Another consistent performance from Aaron in Ranxo Gravel

This past weekend, it was time for the big season finale of the Gravel Earth Series. Our riders headed over to Ponts in Catalonia for this prestigious event where all the big hitters from the gravel scene were present.

Credits: Roger Salanova, Ranxo Gravel & Gravel Earth Series

However, the build up to the race hasn’t been the smoothest. On Wednesday, Nicole Frain got sick and also Daan Soete picked up a cold in the past week. In consultation with the team, both decided that it’s better to skip this race.

Was left for Ridley Racing Team: Aaron Van Der Beken. Our young gun is in his first gravel season and he made great strides throughout the year. In his first months, he was progressing race after race with a great 22nd position at Unbound as a highlight. After the little post Unbound break, Aaron has been achieving strong results with four top 10 finishes and he was eager to add another top 10 in Catalonia.

In Ranxo Gravel, the riders had to tackle 160 kilometres and 2000 meters of altitude. Straight after the start, there was a steep 5 kilometre climb which immediately caused some explosions in the peloton. A group of 10 riders managed to break away but Aaron decided to follow his own pacing for the first bit of the race. This strategy gave him the possibility to really start pushing after the climb and pick up a lot of riders.

Another important aspect of gravel racing is to get the feeding right. In Ranxo Gravel, there was only one feed station so we saw different strategies. Some riders opted for a camelbag, Aaron chose for two big bottles of 1 liter. Disadvantage from this strategy is that you can lose a bottle in rocky downhills and that’s exactly what happened. Luckily, he did catch new bottles at the feed zone and he could continue his chase to the front of the race.

Credits: Roger Salanova, Ranxo Gravel & Gravel Earth Series

Aaron was joined in this chase by Mattia De Marchi. Mattia is a legend of the sport and the two of them worked very good together during the last 60k of the race. In the battle for the win, we saw a great battle between Magnus Bak and Wout Alleman, with the latter clearing the final sprint. In the mean time, Aaron and Mattia raced for fifth and sixt position and Mattia just edged out Aaron in their final push.

Next weekend, cyclocross makes it return and Joris Nieuwenhuis and Felipe Orts will start their competition in Meulebeke. Our gravel squad won't race in the upcoming weekend and they fully focus on the World Championship Gravel in South-Limburg on 11 and 12 October.

What is Gravel Earth Series?

The Gravel Earth Series are a string of events that are held over the whole world and have a primary focus of connecting cyclists, nature and culture. The races are held in the most beautiful landscapes which makes it a unique experience for the riders.

In addition, there is also a classification attached. Over a minimum of four mandatory races, the four best results are counted towards the ranking. This season's winners are Magnus Bak and Rosa Klöser. Aaron finished the Gravel Earth Series in 20th position. Daan and Nicole lose their ranking because they didn't complete Ranxo Gravel.