Having to stop on the trail and plug a puncture was not enough to stop Petr Vakoč scooping victory in the men's edition of The Gralloch UCI Gravel World Series event in Scotland. He sprinted to victory at the head of a four-rider group to take a photo-finish first place.
Dutch rider Tessa Neefjes (Liv Racing) echoed Vakoč in the women's race, sprinting home at the head of a quartet of riders.
The event saw live broadcasting for the first time, available to watch on the Gralloch website and also for event-goers and their families at the event village.
The riders took on a lumpy 111km course in Galloway Forest in southern Scotland, made up almost entirely of gravelly double track and comprising 1,761m of climbing.
Canyon Isadore rider Vakoč – a former Brabantse Pijl winner – established an early lead with Ben Thomas (Ribble Outliers) with Vakoč's puncture allowing them to be caught by chasers Matt Holmes (OGT Racing) and Benjamin Perry (independent).
(Image credit: Red On Sports)
Podium places in the women's elite race went to British riders Ffion Gilbert (Wold Top Pactimo) and former WorldTour rider and national CX champ Sophie Wright (Ribble Outliers).
"Yesterday was a day full of emotions," Vakoč wrote on social media. "With 40km to go our gap was well over 90 seconds and I felt really great. Waiting for a good moment to attack and try to go solo to finish. Things looked really good but then I had a puncture… I managed to keep calm and pace myself back to Ben."
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He added: "I did not panic, focused on the sprint and despite less than a perfect execution narrowly grabbed the win."
Max Wussler of Gralloch organiser Red On Sports told Cycling Weekly: “This was our first real test of live coverage at The Gralloch, and we’re really pleased with how it enhanced the experience in the event village. From aerial views to close-up ATV footage, especially in the final 10km, it gave fans on site a front row seat to the action. It wasn’t designed as a full broadcast package for YouTube, but streaming it gave viewers at home a great glimpse into the racing."
He added: "Looking ahead to 2026, we’re working closely with EventScotland to explore what’s possible – our ambition is to create a full race-day show with commentary, insights and studio analysis worthy of the world’s best gravel racing.”
As with all UCI World Series races, the top 25% of each race, including age group categories, have qualified for the World Championships in Limburg, Netherlands, in October.
This year's The Gralloch also saw a sportive event, as organisers opened up the event up to a wider range of abilities, with 111km and 53km options available.
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After cutting his teeth on local and national newspapers, James began at Cycling Weekly as a sub-editor in 2000 when the current office was literally all fields.
Eventually becoming chief sub-editor, in 2016 he switched to the job of full-time writer, and covers news, racing and features.
He has worked at a variety of races, from the Classics to the Giro d'Italia – and this year will be his seventh Tour de France.
A lifelong cyclist and cycling fan, James's racing days (and most of his fitness) are now behind him. But he still rides regularly, both on the road and on the gravelly stuff.
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