Martin Stošek (Czechia) took out the boys’s elite title on the 2024 UEC Gravel European Championships on Sunday, using solo to take victory on the 153km race beginning and ending in Italy’s Asiago.
The second version of the continental championships ran over three gravel laps of a 51km loop set in Italy’s Veneto area, which was dwelling to the final two Gravel World Championships. The race for the rainbow jersey performed out in Belgium final weekend, with Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) including one other world title to his palmares.
It wasn’t the large stars of street racing that took the highlight on the European Championships however one from the mountain bike cross-country marathon circuit, with Stošek making use of his commerce for the Canyon Sidi MTB all through the season.
He took victory after attacking out of the lead group that received away on the second lap and leaving the likes of Toby Perry (Nice Britain) and Jenno Berckmoes (Belgium) to struggle for the ultimate podium spots. The Brit received away within the closing lap to take silver forward of the Lotto Dstny rider, the highest finisher from skilled street biking.
It was a stunning win for Stošek, with pre-race favorite Gianni Vermeersch (Belgium), who took fifth on the World Championships final weekend, having his race ended by two mechanicals within the opening lap.
Nevertheless, as soon as he’d received himself right into a key group of six up the toughest climb alongside Perry, Berckmoes, Olivier Godfroid (Belgium), Paul Voß (Germany) and Aleksandr Grigorev (Russia), he confirmed clear dominance over the tough terrain.
The second version of the European title race is the primary qualifying spherical for subsequent 12 months’s rainbow jersey battle, which is able to happen in Good, France. Jasper Stuyven (Belgium) gained the primary European title race in Belgium final 12 months.
Stošek not solely succeeds Stuyven because the European Gravel Champion however provides this to his prime outcomes of second at MTB XC Marathon Worlds in 2023 and sixth from this season.
Outcomes powered by FirstCycling
