Blaavand Gravel brings world-class racing to the Danish west coast
Last Saturday, 1 June, an international cycling and culture race was held in Denmark: Blaavand Gravel as part of the World Cup. Willing Able Racing lined up with six riders among several international top riders. Both from the road and from the new discipline of gravel. The long elite route went through some of Denmark’s most magnificent nature in the cycling-wise challenging area around the Esbjerg coast. Gravel, which in a broader sense has spread through cycling culture outside the sport itself. So now everyone rides at an easy pace and in easy company through rewarding nature away from the roads. But now it has also become sport – real sport! And most recently on the Danish west coast.
Tim Merlier wins Blaavand Gravel while Jonas Lindberg rides to second place
Blaavand Gravel was won this year by the Belgian Quick-Step class rider Tim Merlier. Just landed after three stage wins in the Giro. Most important for Willing Able Racing, however, was that Jonas Lindberg sat aggressively in the front group all the way to the finish. WA Racing’s Jonas finished 2nd after the race’s 155.2 kilometres in a Quick-Step sandwich, with Bert Van Lerberghe ending third. In the sprint Van Lerberghe opened incredibly far from the line out on the side, Lindberg followed and passed, but the lightning-fast Merlier came past in the final metres.
Blaavand Gravel ends on a high for Willing Able Racing
The three were for a long time part of a group of five, where Julian Siemons (No Borders Gravel) took fourth place and Frederik Rassmann (Rose Racing Circle) was 5th. It started as a group of around 10 riders that broke away early in the race and was decimated more and more. With pride we note Mathias Rosenberg Pedersen in 7th and an impressive 8 Willing Able riders in the top 23.
Big up.
Rewatch race footage with English commentary here [copy the link into a new window]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLYMa1kSdro&t=11806s
