Wiebes found herself in a group with men in the final stage of the European Gravel Championship: "I knew we had to take that into account"

The elite women's European Gravel Championship posed an interesting challenge for Tiffany Cromwell. However, since Cromwell hails from Australia, she couldn't officially claim the title of European champion. That honor was bestowed upon Lorena Wiebes, who finished second. IDLProCycling.com, the 24-year-old Dutch rider emerged in the mixed zone after the gravel race.

While Wiebes didn't win the European Gravel Championship, she ultimately had the opportunity to don the European champion's jersey. It might sound somewhat peculiar, and indeed it raises questions among some cycling fans about Cromwell's participation. Cromwell's presence, despite her departing just before the finish, created an unusual situation for Wiebes, Fem van Empel, and Elena Cecchini, the top three European women in the race. None of them were eager to push the pace because Cromwell wasn't actually competing for the European title. "Indeed, I knew that Tiffany was not in the running for the European title. On the final lap, I felt a significant loss of pressure from my front wheel. It was slowly deflating, which made me cautious in the corners. That's why I decided to go for the sprint anyway," Wiebes explained her tactical approach. "In the end, it worked out perfectly."

Wiebes expects little benefit from World Cup gravel participation Vollering

In the end, Wiebes secured second place but can now proudly bear the title of European Gravel Champion for the upcoming year. The day following her European Championship victory, the "perhaps fastest rider in the world" departs for Italy, where the Gravel World Championship for elite women is scheduled for October 7. So, who knows, maybe there's a world title in store for the unassuming powerhouse. "I believe the world title will be quite challenging because there's an extensive amount of climbing," she humbly admits. "Next year, the World Championships will return to this region, so I think I'll approach it with more ambition then."

Despite her modest aspirations, Wiebes notes that her European title doesn't add any extra pressure in preparation for the World Championships. "It's genuinely very demanding, with a substantial amount of climbing." As for whether it's too tough, she adds, "I wouldn't dare say that. Gravel racing is truly unique, and besides, I'm not familiar with the specifics of the climbs. Whether these ascents consist solely of gravel or include other terrain could alter the dynamics."

During the World Cup in Italy, Wiebes will be "joined" by Demi Vollering, her teammate at SD Worx. The duo has collaborated on several occasions in recent months, both in larger and smaller road races. Vollering recently secured a wildcard entry to the World Championships, suggesting the possibility of a joint effort. "Collaboration is indeed challenging in gravel," Wiebes acknowledges. "Next week, it's simply a matter of the strongest rider prevailing. I've heard there are some steep, technical descents on the course. That will be another opportunity for me to make a move, haha!"

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Wiebes and Vollering both compete at the World Gravel Championships (Oct. 7)

"The group with the gentlemen rode nicely for us," Wiebes winks after the European Gravel Championship.

Symbolically, one week prior, she passed on her European jersey from the road race to her teammate and compatriot Mischa Bredewold, which once again brought about some surprise (for Wiebes). "I thought, 'I still have this jersey lying around at home somewhere,'" she chuckles. "No, kidding aside: I genuinely began this race with high ambitions. I had only participated in two gravel races this year, and it's a challenging discipline to begin with. Fortunately, for me, it was a fairly fast course," she remarked while analyzing the course set out in the woodlands around Oud-Heverlee. "Towards the end, it was still quite demanding. It turned into something of a race of attrition. We quickly found ourselves with just four women leading the way."

The inaugural European Gravel Championships for elite women (and not just elite women) lost some of its luster due to dropped or misled riders from other categories. At one point, Cromwell, Van Empel, Guarischi, and Wiebes were riding amid numerous male competitors. "Calling it course forgery would be an exaggeration, but some spectators did find it 'unfair,'" she acknowledged. "Of course, right from the start, we knew that we might find ourselves amidst the men. We were well aware of that possibility. At one point, the four of us broke away and ended up in a group with male riders. It turned out to be a good group, and in this case, it worked in our favor because those men pulled us along!" she concluded with a wink.