2023-06-19 17:27:37
It was a weekend of racing of rare intensity which ended yesterday in Millau, during the Wish One Millau Grands Causses 2023 event, stage of the UCI Gravel World Series.
This weekend began with an innovation in the programme: the OPEN, Juniors & Cadets races allowed beginners to learn about Gravel competition, in the hope of perhaps, one day, taking part 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 the long distance athlete, Virginia Cancielleri, impose the rhythm, quickly relayed by Carolin Schiff, best Gravel cyclist of the moment. Their impressive climb up the Pouncho in 22min19s, only 4min ahead of the men’s trio of Freddy Ovett, Aurélien Philibert and Byron Munton, captured attention. These three had very little time for themselves before being overtaken by a peloton reduced to around twenty riders.
The regrouping between women and men on the first paths of the Causse Noir allowed Carolin Schiff and Rosa Klöser to escape from their competitors while the men’s peloton continued to lose elements in this difficult gravel section. There were already only 12 of them on the Pierrefiche coast before approaching the military camp. Meanwhile, in women, Carolin Schiff had sown her last competitor, Rosa Klöser, who was caught by Jade Treiffesen to form a duo on the counterattack.
The grueling Camp Militaire was a challenge for the runners who had to fight against a particularly strong wind this year. The open landscapes were not a distraction but rather contributed to a more rigorous selection, reducing the leading group to 10 riders at the exit of the Larzac training camp. The decision came in the new part of the route, in 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 special stage of the Rallye des Cardabelle, with in order Geoffrey Soupe, Nathan Haas, Russell Finsterwald and Frenchman Emeric Turcat.
At La Cavalerie, the top three chasers regrouped and worked together in hopes of catching the 23-year-old Briton. On the women’s side, Rosa Klöser paid the price for her efforts at the start of the race 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 left. 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 is undeniably leaving a mark for the future.
This performance was followed by an equally impressive recital for the women: Carolin Schiff confirmed her supremacy by finishing the 145 km with nearly 12 minutes ahead of her compatriots Jade Treiffesen and Rosa Klöser.
Rankings: ICI
Source : CP
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