Pöstlberger Claims Maiden Gralloch Win; SchreursBecomes First Repeat Champion

Austrian rider takes solo victory in men’s race; Dutch rider becomes first to win The Gralloch twice.
GATEHOUSE OF FLEET, SCOTLAND. Lukas Pöstlberger (Rose Racing Circle) and Geerike Schreurs (Specialized Off-Road) won the Gravelking UCI Gravel World Series race at The Gralloch today, racing across the gravel tracks and forest roads of the Galloway Forest Park in front of thousands of spectators.
Schreurs became the first rider to win the event twice, while Pöstlberger took a maiden Gralloch title to cap a strong run of recent form. Cool conditions and fast surfaces set the tone for aggressive racing across both fields. A deep international entry list, drawing riders from across Europe, the UK and North America, met one of the hardest courses on the Gravelking UCI Gravel World Series calendar, with thousands more racing across age group categories on the same route.

Men’s race
The men’s race split early. Pöstlberger, Jenson Young (Ribble Outliers Gravel Racing Team) and Michael Woods (Ventum Racing) went clear over Fuffock Hill, and inside the opening 30 kilometres the trio had built a commanding 90-second lead over a chase group featuring Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Benjamin Perry (Guava X Castelli S.O.G) and a strong cast of contenders. The move held through the central sectors of the route, taking in a punchy climb up Slaughter Hill and a testing effort
across Raiders Road.
Heading into the final gravel sectors, Young suffered a run of punctures at the worst possible moment, watching Pöstlberger ride clear towards a solo finish. With Vandeputte closing on the horizon, the fight for second briefly looked open, but Young’s quick fixes preserved his place on the second step of the podium.
A four-way battle through the Red Bull Flying 400 and the run in to Gatehouse of Fleet saw Vandeputte secure the final podium spot ahead of Tobias Mørch Kongstad (PAS Racing), Perry and Tom Martin (Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli).

Women’s race
The women’s race ran from its own standalone start, ensuring fair and unimpeded racing across the field. Reigning UCI Elite Women champion Tessa Neefjes (Liv Racing Collective) lined up against 2024 winner Geerike Schreurs (Specialized Off-Road), alongside Karolina Migon (PAS Racing),
Danielle Shrosbree (Rapha Cycling Club), Paris-Roubaix winner Alison Jackson (St Michel-Préférence Home-Auber93), Jana Gigele (Scott Offroad Racing), Sophie Wright (Ribble Outliers Gravel Racing Team) and Wendy Oosterwoud (PAS Racing).

The race opened with a move on Fuffock Hill from Schreurs, Migon, Oosterwoud and Shrosbree, who quickly built a 48-second gap. The four held together through the middle of the route despite repeated attempts to break clear. At the halfway point, Schreurs and Migon pressed on, opening a 64-second lead that carried them past Loch Grannoch and down through the Big Water of Fleet viaduct.

Neck and neck on the approach to Gatehouse of Fleet, Schreurs launched a decisive move on the short incline towards Garries Park. She crossed the line first to claim her second Gralloch title, becoming the first repeat champion in the event’s history.

Behind, a hard-fought battle for the final podium step unfolded between Shrosbree, who had seen her Gralloch hopes denied multiple times in previous editions, and Oosterwoud. Shrosbree came agonisingly close, but Oosterwoud held on to take third, completing a podium double for the PAS Racing team.