Daan Soete and Nicole Frain deliver double victory for Ridley Racing Team at Sea Otter Europe

Sea Otter Europe turned into an outstanding weekend for the Ridley Racing Team! With wins by both Daan Soete and Nicole Frain, the team delivered a perfect performance in Catalonia.

Sea Otter Europe has become a classic on the calendar and attracted a strong field to Girona. Daan faced tough competition, including French champion Dorian Godon, teammate Stan Dewulf, Romain Bardet, and gravel specialist Petr Vakoč. After more than 100 kilometers, the race came down to a duel between Soete and Godon. In a strong finale, Daan came out on top and raised his arms in victory.

Nicole in top form

After her win at Houffa Gravel and a second place at 66 Degrés Sud, Nicole Frain started in Catalonia with confidence. She impressed on the hilly course and launched an attack together with Esmée Peperkamp. Her relentless pace proved decisive: no one could follow. Closest chaser Emile Morier finished just under six minutes behind. With this victory, Nicole secured the overall title and capped off a successful season.

Nicole: "I started the event highly motivated and admittedly a bit nervous. It was important to achieve a strong result, and I’m very pleased that it worked out. The course was challenging—hot, rough, and rocky—which are exactly the conditions I enjoy. Together with Esmée Peperkamp, I broke away early on the first climb. Midway through the lap, I found myself in the solo lead and focused on maintaining my rhythm and holding off the rest of the field. Being alone at the front has recently become my strength, and crossing the finish line solo was a fantastic feeling." It was also exciting to hear that my teammate Daan Soete secured the win in his race. It was an excellent day for the Ridley Racing Team."

Daan: "I started the opening climb at my own pace and found myself in a group that stayed consistently 20 to 30 seconds behind the front group. We could see them the whole time, which kept us motivated and working well together to close the gap. Once we made the catch, the road went straight back uphill. I couldn’t quite follow the best climbers, but I managed to limit the damage and close the gap again on the descents. On a long false-flat climb, I broke away with Hans Becking, and only the WorldTour riders (Dorian Godon, Stan Dewulf, Peter Vakoc, Romain Bardet) were able to come back to us. Later in the descent, I put them under pressure and only Godon and Becking were able to follow me down. Godon and I worked well together, and we rode the final 15 km as a duo. In the end, I managed to win the sprint."

With the double win in Girona, the Ridley Racing Team demonstrates once again its dominance and consistency in the international gravel scene.

Photos: AMJ Motorsport, Aurélien Coquil, Miquel Matas, Yana Kokhan, Zubiko Photo