Connor Sens, Courtney Sherwell sweep up Beechworth Gravel World collection spherical

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Australian champion Connor Sens and Courtney Sherwell have taken the general victories on the Gravelista spherical of the Trek UCI Gravel World Sequence in Beechworth, one of many opening qualifiers for the 2024 Gravel World Championships.

The riders from Bendigo each headed by way of the road solo, carving out a spot on all their rivals on the 120 km course that headed out of the historic township in Victoria’s excessive nation by way of farmland and forest, taking within the Chiltern-Mt Pilot Nationwide Park alongside the best way. 

Sherwell, the 2022 winner of the primary version of the Soiled Warrny, crossed the road in three hours, 53 minutes and 5 seconds to safe the elite girls’s title. One-and-a-half minutes later Matilda Raynolds got here by way of to take second whereas Cassia Boglio got here third. 

Within the elite males’s race Sens, who completed the race in three hours 30 seconds and 44 seconds stretched the hole ending practically a minute forward of Torben Partridge-Mason, who was coming off a powerful patch on the highway having taken third within the Basic Classification on the Nationwide Street Sequence Cycle Sunshine Coast. Daniel Braunsteins was third.

“What a yr it’s been,” stated Sens in an Instagram put up. “Beginning the yr with seventh [in] the RoadNats ITT, to a couple Bendigo District Biking Membership wins, taking out the Nationwide Gravel Championships, fifth at SEVEN, representing Australia on the Gravel World Championships and now a UCI Gravel World Sequence win!”

In a area that was lacking final yr’s winner, Adam Blazevic, Sens had stepped into the race with the primary pinned on his again and it did not take lengthy for him to show it was effectively positioned. A few of his rivals fell away from the entrance of the race beneath the stress of the tempo and climbs. For others, equivalent to Mark O’Brien, it was a puncture that ended their pursuit of the rostrum within the race with round 1,800m of elevation acquire with gravel surfaces on 85% of the roads.

Sens completed off the final brutal climb earlier than heading by way of the village of Stanley, with its apple orchids in a strong place and added one other victory to his robust gravel season on the road at Mayday Hills, Beechworth.

Sherwell had additionally come into the race as one of many key riders to observe. Final yr’s winner and Australian champion Justine Barrow wasn’t readily available to defend her title, with damage hampering the second half of her season. The 35-year-old was a transparent seemingly predecessor to Barrow, in any case she not solely claimed the 246km Soiled Warrny in 2022 but in addition completed on the rostrum of each the SEVEN Gravel World Sequence race this yr and the Beechworth occasion final yr.

In 2022 a a lot wanted water cease had shaken her maintain on the entrance two riders, Barrow and Samara Shepherd. This yr, nevertheless, Sherwell performed her hand to perfection, batting off the problem of the highly effective Raynolds to safe the victory.

Outcomes