Pauline Ferrand-Prevot wins inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships in dramatic fashion

Race favourite Pauline Ferrand-Prevot held her nerve to clinch the inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships in Veneto on Saturday.

After a gruelling 140km, the Frenchwoman pipped Sina Frei, of Switzerland, to the post in a time of 4:09:07 following a dramatic sprint finish.

The pair had dropped Italy’s Chiara Teocchi and Germany’s Jade Treffeisen inside the final 500 metres.

There were five Italian riders in the top 11, as Teocchi snatched bronze to complete the podium, 11 seconds behind the winner.

Remarkably, it’s Ferrand-Prevot’s fourth world title in just two months – she adds this win to a palmares that also has seen triumphs in cross country, short track and mountain bike marathon. In total, it is the multi-discipline star’s 10th elite world title.

The race was a thrilling one, but the best was saved to last. Tight corners had stalled Teocchi and Treffeisen’s momentum, leaving Prevot and Frei to battle it out for the crown.

The Swiss rider looked on course to take the victory, but Ferrand-Prevot’s quality shone through as she sped past her rival with 150 metres remaining to claim gold.

For Ferrand-Prevot – who made history in 2014/15 in becoming the first to simultaneously be world champion on road, in cyclo-cross and MTB racing – it’s another memorable day in a success-laden career.