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Elena Cecchini (Italy) was just off the back of that group, while the rest of the field is fragmented but not spread out at all, so the situation is still fluid as it stands.
Here’s the full list of riders in the lead group
11 riders in the lead
And here we can see the Dutch looking to use their numbers to be a controlling force in the race.
The first photos are coming through now. Here they are alongside the water in Halle in the opening kilometres.
For a more detailed run-through of the faovurites for the rainbow jersey today, we have you covered.
The first live timing checkpoint comes after 16 kilometres and we can see that the race is still bunched up. Luxembourg’s Christine Majerus was the first rider through the checkpoint but no breakaway and no big splits in the field in the early stages.
And we also grabbed a word with Vos at the start
Precious little in-race information coming through right now as we await television broadcast to begin. We do, however, have this scoop from the start, where CN editor Peter Stuart has spotted that Marianne Vos is using an adjustable tyre pressure system.
We’re off
We start in Halle today before making our way over to Leuven, scene of the 2021 Road Worlds. That will take around 80km, before they reach the finish line and embark on a 50km finishing circuit through the Forests of Brabant south of the city. It’s said that around 60% of the course is unpaved, and it’s classic Belgian fare, littered with short punchy climbs.
Anyway, the start is coming up at 12:00 local time, so just around the corner.
No Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland) here today, as last year’s world champ has decided to eschew a title defence and end her season. Likewise, the first gravel world champion, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (France) is not here, so we’ll have a first-time world champ by the end of the day. Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) is a huge name on the start list, the home favourite looking to double up on rainbows after winning the road race crown for a second consecutive year just a week ago. The Dutch have an eye-watering line-up with Marianne Vos, Puck Pieterse, Lorena Wiebes, Fem van Empel, and Lucinda Brand (to name a few), but how much will team tactics really matter on the gravel?
It’s the third edition of the Gravel Worlds… not the original Gravel Worlds, but the World Championships of gravel according to the UCI, which for spirited gravel purists may still feel like sacrilege but the event is now in its third year and has established itself to the point where it’s attracting a bigger and better field than ever before. I’m not quite sure where we’re up to in the debate over what gravel is or indeed should be, but we’ve got a great start list, plenty of unpaved roads, and a rainbow jersey up for grabs. Let’s get on with it.
Welcome to Cyclingnews’ live coverage of the elite women’s race at the UCI Gravel World Championships.
