Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) both crossed the line solo to take the elite category victories at the Marly Grav Race, a round of the UCI Gravel World Series held in the same Zuid-Limburg region which will this year host the World Championships.
Wellens, who attacked on a climb at about 60km into the race, crossed the line in 4:21:17. The WorldTour rider was just over a minute ahead of his nearest rivals in the men's elite race, Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ridley Racing) and Kevin Panhuyzen (Giant Liv Benelux off-road) who decided second and third in a sprint.
Sprinter Wiebes decided not to wait and count on her fast finish, making her move in the last five kilometres and finishing the 155km race in 5:19:46. The rider, who in March added the revived women's Milan-San Remo to her already impressive victory tally for the season, finished just 15 seconds ahead of women's elite category runner up Quinty Ton (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) while Ilse Pluimers (AG Insurance-Soudal) was third, nearly a minute back.
"We had some problems in the first part of the race and had to wait almost 20 minutes for a single-track climb but we tried to make it as safe as possible and opened the race later again," said Wiebes in a post on Instagram. "Long race but good to get back in to racing rhythm and I think we made a nice race out of it. Enjoyed the home roads again!"
The event, previously known as Gravel Fondo Limburg, swept through the hills of South Limburg, riding through the Gemeentegrot in Valkenburg, passing through a cave and over the Cauberg. The elite riders took on three loops of the course.
The race was one of two UCI Gravel World Series rounds held over the weekend, the other being in Tasmania, Australia where Brendan Johnston (Giant) and Talia Appleton (Praties) claimed the Devils Cardigan. The series acts as a qualifier for the UCI Gravel World Championships which in 2025 is to be held in Zuid-Limburg on October 11 and 12.
| Position | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Wellens | 4:21:17 |
| 2 | Joris Nieuwenhuis | +1:04 |
| 3 | Kevin Panhuyzen | " |
| 4 | Daniel Geismayr | +1:05 |
| 5 | Filippo Conca | +1:40 |
| Position | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lorena Wiebes | 5:19:46 |
| 2 | Quinty Ton | +15 |
| 3 | Ilse Pluimers | +53 |
| 4 | Hanne Van Loock | +3:28 |
| 5 | Wendy Oosterwoud | +9:13 |
