As it happened: Late crash sees Dutch dominance continue in women’s UCI Gravel World Championships on muddy course

Rosa Klöser (Germany)

The German loses her front wheel as she tried to scramble onto the wheel of Vos as she attacks over the top of the final ascent.

Marianne Vos (Netherlands)

Rosa Klöser (Germany) can follow the Dutch star.

Klöser continues to push the pace but Vos still looks good with Hartog and Laing at 1’13” back.

2026-10-10T06:30:18.059Z

6km to go and they are on some very rutted section. This is the last kicker before the finish with Klöser on the front again trying to break the legs of Vos.

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It is easy to forget that Klöser has had a puncture on the first climb of the day, got back on then had a stick in the rear mech and got back on again. Whereas, Vos has been active but largely in the wheels always very close to the front.

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8km to go and the gap back to Laing and Hartog is 52″.

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It is now almost all downhill to Nannup with an average speed up around 27kph today. This has been a brutal day out.

Into the final 10km and the leading duo are settled into working together with it looking unlikely that anyone will re-join them.

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Klöser and Vos working together well since they crested the previous climb with around 35″ to the chasers.

(Image credit: SW Pix)

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They have taken on a short asphalt section before heading onto the final part of gravel today with the second part of the Folly climb to come. Klöser looked the strongest on the climb but Vos was able to match her.

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Out front it is a Dutch rider and a German rider with the chasing duo being a Dutch rider and a German rider. The two nations have certainly dominated this race with Klöser and Vos holding 32″ on Laing and Hartog.

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The sunshine has come out again after much of the race spent in the driving rain.

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Klöser dropped Vos at Sea Otter Europe back in late September, but this is has been a very different race and the rainbow jersey is on the line.

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Hartog makes it to Laing in the chase at 27″ back from Klöser and Vos.

It appears to be down to Vos and Klöser for this race into the final 20km.

(Image credit: SWPix)

2026-10-10T05:56:23.307Z

Laing invested a lot to try and get to the leaders but Klöser and Vos now properly push clear.

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Laing is riding hard to get back to her teammate of Klöser along with Vos as they negotiate riding around the age groupers.

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Klöser, Vos and Villafañe closing but now Klöser and Vos go clear of the rest.

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Cromwell heads back onto the gravel and onto the final climb of Folly Farm.

Tiffany Cromwell (Australia)

She is back and on the attack yet again. Just 900m to the final climb of the day.

Nicole Frain (Australia)

That splits the group with Vos and Klöser being the only ones to follow. Magnaldi left to do all the chasing.

On the Glacier climb with Frain, Serne and Lützelschwab making it back to the leaders after an amazing chase.

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Cromwell just being distanced from the chase group led by fellow Australian Frain.

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Cromwell, Frain, Lützelschwab and Serne are getting closer to the leaders again. This could actually come together again after all that selection on the Ellis Creek climb.

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The leaders are going much faster than the camera bikes on this descent and have left the bike behind. Cromwell pass them as well as she is still chasing now with teammate Frain.

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Laing has two World Series wins to her name with both German races going her way. Vos just seems to win almost everything she races. Klöser has had a mixed gravel year with disappointing mechanical filled Leadville 100 and Unbound but she has been superb on the road. Hartog also had a great season that started long ago in cyclocross.

Vos, Hartog, Magnaldi, Klöser and Laing leading the way and working well together with the rain pouring down on the riders.

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Fortunately, the age groupers have been dropped by the elite women here.

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Klöser just clipped the back wheel of Hartog but both stay upright.

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Some of the age group men and women are sitting in at the back of the lead group. This isn’t what the pros want at all as it is distracting and can be very dangerous.

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The five lead riders are riding well together but they are coming up against some of the age groupers. Fortunately the tracks are wide and there’s plenty of space for the pros.

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Hartog and Magnaldi make it back to Klöser, Laing and Vos.

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Abandon

Geerike Schreurs (Netherlands)

Cromwell now has 1’32” on the peloton as the rain pours in Western Australia.

(Image credit: SWPix)

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Laing and Vos have gapped the rest in the chase showing their descending skills but Cromwell has used the terrain to get her gap back to 1’17” after it dropped to 52″ on the climb.

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Now on a very steep and technical descent on this extremely slippery pea gravel. Cromwell just overshot a hairpin and may have lost a couple of seconds.

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Now that Klöser is back in the group the Germans return to the front of the chase group with Oosterwoud struggling again.

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Cromwell is riding really well and has 1’21” on the chasers with Magnaldi leading the chase group yet again. Klöser gets back in as well.

