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Simone Giuliani

UCI Gravel World Series: Winning runs for world champion Lorena Wiebes and Belgian champion Niels Vandeputte at Eislek Gravel Luxembourg

Belgian Champion Niels Vandeputte proving strongest in a sprint on the final cobbled climb at 2026 Eislek Gravel Luxembourg.

Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) and Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Premier Tech) scored wins at Eislek Gravel in Luxembourg on Sunday, with the gravel World Champion winning the elite women's race solo. The Belgian National Champion grabbed his first gravel victory of the year at the UCI Gravel World Series race in a sprint showdown.

Wiebes finished ahead of last week's Wish One winner Sophie Wright (Ribble Outliers) while SD Worx Protime teammate Femke Gerritse was third in the race. It was the second GWS victory of the season for Wiebes.

In the elite men's category, which began in the heart of Vianden and then climbed to the castle, Joris Nieuwenhuis took the runner-up spot while Petr Vakoč (Factor Racing) was third. Five riders went to the line on the cobbled climb to the finish, Hugo Drechou and Magnus Bak Klaris rounding out the top five behind the podium trio.

The 109km race presented tough conditions through the Vianden Forest, with high temperatures that soared to 31°C and 2350m of vertical gain over the three loops of the course.

The second edition of Eislek Gravel was one of four qualifiers across the globe on busy gravel weekend, with Devils Cardigan in Australia, the OG Classique in Canada and Grand Tour 3 Cime Lavaredo in Italy. The top 25% of competitors in each series race qualify for the Gravel World Championships in Nannup, Western Australian on October 10-11.

Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) wins 2026 Eislek Gravel Luxembourg in the rainbow jersey as Gravel World Champion (Image credit: UCI Gravel World Series)
Elite women top 5

Position

Rider (Country) Team

Time Gap

1

Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime

4:03:08

2

Sophie Wright (GBr) Ribble Outliers

0:01:16

3

Femke Gerritse (Ned) SD Worx-Protime

0:02:50

4

Hanne Van Loock (Bel)

0:05:58

5

Teuntje Beekhuis (Ned) Uno-X Mobility

0:09:11

Elite men top 5

Position

Rider (Country) Team

Time Gap

1

Niels Vandeputte (Bel) Alpecin-Premier Tech Development Team

3:25:24

2

Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ned) Ridley Racing Team

0:00:01

3

Petr Vakoč (Cze) Factor Racing

st

4

Hugo Drechou (Fra)

0:00:02

5

Magnus Bak Klaris (Den) Airtox- Carl Ras

st

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