Marianne Vos Wins UCI Gravel Worlds, Gomez Villafañe Sixth, Heavy Crash Mars Race

Marianne Vos claimed a second UCI Gravel World Championship title Saturday in Nannup, Australia, winning solo after a showdown with Rosa Klöser as U.S.-based gravel star Sofia Gomez Villafañe finished sixth.

A heavy crash involving Geerike Schreurs and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio overshadowed the race.

“This victory really means a lot to me,” Vos said.

Germany’s Klöser finished 27 seconds behind Vos after slipping out in the closing kilometers. Larissa Hartog took bronze for the Netherlands.

Gomez Villafañe, representing Argentina, crossed the line sixth at 5:15 back. Tiffany Cromwell, racing in her final pro race, attacked early before finishing eighth.

Vos and Klöser pulled clear late in the race to chase the rainbow jersey.

Vos, 39, accelerated inside the final four kilometers, and Klöser fought back onto her wheel before sliding out. The Dutchwoman soloed to the line to win her career 15th world title across different disciplines.

“There was more mud than I expected. As a result, there were also some slippery sections on the course, so we had to be careful at times. Rosa was incredibly strong, especially on the climbs, where I really had to dig deep to stay with her,” Vos said.

Schreurs crashes hard, Cromwell attacks early

Nannup’s punishing 125.6km course with about 3,180m of climbing is the first gravel worlds held outside Europe.

The race started after a controversial late-hour UCI decision over points that impacted dozens of riders.

Cromwell gave the locals something to cheer about when she attacked early. The favorites organized a chase behind as Cromwell opened up a gap of 1:30.

Schreurs was involved in a heavy crash with about 70km to go.

The Dutch woman lost control while riding near the front of the chasing group, went off the gravel road, and hit the ground hard.

Moolman-Pasio, also racing her final pro race, also crashed and remained nearby as medical staff attended to the Dutch rider. There was no immediate update on possible injuries.

Vos and Klöser caught Cromwell with about 24km to go and opened up a winning gap coming into the final 10km. Klöser slipped out on a corner, and Vos drove home the victory in a wild finale.

“It was a fantastic course here in Australia. I’m really happy to have been able to secure the rainbow jersey here,” she said.

Vos now owns 15 elite world titles across four disciplines: eight in cyclocross, three on the road, two on the track and, with her win in Australia, two in gravel.

Results: UCI Gravel World Championships – Elite Women