s crash: “It’s still a real shame that Rosa then crashed behind me.” For Vos, this is her second Gravel World Championship title after 2024 and already the 15th rainbow jersey of her career.

Behind them, Nele Laing and the Dutch rider Larissa Hartog crossed the finish line together. In the sprint, Laing lacked the strength to overtake Hartog, meaning she narrowly missed out on a podium place and finished fourth.

Bak Klaris seizes his chance

In the men’s race at the Gravel World Championships, too, a group of four decided the outcome amongst themselves, albeit without any German riders. Defending champion Florian Vermeersch from Belgium, the Danes Magnus Bak Klaris and Mads Würtz Schmidt, and the Briton Connor Swift battled it out for the medals. In the very same bend where Klöser had crashed the previous day, top favourite Würtz Schmidt now lost his grip. Although he fought his way back, he only managed to catch up with the group just before the finish line.

Ironically, it was his compatriot who benefited from this. “I think I had quite a good advantage because, following Mads’s crash, I wasn’t riding at the front anymore and was waiting for him,” explained Bak Klaris. When Swift launched his sprint early, the Dane latched onto his rear wheel and overtook him in the final metres. “My sprint isn’t actually that good,” admitted the new world champion, who had been considered the weakest rider in the group ahead of the final. “I still can’t believe it; it just feels surreal.” Silver went to Vermeersch, bronze to Swift.

In any case, the newly crowned world champion Bak Klaris already has plans for the next few days: “I suppose I’ll have to celebrate now – and I’ll definitely be doing just that.”