Digging, cycling on unpaved paths and actually a cross between road cycling and cyclocross, is gaining enormous popularity in the cycling world. Since this year there is even a real world championship, but strikingly enough, there is no national gravel championship in the country of world champion Gianni Vermeersch. The sport is still in its infancy, but is slowly but surely growing in the Netherlands. Mathieu van der Poel even appeared at the start of the World Cup in Veneto and won a bronze medal there. Ivar Slik won the most prestigious clay court race, Dirty Kanza.
The organization of the Dutch championship in Epe could also count on an excellent field of participants. None other than figurehead Marianne Vos and European champion on the road Lorena Wiebes appeared at the start in the hamlet of Wissel. For Vos, the 70-kilometer gravel race is a great way to regain some off-road meters after a long road season, before showing her rainbow jersey for the first time in the cross country next Tuesday in Woerden. At 11.05 am, the Jumbo-Visma rider started her hunt for her umpteenth champion’s jersey.
Not entirely surprising, it was also Vos who ran off alone halfway through the race and was not taken back on the 10.5 kilometer long lap. She overtook one male competitor after another who started earlier and was well ahead of the other women. Moniek Tenniglo and Wiebes, among others, were unable to keep Vos from winning another Dutch title. Vos succeeds Demi Vollering with her victory.
The men started five minutes earlier, but covered fifty kilometers more than the women.