Carolin Schiff (Canyon CLLCTV) scored a decisive victory in the pro women’s category at The Rift over the weekend in Iceland while Simen Nordahl Svendsen (Konnerud IL) earned his first pro gravel victory in the pro men category.
For Schiff, it was her second win in the Gravel Earth Series since the opening round in Spain at The Traka 200. She crossed the line in Hvolsvöllur in 7 hours, 54 minutes, 50 seconds. Raylyn Nuss (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) dropped off the lead pace in the first 50km of the rugged 200km route and finished 19:07 back in second place. Serena Gordon (Sunnyside Sports) was third, another four and a half minutes behind the US rider.
“This was definitely one of the hardest gravel races I’ve done so far,” Schiff said on Instagram. “Had it on my bucket list since I discovered gravel racing. Beautiful and very special landscape combined with bumpy, stony and sandy roads. A lot crossings through icy rivers. A day I will remember.”
Nordahl Svendsen overcame a crash and had to outkick five other riders, including defending champion Nathan Haas (Colnago Castelli), to win the pro men’s division, finishing in a time of 6 hours, 57 minutes, 39 seconds. Taking second in the bunch sprint was 2022 Unbound champion Ivar Slik (Wilier Factory Racer). Paul Voss (Aut’Said) was third, just ahead of Ben Thomas and Gravel Earth Series points leader Mattia de Marchi. Haas crossed the line in sixth.
“With blisters in my hands and some small wounds after a crash, I was able to celebrate across the finish line after nearly 7 hours on the bike. What a day,” Nordahl Svendsen posted on Instagram.
The Rift, with its notorious course of black lava roads in the rugged highlands of Iceland, was the fifth of six races in the Gravel Earth Series, which culminates on September 16-17 with the Earth Final in Barcelona. Nordic Gravel Series Bergslagen is next up for the series, taking place in Sweden on August 12.
Amity Rockwell (Trek/PAS/Maurten/Schwalbe) of the United States, who won The Traka 360 and Migration Gravel, leads points for women in the series, with Nutt now second overall and Schiff tied for third with Annabel Fisher.
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Meanwhile, De Marchi leads the men’s division over Tobias Mørch and Nils Correvon, while Voss and Slik round out the top five.
Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast). Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France), and some mtb rides in Park City, Utah (USA).
