The 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships took place in the Netherlands this weekend, held on the winding farm roads of Limburg. The course, an attritious Classics mix of cobbled sectors, gravel and rolling fields, was tailor-made for the home nation, especially in the women’s field, where the orange-clad who’s who of the WorldTour peloton overwhelmed the competition. A winner would surely come from among them. But who?
With roughly 12 kilometres to go, Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek / The Netherlands) attacked on one of the final gravel sectors, powering clear of the elite chase. Her gap grew. Twenty seconds, then thirty. And for a little while, the Dutch riders behind her seemed content to see her out in front while they marked their foreign rivals.
