The Gralloch delivered a hard and selective race on the demanding gravel roads of Galloway Forest Park, where the opening climb once again proved decisive. On a course of around 111km with more than 1,700m of climbing and long gravel sectors from the start, a leading group quickly formed and stayed clear all day
In the men elite race, Lukas Pöstlberger (AUT), Jenson Young (GBR) and Michael Woods (CAN) went clear on the first climb of the day. The trio built an advantage of between one and two minutes over a chasing group of around ten riders and controlled the race for most of the distance.
The decisive moment came in the final 15 kilometres when Young suffered a puncture, forcing him to drop back temporarily. Up front, Pöstlberger and Woods continued together until the Austrian made his move in the closing kilometres, riding clear to take a solo victory. He crossed the line with a margin of 1:18 over Young, who managed to recover from two punctures to secure second place.
Behind them, Belgian Champion Niels Vandeputte confirmed his strong form after his second place in Valkenburg by sprinting to third out of a four-rider group at 2:32 from the winner. Michael Woods, after being part of the early breakaway, eventually slipped back to finish seventh.
In the women elite race, the first climb again proved decisive as Danielle Shrosbree (GBR), Karolina Migoń (POL) and Geerike Schreurs (NED) managed to break away early. Wendy Oosterwoud (NED) bridged across midway through the race, forming a strong lead group of four riders.
The quartet stayed together for most of the race until the final phase, where Schreurs and Migoń managed to distance their companions. After 111km of racing, the victory was decided in a sprint between the two, with Geerike Schreurs taking the win ahead of Karolina Migon.
Behind them, Wendy Oosterwoud secured third place at 1:20 after winning the sprint for the remaining podium spot against Danielle Shrosbree. The rest of the field finished more than ten minutes behind.
