UCI Gravel World Series: Former junior Australian gravel champion steps up to claim elite women's win at a muddy Gravelista while rowing Olympic medallist sails away for elite men's victory

The first 2027 Australian qualifier of the UCI Gravel World Series, Gravelista, crowned two very different first time series winners. The 19-year-old Ruby Taylor claimed the elite women’s victory and an Olympic silver medallist in rowing, Great Britain’s Harry Leask, won the elite men’s category.

They both, however, crossed the line solo in muddy and wet conditions after the race, for a second year, was hit by a cool turn in the spring conditions. That resulted in a shortening of the original 135km course to 97.1km with 1,154m of elevation gain.

Taylor excelled in the conditions to take her first UCI Gravel World Series elite victory in dominating style. The young rider, who won the junior Australian gravel title two years ago, crossed the line after 3 hours, eight minutes and 36 seconds with a margin of nearly nine minutes to the closest women’s competitor, Laura Tomlinson, who was riding in the 19-34 year old age-group category.

The 40-44 rider Belen Lopez Morales, who from 2011-13 claimed the Spanish time trial title on the road, was next over the line and it was then a group of six, including Great Britain’s Hayley Simmonds, at nearly 11 minutes that fought for the next places in the overall and the remaining two spots on the elite women’s podium.

The 35-39 category rider Philippa Birch won that sprint and then elite women’s category riders Karoline Risager Schmidt – who finished in the top 30 at the UCI Gravel World Championships in Nannup – and Amanda Poulsen took the next two positions. In the process, Risager Schmidt and Poulsen also came second and third in the elite category.

For Taylor the top step was the continuation of a year where she hasn’t just been easing her way out of the junior ranks, but blasting into a new category with victories that have often left her older and more experienced rivals leagues behind.

The run of successes has crossed disciplines and includes two stage wins at the three-stage ProVelo Super League round of the Tour of Tasmania plus an U23 Australian XCO Mountain Bike title that not only saw her shed her category rivals but also make up the one minute deficit at the start line to nearly all the elite women out on the course, the only exception being elite victor Rebecca Henderson.

In the men's elite race at Gravelista, which started and finished in Seymour in Victoria, the field included former Australian gravel champions Mark O'Brien and Connor Sens as well as pastUCI Gravel World Series race winner Tasman Nankervis but Leask had also marked himself out as a potential threat with second at Devils Cardigan earlier this year.

Leask, who after rowing also became a cyclor in the America's Cup, made a crucial early move with Nankervis and O'Brien.

"Another wet and muddy race. Managed to get away 3 up after the main climb at 30k, then was able to get a gap in the last 6/7k to come across the line solo," said Leask in a post on social media.

The British rider crossed the line in two hours, 31 minutes and 16 seconds, which was 23 seconds ahead of second-placed Nankervis. O'Brien, a further four seconds back, claimed third in the elite category. It was then more than three minutes later when a group of four riders crossed the line to fight for fourth place, with Oliver Johnston leading them over.

Gravelista is one of the early qualifying events for the 2027 UCI Gravel World Championships, which will take place in Châtel on August 26 and 27.

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