08/10/2023

Matej Mohoric soars to Gravel World Championships title; Florian Vermeersch and Connor Swift complete podium

Matej Mohoric put on a display of power and technical prowess to win the Gravel World Championships in Veneto. The Slovenian put on an impressive performance, topping Florian Vermeersch and Connor Swift who complete the podium.

The 167-kilometer long race in Veneto was considerably more challenging than last year, adding climbs to the mix and not only the much awaited gravel roads. The region is famous for it's landscape and after Katarzyna Niewiadoma won the women's world title, the men were now to battle for it.

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Wout van Aert was one of the big favourites but fell out of contention early on, having punctured but then crashing too. Over the many sectors the peloton split quite a lot and the front group began taking shape. A selection of six riders was made and from there on a trio had the upper hand when the race exploded once more.

Matej Mohoric, Florian Vermeersch and Connor Swift stood out in front in the final 50 kilometers, with a hefty lead over a chasing group containing Alejandro Valverde, Alessandro De Marchi, Paul Voss and Keegan Swenson. Quinten Hermans and Sebastian Schweinberger joined up with the group but it was a fight for minor places.

It was a race of attrition however. Swift was dropped with 24 kilometers to go and then on another ascent Mohoric dropped Vermeersch with 18 kilometers to go. The Belgian fixed it quickly but had a mechanical right after which saw the gap expand to around 30 seconds. It then became a time-trial for both riders, with Mohoric slowly expanding his gap.

The Slovenian didn't take it easy however in any way. The final descent to the line provided quite a spectacle as he soared through tight corners, surface changes - even crashing at one point with 3 kilometers to go. He was the strongest on the day however, and crossed the line to become the new World Champion. Florian Vermeersch and Connor Swift hung on to finish second and third on the day.