The UCI Gravel World Series made its first stop in the United States at the Highlands Gravel Classic on Saturday, with Crystal Anthony taking a solo victory in the women’s category while Ethan Overson outsprinted Oakley Griffin to win the men’s race.
The second annual Highlands Gravel Classic was one of two qualifying events in North America, along with Canada's Blue Mountain Gravel, for the UCI Gravel World Championship. The 66-mile course featured iconic gravel race courses that twisted and snaked through the Boston Mountain range of the Ozarks just east of Fayetteville. The route included 95% gravel terrain.
As an added challenge, the riders faced sweltering temperatures with a heat index of up to 100 F. After riding together for most of the race, Anthony dropped Raylyn Nuss with 20 miles to go on one of the major climbs and rode alone to the finish. Suffering from the heat, Nuss placed second, crossing the line over nine minutes later. In third was 24-year-old Gabrielle Henry.
Overson and Griffin were part of the four-rider lead group, along with John Purvis, Freddy Ovett, which broke away in the first 25 miles of the men’s race.
The group became a trio when Purvis fell off the pace on the final climb. Overson made his first move at 700 metres to go, to drop Ovett forcing a two-up sprint to the line with Overson prevailing over Griffin. Ovett held on for third.
Highlands Gravel Classic is the 11th round of the 2023 UCI Gravel World Series. Racing moves to the Netherlands for the 12th round at Gravel One Fifty in Veenhuizen, on July 15.
