"I hope I can give something back to Shirin someday" - Lorena Wiebes having mixed feelings about Gravel World title

The Gravel World Championships delivered on the action and the tension today, but also some very unusual tactics. Lorena Wiebes took the world title and her first rainbow jersey in the discipline, but she did not the happiest of wins as she saw her compatriot Shirin van Anrooij get stripped away of what looked to be a certain victory by the teammate of both.

"This world title is fantastic. Riding in this jersey will give me extra motivation. It went well. I was able to follow Marianne [Vos] on those climbs and knew that the last climb at Berg en Terblijt was difficult. I had to pace myself well and not overexert myself," the Dutchwoman said to Wielerflits.

Wiebes had the legs on the day and proved to be one of the very strongest, not just from a sprinter perspective, however the triumph was also very much due to the work of other riders in the group.

One was Julia Kopecky, rider for the Czech Republic - but on the road SD Worx teammate. "I have to thank Julia Kopecky. It's amazing how she rode here and how strong she was. At one point, she asked if I could win the sprint, and I said yes, and then she went all out."

"Ultimately, it's our own team, SD Worx-Protime, that's putting a lot of effort into providing us with the equipment for this championship. That's also what the national coach said, that ultimately, it's every man for himself here. You're not going to give away a world title like that, of course."

However in the final kilometers it was the work of Yara Kastelijn that looked rather incomprehensible. The Fenix-Deceuninck rider, not a teammate of anyone in the group on the road but a teammate of Shirin van Anrooij, Marianne Vos and Lorena Wiebes, put her face to the wind and brought back van Anrooij with around only 300 meters to go. There was a great sense of shock as to why.

Wiebes ultimately benefited from this more than anyone else, but had van Anrooij in mind after the race after the unusual finale: "I hope I can give something back to Shirin someday at a world or European road championship," she concluded.