OKBET CYCLING As the first ever Gravel World Champion, Ferrand-Prévot creates waves
OKBET CYCLING As the first ever Gravel World Champion, Ferrand-Prévot creates waves
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (France) won the first-ever elite women’s UCI Gravel World Championships in a two-up sprint with Sina Frei (Switzerland) in her first-ever gravel event, adding to her huge collection of rainbow jerseys.
As the overwhelming favorite in the Veneto despite her inexperience in this particular discipline, Ferrand-Prévot played up to her reputation after winning an unprecedented hat-trick of world gold at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Les Gets in August.
Ferrand-Prévot took her fourth rainbow jersey in less than a month after surging clear of the crucial four-rider split with Frei on the kick into the medieval town of Cittadella. Chiara Teocchi (Italy) beat Jade Treffeisen (Germany) for third place a few seconds later.
The best of the chasers were Barbara Guarischi (Italy), who finished fifth at 27 seconds, and Tiffany Cromwell (Australia), who finished sixth at 40 seconds. This ungainly group eventually broke apart in the last stages of the 140-kilometer race.
Ferrand-Prévot said, “I believe I completed a perfect race.” “I was certain that if there was a bunch sprint at the end, I would come out on top. It was a brilliant strategy, and I can’t believe I came out on top today.
In 2015, Ferrand-Prévot added the cyclo-cross championship to the road and mountain bike crowns she had already won the year before, giving her a total of three rainbow jerseys to wear at once. The Frenchwoman now has four world championships at once, bringing her total number of rainbow jerseys to 10.
She added, “I simply want to enjoy this platform and enjoy the day; I’m not thinking about the prior ones.” “I’m glad; scoring a victory always makes me happy.
Ferrand-Prévot, who had already been conspicuous at the front of the race on the lone hill, the short but tough early ascent up Monte Berico, was the major driver of the decisive move, which started to take form with just under 60km to go.
After that point, it became a race to the finish. Only four riders remained at the front after mountain bikers Ferrand-Prévot, Frei, and Teocchi and the gravel specialist Treffeisen, who was a consistent performer across the UCI Gravel Series this season, had distanced the valiant Lauren Stephens (USA), who has ridden three World Championships in three different disciplines this past month, with 35 kilometers to go.
The group had a minute’s head start on the pursuers at that point, but Ferrand-Prévot had to encourage her teammates to work together better as they neared the beautiful walled town of Cittadella.
“I was in good spirits, and I knew I had to pull very well or else the others would say, ‘OK, we don’t ride with you.'” So, I was encouraging them to keep going,” Ferrand-Prévot said. It executed as planned. I knew I had to settle for second and give it my all in a sprint at the finish. The journey was successful, and I arrived. The timing was perfect; I finally got what I wanted.”
the sequence of events
Though this was Ferrand-first Prévot’s competitive excursion on gravel, it was evident even before the start in Vicenza that she was not here to fill the roster or appease her sponsors. An frightening picture for the rest of the peloton of fifty, Ferrand-Prévot was going through the scales on the turbo trainer half an hour before the off.
The Italian squad warmed up together on the rollers before the day’s lone climb, the ascent to the church atop Monte Berico, where Philippe Gilbert eventually took the stage win in the 2015 Giro d’Italia.
Despite Ferrand-early Prévot’s acceleration signaling her aim to be the one to make the selection at Monte Berico, the field was already fairly separated by the time they emerged from the gravel and into the smooth, portico-lined road that climbed to the summit. It was also notable that the likes of Ferrand-Prévot, Cromwell, Stephens, and Frei, all riders who would go on to play significant roles in the race, were all positioned at the front on that climb.
Frei remarked, “The initial half was extremely fantastic, because of the hill, but in the end, we had a long distance to travel in a small group,” adding that she would have enjoyed much more climbing throughout the course.
Around 15 kilometers later, Ferrand-Prévot was in the lead for a short while alongside Frei, Teocchi, Stephens, Annabel Fisher (Great Britain), and Sofia Gomez Villafane (Argentina). And naturally, the Frenchwoman arrived quickly as Teocchi attacked with little under 60 kilometers to go, setting off the decisive maneuver.
The Italian team behind them worked together to sabotage the pursuit of Cromwell and company, however the front five were so powerful that the Italians could have had trouble bringing them back even if they hadn’t been disrupted. All the way to Cittadella, Ferrand-Prévot and company maintained their lead over the chasers over flat terrain that alternated between narrow single-track and bigger stretches of gravel road.
