Tiffany Cromwell raced to an impressive sixth place at the first-ever UCI Gravel World Championships today in Italy.

Representing Australia, Tiffany was in the leading group of 7 riders after 38km, which swelled to around 30 riders at the halfway point of the 140km-long race. After a series of attacks, a group of five riders went clear. With 40km remaining, Cromwell and two others tried to bridge across to bring themselves into medal contention but were unable to close the gap as Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (France) took the first rainbow jersey for gravel.

Tiffany said: “I didn’t know what to expect going into the race. I knew it would be a different style gravel event compared to what I’ve previously raced, and I was lining up against top women from various cycling discipline backgrounds.”

“After racing it, it’s hard to explain what it was like. It was a fun, fast and hard race where some tactical knowledge was needed, and I admit my mix of road and gravel experience helped me. But it was tricky to manage. The final break went just after I had been in a move, and I couldn’t immediately go again. We tried to get across, and we came close. They were within sight and only 20 seconds away, but we couldn’t make the gap.”

“It’s disappointing to be close to the first group and not get there. Sixth for me, knowing I wasn’t in my best-ever form, I can say I am happy with my race. I gave everything I had on the day and never gave up, fighting to catch the leaders back.”

“In terms of the race, I enjoyed the atmosphere. There were some fans in several parts of the course, and coming to the finish inside the city walls was cool. There’s always room to improve, but it gives me the motivation to put more focus on the event and chase those gravel rainbow stripes.”

Facebook

Twitter