It was a spectacular event in Houffalize (Belgium), which hosted the UEC Gravel European Championships on a day that confirmed the extraordinary growth of this discipline across the continent.
A total of 1,810 participants from 32 countries lined up at the start across the various categories, a remarkable figure that testifies to the growing interest in Gravel cycling and which transformed Houffalize, a city with a rich cycling heritage, into the European capital of Gravel cycling for a whole day.
In the Men’s Elite category, Denmark’s Mads Würtz Schmidt retained his European Championship title following a race in which he dominated proceedings. After a fiercely contested first half of the race, the Dane picked up the pace in the second half of the course, managing to break away and ride solo to the finish line. Schmidt finished in 4h09’57’’, securing his second consecutive European title following his victory last year in Avezzano (Italy).
Behind him, Belgium claimed two places on the podium: Wout Alleman took the silver medal in 4h11’06’’, 1’09’’ behind the winner, whilst Niels Vandeputte completed the podium with a time of 4h13’40’’, 3’43’’ behind.
The Women’s Elite race ended in a completely different fashion and proved particularly exciting. After spending most of the race in the lead, Femke Markus (Netherlands), Shirin van Anrooij (Netherlands) and Axelle Dubau-Prévot (France) battled it out for the European title in a three-way sprint.
Femke Markus came out on top and claimed the European Champion’s jersey in 4h57’27’’, beating Van Anrooij by just 2 seconds. Dubau-Prévot took the bronze medal, finishing just 8 seconds behind the winner.
Enrico Della Casa, President of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme: “The Gravel European Championships in Houffalize were a great success. With over 1,800 participants, this event once again confirms the extraordinary growth of Gravel cycling, a discipline that continues to develop rapidly and to bring together an ever-growing community of enthusiasts. Houffalize provided the ideal setting for these European Championships, and I would like to sincerely thank the city for its warm welcome and for the commitment it has shown.
A special thank you goes to Golazo, our partner in many major UEC events and a true guarantee of organisational excellence.
Events such as this demonstrate the strength that Gravel cycling has achieved today and, above all, its enormous potential for the future.”
The next edition of the UEC Gravel European Championships will take place in Lahti (Finland) on 31 July and 1 August 2027.
