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This past weekend marked our first race of the Gravel Earth Series, held in Sant Gregori (Girona), Spain, at the Santa Vall. Despite facing setbacks on the first day, Nicole Frain managed to secure a podium finish on the second day, placing sixth overall in the final standings.
Santa Vall is a true gravel classic and serves as a first gathering for all enthusiastic gravel riders. We participated with three riders in Girona: Daan Soete, Nicole Frain, and our newest team member, Aaron Van der Beken, who made his debut in the team’s colors.
Nicole experienced mechanical issues on the first day, forcing her into a long chase. She battled back successfully and, after riding solo for many kilometers, managed to claim an impressive sixth place. On the second day, she achieved a podium finish: “I learned from the previous day and thought I had just missed out on third at the line, but fortunately that wasn’t the case.” Nicole finished sixth overall in the standings.
Our male riders also competed. Aaron admitted to making a few mistakes but still managed a respectable 28th place on Saturday. Daan, returning to racing after a few weeks of rest following his cyclo-cross season, wasn’t yet in top form and finished 39th on Saturday.
On Sunday, Daan found his rhythm and secured a solid 12th place. Aaron made several steering errors and mentioned having too much air in his tires. He concluded with a 41st place in the second stage.
Meanwhile, our cyclo-cross riders were also in action this weekend. Joris finished fifth on Saturday at the Waaslandcross and competed for the win all day Sunday, ultimately settling for silver behind Michael Vanthourenhout. Next week, he will compete in Oostmalle. Felipe wrapped up his season in style, finishing seventh and sixth in his races, further proving the progress he has made this year.
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