Rosa Klöser (Canyon) took a solo victory and Lukas Malezsewski won a two-way sprint to claim the first edition of Alentejo Gravel, closing out the UCI Gravel World Series racing for 2025.
Last year's Unbound winner carved out the elite women's victory with a gap of 12 minutes to second-placed Tessa Neefjes (Liv Racing) and 25 minutes to Marta Milà (Movistar) on her return from a shoulder injury after a last-minute decision to drive to the 1,300km to Portugal to squeeze in a final race for the year.
"The race was basically mixed with age group men, the start was quite hilly and technical so I found myself in a group of 15-20 men already after 15km," said Klöser in an Instagram post. "I decided to use the race as good training and raced the men - in the end, I finished in the top 5 overall in the age group men and won women elite - not bad to round off the season!
"Good to get some speed in the legs, battle it out with the boys but will focus on battling the ladies separately in 2026," added the German gravel champion.
Malezsewski took the win in an uphill finishing sprint with Daan Grosemans (Classified X Rose fueled by Foodmaker).
"Breakaway with two, gambled on my sprint after a fast race but unfortunately one guy was faster," said Grosemans in a post on social media. "Nevertheless time for a well deserved off-season and let’s bring the hunger for victory towards 2026."
Andrew Henriques (CDASJ-Cyclin' Team-Município De Albufeira) came third in the race which took place on a 119km loop, with 2,100m of climbing, that started and finished in Ourique.
The race may have been the final event in the series for 2025 but Alentejo is actually one of a cluster of qualifying events – along with Dustman, Gravelista and Flanders Legacy – that have run since the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships. They provide an opportunity to claim a spot on the start line of the 2026 race for the rainbow jersey which will take place in Nannup, Western Australia on October 10 and 11, 2026.
Position |
Rider |
Time |
|---|---|---|
1 |
Lukas Malezsewski |
03:29:29 |
2 |
Daan Grosemans |
+01 |
3 |
Andrew Henriques |
+1:59 |
4 |
João Pastagem |
+6:32 |
5 |
Travis Bramley |
+6:33 |
Position |
Rider |
Time |
|---|---|---|
1 |
Rosa Klöser |
03:45:25 |
2 |
Tessa Neefjes |
12:01 |
3 |
Marta Milà |
25:00 |
4 |
Ana Caramelo |
25:03 |
5 |
Klara Hansen |
32:04 |
