Tiffany Cromwell will race the first edition of the UCI Gravel World Championships on Saturday, 8 October, in the Veneto region of Italy. The CANYON//SRAM Racing rider will represent Australia at the history-making event.

Tiffany said: “A world championship in gravel is something new, has a lot of unknowns, and is met with differing opinions about how respected this particular rainbow jersey will be. Any opportunity to race for the rainbow stripes is exciting. As more information about the event has become available in the last weeks, I’ve seen more excitement around the event.”

“All year, I had mixed feelings if I wanted to go all in for it or not. In the end, I decided to race, and I am looking forward to it. Being part of something new and the first chance to be gravel world champion is cool.”

The women’s peloton will cover a distance of 140km, and the elite category has 48 riders registered for the race. The course is a mix of gravel, hard roads, and asphalt.

“On paper, it’s the easiest course I’ve raced on, being so flat and much shorter than most gravel races. Let’s see how technical the gravel is once we get there. It’s always hard to know just from what people say or seeing videos, so I’m looking forward to seeing how technical the gravel is when I recon it. I think the early climb will be painful and could create some splits. It’s hard to say if it’ll play in my favour or not. I’m sure there will be opportunities to make the race. With gravel, it’s all about staying at the front of the race. Trying to come back after being dropped is tricky, especially on the shorter courses. One of the biggest challenges will be working out the best bike setup. I think those who get it right will have a stronger advantage over those who don’t.”

“This race is going to be very different to any other gravel race I’ve done so far and is hard to predict how it’ll be raced. Firstly, we’re racing as a standalone women’s race. There is no influence of the men from the start, which you often have in many gravel races, unless you’re caught by some older age groups later in the race. Secondly, we have seasoned gravel racers mixed with MTB world champions and strong WWT road riders, and many others with different backgrounds. This is why it’s so difficult to know how it’ll be raced.”

“It will be a hard race, but will it be attacks and changes of speed, or will it be a constant high tempo. I believe it will come down to some sort of sprint, but from how many riders, that’s the question.”

“I’m going to give what I have and try to find a way to contest for the win or podium. How realistic that is, I’m not sure. I haven’t raced recently to see my form, but I will fight to the end and see what magic I can create.”

HOW TO FOLLOW

The UCI Gravel World Championships women’s race starts at 12:00CEST on Saturday, 8 October. A broadcast on GCN and Eurosport starts at 14:00CEST.

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