The first edition of the new Belgian UCI gravel event in the north of the country was an instant success as the event sold out two months prior to race day with 2534 riders, the biggest event so far in the UCI Gravel World Series.
The 72km course on the Belgian Dutch border was a mix of long straight wide open gravel boulevards amidst the meadows and nature reserves and long stretches through forests and along the channel.
In the second of two laps, Danish Mads Würtz Schmidt (Pas Racing) got award with Dutch Mathijs Loman with a gap up to two minutes. One rider managed to still close the gap, Mads’ teammate Magnus Bak Klaris. In the final, the two dropped Loman and Würtz outsprinted his compatriot in the centre of Turnhout.
The female race stayed closed for a long time with a final with 14 women elite. It was Geerike Schreurs (SD Worx Protime) who outsprinted two of her Dutch compatriots despite multiple flat tyres. Wendy Oosterwoud finished in second and Teuntje Beekhuis in third.
