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It was a weekend of rare intensity that ended yesterday in Millau, at the Wish One Millau Grands Causses 2023 event, a stage of the UCI Gravel World Series.
This weekend began with an innovation in the program: the OPEN, Juniors & Cadets races allowed beginners to try out Gravel competition, in the hope that they might one day participate in UCI events.
These UCI events, which took place this Sunday, lived up to all expectations: first among the women, where the best specialists were present. From the foot of the Pouncho, we saw long-distance athlete Virginia Cancielleri set the pace, quickly relieved by Carolin Schiff, the best Gravel cyclist of the moment. Their impressive climb of the Pouncho in 22min19s, only 4min more than the men’s trio of Freddy Ovett, Aurélien Philibert, and Byron Munton, captivated attention. These three had very little time to themselves before being caught by a peloton reduced to about twenty riders.
The regrouping of women and men in the first trails of the Causse Noir allowed Carolin Schiff and Rosa Klöser to escape their competitors, while the men’s peloton continued to lose riders in this challenging gravel section. There were already only 12 left on the Pierrefiche climb before tackling the military camp. Meanwhile, among the women, Carolin Schiff had dropped her last competitor, Rosa Klöser, who was caught by Jade Treiffesen to form a counter-attacking duo.
The challenging Military Camp was a test for the riders who had to contend with a particularly strong wind this year. The open landscapes were not a distraction but rather contributed to a more rigorous selection, reducing the lead group to 10 riders at the exit of the Larzac training camp. The decisive moment occurred in the new part of the course, on the Côte du Rouquet, at km 87.5. Toby Perry launched his offensive and broke up the group, which found itself isolated, one by one, in the Rallye des Cardabelle special, with Geoffrey Soupe, Nathan Haas, Russell Finsterwald, and the Frenchman Emeric Turcat in order.
At La Cavalerie, the first three chasers regrouped and collaborated in the hope of catching the 23-year-old young Briton. On the women’s side, Rosa Klöser paid the price for her early race efforts and had to leave Jade Treiffesen alone in pursuit of Carolin Schiff. Despite the efforts of the counter-attack, Toby Perry continued to impressively widen the gap without ever showing signs of weakness, crossing the finish line at Wish One under the Millau Viaduct with more than 6 minutes ahead of his first pursuer, Geoffrey Soupe of Team TotalEnergies, and Russell Finsterwald. Toby Perry’s performance amazed all the spectators present in Millau. The young Englishman undeniably leaves his mark for the future.
This performance was followed by an equally impressive recital among the women: Carolin Schiff confirmed her supremacy by finishing these 145 km with nearly 12 minutes ahead of her compatriots Jade Treiffesen and Rosa Klöser.
Rankings: HERE
Source: Press Release
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