Neefjes and Voß fastest at UCI 3RIDES gravel race In Achen, Germany

The 3RIDES gravel race In Achen, Germany, was the sixth round of the UCI Gravel World Series on Saturday

The 3RIDES event, one of 16 qualifiers for the UCI Gravel World Championships, took place on a demanding 18.5-kilometre circuit.

In the womens race, Tessa Neefjes (LIV Racing) out-sprinted Carolin Schiff in 4:07:00 to claim the women's title and UCI rainbow accented jersey.

The race was a course of 18.5 km with approx. 220 meters of elevation per lap. There were 7 laps with a total of 129.5km for pro/elite riders, men 19-59, women 19-49.

In the men's race Paul Voß (AUT'SAID) also won by the slimmest of margins, in a time of 3h 37m 13s with a one second lead ahead of Joris Nieuwenhuis (Baloise-Trek) in second and Daan Soete (Deschacht Hens Maes CX Team). in third.

"It was a super valuable win for me," said Neefjes to the press, "I thought I was going to finish second today - and then I caught Carolin on the last corner." Beforehand, Neefjes had not expected to win. "The field was super strong, so it was absolutely surprising for me today," Neefjes said. 

Current Gravel World Champion Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck), for pro Andre Greipel and former cyclocross world champion Erwin Vervecken, who helps organize up the UCI World Championships failed to finish.

Link to 2023 UCI 3RIDES Results: https://my.raceresult.com/244170/results