Martin Stošek (Czechia) took out the men's elite title at the 2024 UEC Gravel European Championships on Sunday, riding solo to take victory at the 153km race starting and finishing in Italy’s Asiago.
The second edition of the continental championships ran over three gravel laps of a 51km loop set in Italy’s Veneto region, which was home to the last two Gravel World Championships. The race for the rainbow jersey played out in Belgium last weekend, with Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) adding another world title to his palmares.
It wasn't the big stars of road racing that took the spotlight at the European Championships but one from the mountain bike cross-country marathon circuit, with Stošek applying his trade for the Canyon Sidi MTB throughout the season.
He took victory after attacking out of the lead group that got away on the second lap and leaving the likes of Toby Perry (Great Britain) and Jenno Berckmoes (Belgium) to fight for the final podium spots. The Brit got away in the final lap to take silver ahead of the Lotto Dstny rider, the top finisher from professional road cycling.
It was a surprising win for Stošek, with pre-race favourite Gianni Vermeersch (Belgium), who took fifth at the World Championships last weekend, having his race ended by two mechanicals in the opening lap.
However, once he'd got himself into a key group of six up the hardest climb alongside Perry, Berckmoes, Olivier Godfroid (Belgium), Paul Voß (Germany) and Aleksandr Grigorev (Russia), he showed clear dominance over the rough terrain.
The second edition of the European title race is the first qualifying round for next year’s rainbow jersey battle, which will take place in Nice, France. Jasper Stuyven (Belgium) won the first European title race in Belgium last year.
Stošek not only succeeds Stuyven as the European Gravel Champion but adds this to his top results of second at MTB XC Marathon Worlds in 2023 and sixth from this season.
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