Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) struck once more in Spain’s Hutchinson Ranxo Gravel, sweeping up his second UCI Gravel World Sequence victory in as many races with a solo effort to say the lads’s win on the 161km occasion.
Heidi Franz (DNA Professional Biking) additionally struck out alone to brush up the win in rural Catalonia on the course with round 2,000m of climbing. The American, who switched to DNA Professional Biking from Zaaf, completed practically 4 minutes forward of Anna Kay, at what was the British Fenix-Deceuninck rider’s first gravel race. Spanish rider Claudia Galicia (Megamo) got here third, about three minutes additional again.
Valverde, who retired from the WorldTour final season, claimed the victory with a spot of just a little over two minutes to teammate Ivan García Cortina, who additionally distanced the chase group. Cyclocross rider Kevin Suárez (Nesta-MMR) came to visit the Ponts end line third to make it an all Spanish prime three within the males’s race.
Valverde, who made his gravel debut with a win at La Indomable in April, broke away with 20km to go within the attritional race. He then held agency out the entrance until the road, delivering victory within the occasion to Movistar for a second 12 months working, with Carlos Verona having taken the highest step in 2022.
Hutchinson Ranxo Gravel is the eighth spherical of sixteen within the gravel sequence which gives riders the chance to qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships in October. It’s the second 12 months for the sequence, with each spherical and participant numbers rising appreciable in 2023.
The 161km Ranxo runs alongside a 104km and 67km occasion, with the gravel roads of Lleida drawing 750 riders from round 30 international locations. The following race within the sequence is the Blue Mountains Gravel Fondo in Canada, nevertheless many Ranxo contributors will probably be heading to the nearer to dwelling FNLD GRVL subsequent weekend as a substitute, together with ladies’s winner Franz. The road up on the new gravel occasion will even embody numerous Unbound riders, making the journey throughout from america by the week.
| Place | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) | 4:50:16 |
| 2 | Ivan García Cortina (Movistar) | 4:52:32 |
| 3 | Kevin Suárez (Nesta-MMR) | 4:53:08 |
| 4 | Ismael Esteban (Power Logos) | 4:53:13 |
| 5 | Jente Michels (Alpecin-Deceuninck) | 4:53:14 |
| 6 | Sergio Mantecon Gutierrez (Scott Bandida Cove) | 4:53:19 |
| 7 | Tobias Perry (EF Schooling-Nippo Improvement) | 4:53:20 |
| 8 | Ben Thomas (Ben Thomas Teaching) | 4:53:22 |
| 9 | Andrea Mifsud (Good Métropole Côte d’Azur) | 4:53:25 |
| 10 | Aleksandr Grigorev (Efapel Biking) | 4:53:26 |
| Place | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heidi Franz (DNA Professional Biking) | 5:42:55 |
| 2 | Anna Kay (Fenix-Deceuninck) | 5:46:40 |
| 3 | Claudia Galicia (Megamo) | 5:49:09 |
| 4 | Morgan Aguirre | 5:54:01 |
| 5 | Caroline Livesey (Xhale/Felanitx Biking Membership) | 5:54:07 |
| 6 | Josefine Huitfeldt | 5:57:38 |
| 7 | Karol-Ann Canuel | 5:59:24 |
| 8 | Sofia Rodriguez Revert (Bizkaia Durango) | 6:07:06 |
| 9 | Jordina Muntadas (Edibikes) | 6:07:08 |
| 10 | Emma Ortiz Bonilla (Workforce Group Abadie) | 6:10:34 |
