The spirit of so-called gravel, the definition of that most obscure of concepts, seems to be entirely in the eye of the beholder, but the unspoken rules were certainly on display at the inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships, where Gianni Vermeersch (Belgium) took home the crown.

Mathieu Van Der Pol showed dexterity in all disciplines and took the rainbow jersey again in his first gravel race in Veneto.

Vermeer slipped away with about 150km to go with Daniel Oss (ITA), and the benefits of their alliance at the front were amplified by their combined interests at the back. The strong Italian team with Alessandro De Marchi and Davide Ballerini interfered with the chase whenever possible, and Vemesch's compatriot Greg Van Avermaert and trade teammate Van Der Pol never commanded the chase.

By the time Vermeer and Oss started the first of two laps of the finish lap around the Cittadella with 54 km to go, their lead was still over 5 minutes and the battle for the rainbow jersey was down to them.

Van der Pol, in the back, was now free to pursue a podium finish, and on the final lap he formed an elite group with Van Avermaert, De Marchi, and Magnascoat (Denmark). Only Van Avermaat caught up to Van der Pol on the short, muddy kick to the Cittadella, but the Dutchman was able to sprint away from Van Avermaat to take the bronze medal, 1:28 ahead of Vermeer.

"I think it was possible to win, but that was the race and it was tactical. Gianni Fermersch is not my countryman, but he is my teammate. For sure, I'm happy for him," van der Pol said after the awards ceremony. When those two left, it was obvious that no one wanted to go after them. When they left, it was also clear that no one was going to chase them. When they gained five minutes, I knew the race was over.

Van der Pol never seems to race on any terrain simply to make up the numbers, but after his struggles at the Road World Championships in Wollongong two weeks ago, his first race on gravel was sure to have an even bigger reaction.

The Dutchman, who was arrested the night before after an altercation with two teenage girls in his hotel, abandoned that race early on. He was convicted of general assault before leaving Australia, but his appeal is reportedly ongoing. The opportunity to race on gravel was undoubtedly a welcome distraction.

"It was good to have this goal after the Australian GP. I'm happy to have this goal after the Australian Grand Prix," van der Pol said.

"But I think I can be happy with my race."

At the start of the Campo Marzio in Vicenza, van der Poel switched to the same Alpecin de Tunink camper as Vermeer.

"I think it's especially cool to be part of this history. In a few years, it could be a big event. As for me, I just want to have fun."

On the eve of the race, gravel specialists complained that the initial starting grid order took into account UCI points for road, mountain bike, and cyclo-cross, but not UCI gravel series points. But with the presence of riders like Van der Pol, Van Avermaert, and Peter Sagan, this gravel race was going to be very different from the usual.

"It's hard to say, but I think it's good for the sport to have riders from so many other disciplines," Van der Pol said of the small uproar over the starting grid. 'I think it will help the sport grow. In a few years, it could become a really big discipline.

At Cittadella, 194km later, van der Pol was upbeat about his gravel debut. 'It's something between road racing and cyclo-cross, and I think it could be a good discipline in the future.'

Van der Pol, and new world champion Vermeersch, will also compete in the Serenissima Gravel on Friday. These are the only such races for professional road riders, but he admitted that given his prior commitments on the cyclocross, road, and mountain bike circuits, a foray into gravel is unlikely to become a regular thing. Nevertheless, he seems to like the idea.

"It's easier to fit a gravel bike into my schedule than a mountain bike race because I can take the same position on a gravel bike as I can on a road bike," he said. But there is a world champion on the team now, so maybe he will have to do it ......."