Speed, strength, and diversity of amateur cycling showcased at 2024 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships
Following a year of qualifying events within the UCI Gran Fondo World Series, the finest riders converged in the Danish city, all vying for the coveted UCI Gran Fondo World Champion rainbow jersey, which took place in Aalborg, Denmark from August 29 to September 1 2024
The Championships marked the apex of months of global racing, spanning from Italy's Gran Fondo Matidilca in August 2023 to the Gran Fondo Isle of Man in Great Britain at the end of July 2024. The series included competitions in Australia, Indonesia, Brazil, Jordan, Cyprus, Croatia, the USA, and Costa Rica. These events provided cyclists the opportunity to qualify for the Denmark championship, attracting thousands to the roads once traversed by Jonas Vingegaard and where Emma Norsgaard twice claimed victory in the Danish National Championships individual time trial.
The 2024 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships saw action-packed days with the individual time trial and road races weaving through the Danish countryside.
Faster Time Trials
The time trials set a fiery pace on a 33.3km flat and picturesque course along the Limfjord, featuring only 127m of elevation. Belgium's Guillaume Seye achieved the quickest time across all categories (40'01'', averaging 49.66km/h) to defend his title in the Men 19-34 age group. Denmark's Johannes Rom Dahl leveraged his strength in familiar surroundings to secure the silver medal (+31'') in the same category, while Jari Verstraeten, another Belgian, recorded the third-best time, earning the rainbow jersey in the 35-39 age class.
Norway's Sonja Moi, at 46, was the swiftest female competitor, finishing in 45'09'' (44.02km/h). A reigning champion from the previous year, she hails from Stavanger, home to the professional and rising stars of the UCI Women’s WorldTeam Uno-X Mobility. The second-fastest woman was Sweden's Cecilia Hansen, who won the 40-44 class with a time of 45'31'', followed by Germany's Adelheid Schütz, who clinched the 50-54 age category, surpassing Molly Van Houweling of the USA, the former UCI Hour Record holder timed by Tissot, by 37 seconds.
A highlight of the day was the return of former elite road world champion Mario Cipollini (ITA), who added a World Champion title in the M55 category to his impressive cycling resume. In total, 23 UCI Gran Fondo World Champions triumphed in the time trials.
2024 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships Time Trial Winners
F19: Jessica Rhodes-Jones (GBR)
F35: Kimberly Miller (GER)
F40: Cecilia Hansen (SWE)
F45: Sonja Moi (NOR)
F50: Adelheid Schütz (GER)
F55: Elizabeth Foxx (USA)
F60: Karen Hviid Christensen (DEN)
F65: Linda Dewhurst (GBR)
F70: Monique Dagorn Brisseaud (FRA)
F75: Marie Francoise Fosse (FRA)
F80: Camilla Buchanan (USA)
M19: Guillaume Seye (BEL)
M35: Jari Verstraeten (BEL)
M40: Paul Kennedy (IRL)
M45: Matthew Ronald William Smith (GBR)
M50: Raul Patino Delgado (ESP)
M55: Mario Cipollini (ITA)
M60: Kevin Tye (GBR)
M65: Daniel Miquel (FRA)
M70: Christian Boeuve (FRA)
M75: André Petipas (FRA)
M80: Pierre Moreau (FRA)
M85: Petr Vatlach (CZE)
Team Relay Back
The field's depth and quality were further showcased in the team relay on Friday, which saw the crowning of UCI World Champions in this event for the first time. The Polish team, comprising Anna Witczak, Wojciech Szczepanik, Jakub Rucinski, and Maciej Rogulski, won the rainbow jersey with an average speed of 44.67 km/h over several laps of the 2.2km city centre circuit. Belgium secured the silver, and Czechia took home the bronze, with 26 teams participating.
Medio & Gran Fondo All Out Fight
On Sunday, the Medio Fondo (114km) and the Gran Fondo (152km) courses were the battlegrounds for riders.
Italy's Mattia Gaffuri demonstrated his prowess by breaking away from the peloton to secure a solo victory, clocking the fastest time in all categories: 3 hours, 28 minutes, and 56 seconds, with an impressive average speed of 43.91 km/h.
At the age of 25, Gaffuri, a member of the Swatt Club—an Italian team boasting hundreds of members—has been a Zwift Academy finalist, a silver medalist at the 2023 European Climbers Championships, and is now a UCI World Champion donning the rainbow jersey.
This year, twelve UCI Gran Fondo World Champions were crowned across the men's age classes, one more than in 2023, ranging from Gaffuri (19-34) to France's Michel Lacomme, who led the 85-89 class with an average speed of 28.5 km/h and a lead of 17 minutes and 4 seconds over the second-place finisher, Leon Malmed from the USA. France's Pierre Moreau (80-84) secured victories in both the time trial and Medio Fondo.
In the women's divisions, Great Britain's Linda Dewhurst (65-69) and the USA's Camilla Buchanan (80-84) each claimed two rainbow jerseys in Aalborg.
The quickest female time in the Gran Fondo was posted by the Dutch rider Arianna Pruisscher (19-34), who edged out her compatriot Maaike De Vries after 4 hours, 11 minutes, and 21 seconds of racing. Pruisscher, a dentist who also competes in speed skating, is a former member of the UCI Women’s Continental Team Stade Rochelais Charente-Maritime, now known as Winspace.
2024 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships Men's Winners
M19-34: Mattia Gaffuri (IT)
M35-39: Björn de Decker (BE)
M40-44: Roman Locher (CH)
M45-49: Akihiro Takaoka (JP)
M50-54: Nicola Loda (IT)
M55-59: Henrik Dann Andersen (DEN)
M60-64: Jørn Fjeldavlie (NOR)
M65-69: Ron Paffen (NL)
M70-74: Johann Taucher (AT)
M75-79: William Triolet (FR)
M80-84: Pierro Moreau (FR)
M85-89: Michel Lacomme (FR)
2024 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships Women's Winners
F19-34: Arianna Pruisscher (NL)
F35-39: Wies de Jong (NL)
F40-44: Daniela Gass (GER)
F45-49: Sofie Rosencrantz (SE)
F50-54: Anna Klaiber (CH)
F55-59: Annick van Leuven (BE)
F60-64: Olga Cappiello (IT)
F65-69: Linda Dewhurst (UK)
F70-74: Gisele Thureau (FR)
F80-84: Camilla Buchanon (US)