Rosa Klöser (Germany)

A stick has got into her rear mech. She is back riding but another issue for the German after an earlier puncture.

A brief section of asphalt heads back onto the gravel and Cromwell has 48″ on the chasers.

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Meanwhile, Cromwell has 27″ gap on the chase group.

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There was a very nasty rut that they hit and it just pushed Schreurs and Moolman-Pasio out with the former kicked to the side and into the rocks. Both look to be out of the race.

Geerike Schreurs (Netherlands)
Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (South Africa)

The latter gets back on her feet but isn’t in a rush to get going while Schreurs stays on the ground with the medics tending to both.

Marianne Vos (Netherlands)

The former world champion launches for a second time to try and close Cromwell down. She is marked but it has got the rest of the group interested in chasing again.

Cromwell expands her lead to 10″ as the chase stalls.

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Magnaldi is investing a lot of energy on the front of the favourites group without dropping anyone but they stall again and allow Cromwell a bit more gap.

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Vos tried a move but she was heavily marked. Cromwell continues to press on as the chase group starts to sit up a bit more.

Tiffany Cromwell (Australia)

The Australian champion launches as soon as she re-joined the leaders to try and get clear but she is solo and the chase is on.

Holly Harris (Australia)

She has a front flat but she seems to have got it fixed pretty fast.

The peloton now bunches up after that descent as they build towards the first majorly hard climb of Brockwell.

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Maddy Nutt (Great Britain) was just off the back after that descent but has made it back in now. She will be relying on her huge engine and stamina to be involved in the final…

Rosa Klöser (Germany)

One of the big favourites for the race is trying to fix this quickly with her plugs but the sealant taking a while. She is now back riding but a long way out the back now. Similar happened in Unbound earlier this year.

Gabrielle Fox (Ireland)

Not ideal for the Irish rider who clipped a wheel and came down. She is back riding but is now out of the back.

The gap goes out to a minute for Bloor who will be very happy for the moment but I imagine she would like to have some company. She rides solo for the time being.

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Mutsumi Hara (Japan) and Elizabeth Hermolle (Great Britain) early off the back but it is a tough start and there’s a long way to go as the rain begins to fall again.

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Mud is already caking the backs of the riders as the riders are on the first climb of the day now.

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Bloor’s wheel skipping and skidding all over the place forcing her to freewheel. All the riders have only been able to recon some of the route due to some of the sections being on private property including the first climb of the day.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-10-10T02:28:12.416Z

The peloton hit the gravel and immediately things change as the pace shoots up with the Dutch crowding the front still. 5km to the first climb of the day.

Bloor leads onto the gravel with a very wet surface and a few puddles. A couple of early twitches from the back wheel for the Australian rider. She now has 34″ on the peloton.

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Bloor has a gap of just 12″ on the peloton as the gravel edges closer and closer.

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12 riders down as DNFs including Germany’s Romy Kaspar and the Netherlands’ Riejanne Markus.

Ella Bloor (Australia)

The home nation gets the ball rolling with the first attack of the day. No-one keen on following for the time being as we are still on the asphalt with 10km until the gravel begins.

Racing begins for the 2026 Gravel World Championships in Nannup with the Dutch team immediately up to the front.

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Australian gravel champion and winner here for the SEVEN Gravel race in Nannup earlier in the year, Tiffany Cromwell, is another rider who will be hanging up the wheels after this race.

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This will be the final race in the career of South African WorldTour rider Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio despite having a cold.

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It is being said that this is a ‘true’ gravel course with 85% of the course on gravel with intense gradients and a huge amount of climbing. The chance for the specialists to finally have a pure gravel rider in the rainbow bands after road stars have dominated the first four editions.

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The riders are beginning to line up on the start line in Nannup with Wendy Oosterwoud of the Netherlands wearing number one.

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The gravel is like nothing seen in European gravel racing and is unique to the area in Australia. Pea gravel is what it says on the tin, gravel that is shaped like peas. It can been incredibly slippery when dry but when wet it can be compacted down and become less notable with tyre choice being crucial.

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The course itself is extremely challenging. While it is rather short, in the 125.6km of racing there are 3180 metres of elevation gain with the climbs not allow immediate rest after the summits are they tend to plateau for a while afterwards.

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For those who may not be familiar with the gravel scene but knows road will have one name screaming out at them, that being former world gravel champion Marianne Vos. However, there are some star specialists are here with Argentina’s Sofia Gomez Villafañe, home rider Nicole Frain and many more all lining up to challenge.