Magnus Bak Klaris won the Gravel World Championships in Nannup, Australia, after a four-rider sprint decided the men’s 144-kilometre race on Sunday.
The Danish gravel specialist beat Florian Vermeersch of Belgium to the line, with Great Britain’s Connor Swift taking bronze. Mads Würtz Schmidt, Bak Klaris’ Denmark teammate, finished fourth on the same time.
Swift tried to break clear in the closing metres after the leaders reached the final stretch of tarmac. The move did not stick, and Bak Klaris had the speed to finish the job after a demanding, tactical race.
Bak Klaris had spent much of the day riding in support of Würtz Schmidt. He still had enough left to contest the sprint after a late reshuffle at the front.
Gravel World Championships race shaped by early break
The race opened with an aggressive move from Jenson Young of Great Britain and Lukas Pöstlberger of Austria. They went clear soon after the flag dropped and quickly became the main reference point for the peloton.
Peter Schulting of the Netherlands later joined the move, while Jo Pirotte of Belgium also reached the front before dropping back into a long spell between groups.
The leading trio held more than two minutes over a 16-rider chase group as the race developed. Behind them, the chase began to fracture under the pressure of the terrain and pace.
The Nannup course gave riders a more technical challenge than previous editions. Long sections of pea gravel made traction vital, especially through fast corners and on the approaches to climbs.
Young eventually lost contact before the 3.8-kilometre Glacier climb, with just under 40 kilometres remaining. That left Pöstlberger and Schulting fighting to hold off the strongest riders behind.
Late climbs bring the favourites together
The decisive selection came near the Folly climb, a 2.4-kilometre ascent averaging 4.8%. Swift, Würtz Schmidt, Bak Klaris, Paul Voss of Germany and Vermeersch broke out of the chase and erased the leaders’ advantage.
Vermeersch then lost contact, which left four riders at the front. The race briefly regrouped when remnants of the chase returned, creating a nine-rider selection before the next acceleration.
On the shorter Tank 7 climb, Swift, Würtz Schmidt and Bak Klaris again forced a gap. That move looked dangerous as the route tipped toward the descent into the finish area.
Then Würtz Schmidt slid out on a fast corner. Swift and Bak Klaris had to slow sharply behind him, which allowed Vermeersch to regain position at the head of the race.
Swift quickly rebuilt his momentum and pushed on with Vermeersch. Bak Klaris and Würtz Schmidt then rejoined, setting up a four-man run into Nannup.
Swift made one final attempt to avoid the sprint, but the others brought him back. Bak Klaris then delivered the winning kick, with Vermeersch second and Swift third.
Men’s top 10
- 1. Magnus Bak Klaris (Denmark) 4:09:05
- 2. Florian Vermeersch (Belgium), same time
- 3. Connor Swift (Great Britain), same time
- 4. Mads Würtz Schmidt (Denmark), same time
- 5. Paul Voss (Germany) +7s
- 6. Keegan Swenson (United States), same time
- 7. Martin Stosek (Czech Republic) +8s
- 8. Stan Dewulf (Belgium) +40s
- 9. Matt Beers (South Africa) +42s
- 10. Peter Schulting (Netherlands) +1:22