One person who can attest to the effectiveness of that elite front group is Stephens. I was in pain, but I hoped I could manage by conserving. After the race, she remarked, “I began cramping with about 35km to go and I couldn’t handle the wheel.” After retracing my steps via two sets of switchbacks, I found myself forced to walk up the slope due to severe cramping.
Meanwhile, Ferrand-Prévot was satisfied to arrive at Cittadella with the group still together, despite Frei’s desperate attempt to shake her free on the muddy ascent to the fortress. Frei was successful in eliminating Treffeisen and Teocchi with fire, but Ferrand-Prévot was indestructible. The Frenchman Ferrand-Prévot described it thus way: “If it came to the sprint, I believed I was practically invincible.”
| Pos. | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (France) | 4:09:07 |
| 2 | Sina Frei (Switzerland) | 0:00:00 |
| 3 | Chiara Teocchi (Italy) | 0:00:11 |
| 4 | Jade Treffeisen (Germany) | 0:00:11 |
| 5 | Barbara Guarischi (Italy) | 0:00:27 |
| 6 | Tiffany Cromwell (Australia) | 0:00:40 |
| 7 | Ilaria Sanguineti (Italy) | 0:01:02 |
| 8 | Letizia Borghesi (Italy) | 0:03:08 |
| 9 | Rasa Leleivyte (Lithuania) | 0:03:11 |
| 10 | Riejanne Markus (Netherlands) | 0:03:14 |
| 11 | Sofia Bertizzolo (Italy) | 0:03:53 |
| 12 | Sofia Gomez Villafane (Argentina) | 0:03:55 |
| 13 | Svenja Betz (Germany) | 0:04:00 |
| 14 | Marta Romeu (Spain) | 0:04:04 |
| 15 | Lauren Stephens (United States Of America) | 0:08:45 |
| 16 | Lija Laizane (Latvia) | 0:09:09 |
| 17 | Danielle Shrosbree (Great Britain) | 0:10:29 |
| 18 | Janine Schneider (Germany) | 0:10:30 |
| 19 | Sarah Sturm (United States Of America) | 0:10:31 |
| 20 | Lauren de Crescenzo (United States Of America) | 0:11:44 |
| 21 | Mika Söderström (Sweden) | 0:17:49 |
| 22 | Debora Piana (Italy) | 0:17:53 |
| 23 | Emily Newsom (United States Of America) | 0:20:27 |
| 24 | Puck Moonen (Netherlands) | 0:22:04 |
| 25 | Giada Borghesi (Italy) | 0:22:05 |
| 26 | Hayley Simmonds (Great Britain) | 0:22:12 |
| 27 | Hanna Johansson (Sweden) | 0:22:16 |
| 28 | Carin Winell (Sweden) | 0:22:21 |
| 29 | Madeleine Nutt (Great Britain) | 0:24:47 |
| 30 | Darcie Richards (Australia) | 0:30:10 |
| 31 | Amanda Voss (Germany) | 0:30:30 |
| 32 | Eva Lechner (Italy) | 0:34:10 |
| 33 | Fariba Hashimi (Afghanistan) | 0:37:19 |
| 34 | Anna Giesen (Germany) | 0:37:23 |
| 35 | Simona Mazzucotelli (Italy) | 0:42:47 |
| 36 | Emma Porter (Ireland) | 0:59:00 |
| 37 | Laura Martin Perez (Spain) | 1:01:52 |
| 38 | Mary Aleper (Uganda) | 1:05:57 |
| 39 | Yuldoz Hashimi (Afghanistan) | 1:34:47 |
| 40 | Rachel Neylan (Australia) | |
| 41 | Holly Mathews (United States Of America) |
OKBET UPDATE
Numerous bonuses and unique offers at OKBET make gaming more enjoyable. This OKBET offer is only accessible to players who make their first deposit. When registering, every new player must put down a Php 1,000 security deposit. After making your first deposit, bonuses and free bets may be used to enhance your sports betting. The Cashback bonus on deposits provides a 2% refund on OKBET platform deposits. Before you may cash out, you must place a single wager equal to or more than the deposit bonus. The OKBET Second Deposit 68 percent bonus (up to Php 3,000) is exclusive to OKBet users who make a second deposit.
The most recent incentive is the Refer-A-Friend Bonus (up to 15%). If you refer up to four friends, you may earn up to 10% of their first deposit incentive. Conversely, if you bring five or more friends to join, you may get a 15% bonus on their first deposit. The last bonus is the birthday bonus. To play, a player must be an active member. In order to qualify for the birthday bonus, you must have made at least three (3) deposits during the preceding thirty days.
