Proven on the World Stage: Ribble Outliers at the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships
The UCI Gravel World Championships brought the curtain down on an incredible season for the Ribble Outliers. Across two days in South Limburg, the racing was fierce, the crowds electric, and our riders emptied the tank in GB colours, giving it their all representing their country.
How the Racing Unfolded
Women – Dutch dominance
South Limburg served up a high-speed Worlds, 131km of just relentless, short, steep ramps. Two-and-a-half laps from Beek, then a hilly run into Maastricht.
The pace was full gas from the gun. A wall of orange commanded the front, with the Dutch marshalling numbers and tempo. Sophie was neatly tucked into the first group for the first two laps before splits began to bite. Attacks pinged and then came a dangerous move with Kasper flanked by Vos, Wiebes, Rijnbeek, and Gerritse gaining seconds while a quality chase tried to organise.
This held until the final 35km, when accelerations thinned the lead. Vos and Wiebes briefly prised clear before regrouping. With 12km to go, Shirin van Anrooij launched a searing solo on tarmac, forcing non-Dutch riders to chase. She was only reeled in on the final straight when Wiebes and Vos opened the taps. Lorena Wiebes sprinted to the rainbow, ahead of Marianne Vos and Silvia Persico, with the Netherlands locking out four of the top five and seven of the top ten.
Sophie fought hard throughout the day, starting and holding onto breaks throughout the race. Fighting hard to the line, she came in as part of what remained of the peloton, putting up a sprint at the line to secure 17th. Hayley also battled well throughout, picking off riders in the final 15km as her pacing paid off, finishing strong.
Men – A winning long-range move
The men faced 181km with three-and-a-half circuits of twisty gravel and farm tracks before the final 18km into the finish.
After early skirmishes and a reduced bunch, a strong break with Florian Vermeersch, Floris Van Tricht and Frits Biesterbos established daylight. The chase see-sawed behind, with accelerations from Matej Mohorič, Tom Pidcock, and a Belgian armada — but cohesion never fully formed. In wooded gravel with ~18km to go, Vermeersch attacked decisively, dropping Biesterbos and ploughing on solo. He held his gap to Maastricht to claim the rainbow jersey with a perfectly timed, diesel-powered move.
Ben finished in what remained of the peloton, pushing and battling hard all day to cap off a strong performance. Closely followed by Harry , wrapping up a very strong first season in gravel. Metheven and Jenson followed closely behind, missing some of the bigger moves of the day but fighting their way back through the field to finish in a good position in a competitive field.
Outliers Results & Reactions
Sophie Wright - 17th, best pure gravel rider
“Fast, left, right, up, down, road peloton type racing, like Amstel Gold but on gravel! If you’re not moving up, you’re moving back.”
Sophie rode herself into the race after lap one, animated the chase for 13th, and even tried a late counter. She sprinted for 17th, first non-WorldTour “pure gravel” finisher, capping a superb debut Worlds.
“I coached myself around the course, broke it down into chunks… In the sprint for 13th place, I finished 17th, and best pure gravel racer.”
Hayley Simmonds - resilience on a punchy course
“I was pretty apprehensive going into the race this year… but I wanted to race and try to give it my all, it was a world championship after all!”
Despite September fatigue and a course that rewarded repeated punches, Hayley rode hard solo and in small groups, picking off rivals to the line.
“I’m proud that I never eased off or lost motivation… Looking forward to a solid winter and a healthy 2026.”
Harry Tanfield — full gas to P75
“From the flag drop it was carnage… It was like a road race on gravel.”
After early chaos and position losses into the first sector, Harry settled into a roaring chase, crowd-lifted on every climb. He made the key split in the finale and won his group sprint for 75th.
“Plenty of happy hardcore Dutch tunes to keep the motivation high… No regrets.”
Metheven Bond — top half finish after mid-race mech
“The start was absolute chaos… A stick found its way into my cassette.”
Gridded deep, Metheven fought forward before a stick jam forced a stop. He reset, then rode a committed four-hour chase with a quality group (including Niki Terpstra), finishing in the top half of the 270-strong elite field.
“The result wasn’t the main goal… The Worlds was just the cherry on top. Bring on 2026!”
Jenson Young — learning on the world stage
“The last race of the season didn’t disappoint! A great weekend at the World Championships to round off what’s been a great first season for me and the Ribble Outliers team.”
Jenson spent Saturday preparing for his race and supporting the women’s squad, soaking up the atmosphere and crowds that lined the course across both days. Heading into the race with an open mind after a hectic September, fatigue set in early, but he fought on to the finish, determined to take in every moment of his final race of the year.
“Early on into the race I knew my legs weren’t there… I struggled taking in fuel and eventually ended up suffering and dropping a lot of places. I made it to the finish trying to take it all in and enjoy the last race of the season! The support from the team at the World Championships and throughout the season has been great.”
Season, Signed Off
From British and European podiums to the Gravel Earth Series and Worlds, the Outliers have raced, learned, and levelled up across continents. The ULTRA-GRIT platform has been proven in the white heat of competition, and the community around us has grown with every start line.
ULTRA-GRIT
The Outliers’ weapon of choice for this season has been ULTRA-GRIT. Built for the demands of elite gravel racing, combining aero shaping, lightweight carbon construction and race-tuned geometry. Fast on the straights, sharp through corners and ruthlessly efficient under pressure, it’s the complete package trusted by the Ribble Outliers from technical singletrack to relentless climbs – and ready to deliver the same race-proven performance on your next ride.
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