Gravel has a king, and his name is Gianni Vermeersch. Daniel Oss won a silver medal that didn't taste like defeat. A few meters from the finish line, he bowed his head and then raised it with the genuine smile of someone who knew he'd given his all for 190 kilometers. "I gave it my all," Oss said with satisfaction. I have no regrets. It's my first international medal. on an individual level and I'm happy like that."
Perfect temperature, thanks to a gentle autumn, also lightened by a fresh wind that accompanied the athletes without penalizing them from Vicenza to CittadellaDaniel and Gianni's escape has begun after just 40 kilometers and once the group behind had established a five-minute lead, they only thought about the bronze medal. Mathieu van der Poel, tried to organize the chase, but the dust of the Venetian dirt road did not allow a constant chase and he had to settle for bronzeCredit also goes to the Italian and Belgian national teams, who kept their lead intact by acting as pacers for the group.
The first medal
For Daniel Oss the first international medal arrived and even if it is silver in colour it has an important meaning after seasons of humble gragariato in TotalEnergies. Second place came after a 150-kilometer escape which made the World Cup a Mexican duel, with glances, sips from the water bottle and regular substitutions between the Italian and the Belgian.
«The day was beautiful – says Oss – thanks to this fantastic demonstration of a new event to be discovered. I was curious, I wanted to be there and it went well too. with the result. When Italy races, it wants to compete at its best, and today we did just that. The result was entirely a consequence of the way things were conducted."
Daniel threw in the towel and watched his World Championship dream vanish with five kilometers to go. A 43-second penalty in a World Championship on home soil.Gianni just accelerated at the most technical point – Daniel says – he interpreted it to the best. I was a bit with the I had cramps and was tiredIt's a format I like and I approve of it for the future. I hope it sets an example for future editions with more champions. If this is a test, it went very well and will pave the way for all the others."
A dream that comes true
Vermeersch, a Belgian talent capable of bringing out the best in himself on a highly technical course. In this Gravel World Championship, his approach to the sections and his consistently pushing himself to the limit have crowned him the best of the best in this discipline. His feel for his Canyon Ultimate CFR and his style were evident even on today's mostly flat but challenging course.
“I feel on cloud nine,” says Vermeersch. “It’s incredible for me. It was a dream for me to become world championI did it in the first edition dedicated to gravel and it has a truly special flavour."
The attack that earned the victory for the twenty-nine-year-old from Alpecin came right at the end, when the two-man finish seemed certain. Technique, clarity, and courage are the qualities that secured him the rainbow jersey.
«I knew that – says Gianni – the single track in the final circuit suited my characteristicsI did it all the way to the end of the sector and I managed to get a 50 meter gap on Daniel and I just thought about giving everything I had until the end."
Proud Pontoni
Yesterday a bronze, today a silver. Gold was missed, but on the faces of the staff and athletes, a smile shared by all is visible. This is also a sign that the honor given to the winners was given by virtue of the fact that Chiara Teocchi yesterday and Daniel Oss Today they gave their all.
"We played the game," Pontoni says, "the best we could. The boys were fantastic. It is a heavy and important silver also with a view to the futureToday we put some three in ten (7th De Marchi, 9th Ballerini, ed.) If we combine the two elite races for women and men I think we have achieved a important result».
«The Oss attack – he explains – was one of our planned variations during the day of competitions. So the timing was right, we the course went perfectly from the startThe Azzurri always ran in front, in the positions where it was important to be there. The team was commendable.
"We missed out on gold," Pontoni concludes, "but I think we should be satisfied; I'm very happy. I think that, combined with yesterday's bronze, we had a fantastic World Cup, approaching a discipline that we still know little about. As a coach, I'm happy with the choices I've made. I thank my staff because we have a competent, important staff that makes the kids feel at ease."
