In Halmstad, Sweden, Mariëlle Trouwborst finished third yesterday in the three-day gravel race GravelGritnGrind. Femke Markus was dominant, winning all the stages. On Friday, there was a 17-kilometer time trial on a flat course with a final climb and technical section through sand and forest. Trouwborst finished sixth behind Markus.
The second day featured a 148-kilometer UCI Gravel World Series race with 1900 meters of elevation gain. The women’s peloton stayed together for a long time, thinning out somewhat after 55 kilometers. At 71 kilometers, the race really took off, with nine women breaking away. Besides Markus and Trouwborst, Wendy Oosterwoud was also part of this breakaway. This group broke away on one of the many steep climbs, leaving Oosterwoud and Trouwborst to chase. The leading group held on, and Markus won the sprint ahead of Nicole Frain and Irina Lützelschwab. Oosterwoud and Trouwborst finished seventh and ninth.
The most beautiful 98-kilometer route through forests and along water was on the program on the third day. Once again, the race got underway late, but ten women eventually managed to break away. On one of the final climbs, four women were left to sprint for the victory. Markus won by a wide margin, ahead of Frain, Hanna Nilsson, and Trouwborst. With her fourth-place finish, Trouwborst secured third place in the overall standings behind Markus and Frain.