One week after the UCI Gravel World Championships in Zuid Limburg, the city of the 2024 World Championships hosted the first qualifier event of the new season on a course that was for a big part the one from last year’s worlds in and around Leuven and the beautiful Woods of Brabant national park. 1200 riders signed up for a 147 or 96km race.
In the men elite, a large group stayed together for most of the race with some attacks but finally a group of 12 sprinting for victory in Leuven. A tight sprint in which Aaron Van der Beken from the Ridley Racing team managed to get his first UCI Gravel World Series win, outsprinting Mats Omloop, Jan Bakelants, Jordy Bouts and Greg Van Avermaet. The average speed of the lead group was 36.42km/h.
In the elite women race, Wendy Oosterwoud, second in last year’s UCI Gravel ranking. won with a small 23-second margin to Nathalie Bex who outsprinted Tessa Neefjes for second. The PAS rider finished with an average speed of 32.14 km/h.
