UCI Gravel World Series: Romain Bardet and Sophie Wright stretch the gaps to win Monaco Gravel Race

Romain Bardet (Factor) and Sophie Wright (Ribble Outliers) rode away from their rivals on the challenging alpine terrain of Monaco Gravel Race to claim victory at Sunday’s UCI Gravel World Series race.

Bardet claimed the elite men’s race with a gap of more than three minutes to his nearest rival, describing it as a “very demanding course” and “a good test before tackling longer distances”. It was Bardet’s second series win of the season, with the French rider also having won Spain’s Castellon in February.

“Loads of climbing, technical, loose, rocky, up, down, up, down, hot, SUPER tough… just how I like it,” said Wright in an Instagram post.
“V happy with this one.”

Behind the rider who came second at the European gravel championships and the Oceania gravel champion, it was road professional Jade Wiel (FDJ United-SUEZ) in third, nearly 20 minutes back from Wright.

The 116km race with 2,500 metres of elevation gain started in Peille, a scenic mountainside medieval village, and the course took in views of both the Mediterranean Sea and snow-capped peaks. The climbs included the Col de Braus, Col du Castillon and Col des Banquettes.

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The event is part of a rapidly expanding UCI Gravel World Series calendar, with each of the 47 races providing the opportunity to qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships, this year being held in Nannup, Western Australia, on October 10 and 11.

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