The Gravelking UCI Gravel World Series returned to southern Germany on Sunday with the SchwörerHaus Hegau Gravel Race in Singen, a demanding event held on the rolling and punchy gravel roads of the Hegau region.
In the elite men’s race, Czech star Petr Vakoč came out on top after an exciting sprint finish against Swiss rider Simon Pellaud. After more than 100 kilometres of racing over the challenging German course, the two riders entered Singen together before Vakoč proved fastest in the final dash to the line.
Behind the leading duo, a strong chasing group of six riders battled for the final place on the podium. Belgian Jordy Bouts secured third place, crossing the finish line 1 minute and 55 seconds behind the winners after winning the sprint ahead of his compatriots Stan Dewulf, Swiss riders Kevin Kuhn, Lars Sommer; Joel Roth and another Belgian Floris De Tier completed the group after another high-level display on one of the toughest courses of the season.
The women’s race delivered a breakthrough victory for Nele Laing, who celebrated her first-ever UCI Gravel World Series win. Laing and Dutch rider Larissa Hartog, her teammate, proved to be the strongest riders of the day and spent much of the race together at the front. The pair arrived in Singen side by side, where Laing sprinted to victory to claim a memorable success.
Dutch rider Malou Eisen completed the podium in third place, finishing three minutes behind the leading duo. The battle for the remaining top positions saw Elena Hartmann, Carolin Schiff, Romy Kasper and Wendy Oosterwoud arrive several minutes later after being unable to follow the decisive move made by Laing and Hartog.
