Wout fan Aert's hope to win the world title of Uci Gravel was wrecked during the race after a crash and a second mechanical problem left a few minutes behind the lead group.

Van Aalto was the big・name favorite of the 2nd edition of the Gravel World Championships in the Veneto region of northern Italy, hoping to finish the 2nd season in the Rainbow Jersey after a prestigious but ultimately frustrating 2nd place in the long series.

"In the gravel race, everything had to go well in terms of materials, and today it wasn't," Van Aert said, exhausted and bloodied after sitting on the road across the finish line and eventually being the new Gravel World champion and fellow road racer at 8:21. I explained that I came down to Sir Matej Mohoriş.

"I had an early problem with the saddle, but then crashed and even punctured. Crashes and punctures were my fault for being careless.

"When I punctured, I was not able to repair the tire immediately. Something was broken at the valve and I lost a lot of time for that. From there I was well down.

"I thought I would never stand in front again, but I didn't want to quit. I just rode at my own pace and rode from group to group.

The Jumbo Visma Rider was first attacked by Italian gravel fans when he came out of the team bus. He admitted he was nervous before the start, but was positioned in the front row of the start grid.

He was well placed after the opening lap of Lake Lubandi and was then part of an early selection of 25 riders. The first mechanical problem saw Van Aalto fall, but he chased back and was part of a group of 60 riders who passed the finish area at the Pieve di Soligo after 46km.

However, the 2nd problem was found to be more serious and take several minutes. At one point, it was reported that he was down at 9:00 in the front group and that his timing chip may have been damaged. However, Jumbo Visma confirmed that he had crashed and had a 2nd mechanical problem. The photo caught him repairing a front punk.

After 96km, after passing Pieve di Soligo for the 2nd time, Van Aert was in a small tracking group that timed out almost at 8:00. He took the Bidon from the Jumbo Vismasovanur and rode, but as with his 2023 racing season, his hopes for the world title are over.

Despite his problems, pain in his legs and his disappointment, van Aalto has promised to race more gravel, especially to the 2024 World Championships, which will be held in Belgium.

"It was still a great experience. I would certainly like to do it again. I really enjoyed it and I think it really suits me. Next year will be something really special with the World Cup in Belgium.”