The early action opened with Australian Ella Bloor launching a daring solo raid with 120km to go, but the peloton kept her within reach before sweeping her up on the demanding Brockman climb.
That cresting selection splintered the field, leaving a select elite group of around 10 riders driving the pace at the 90km mark. Tiffany Cromwell was initially caught behind the split, but after a gritty chase to bridge back to the leaders, she immediately launched a bold counter-attack! Meanwhile, the race was shaken by a nasty crash on a descent involving A. Moolman-Pasio and G. Schreurs, with the Dutch rider bearing the worst of the impact.
On the punishing slopes of Ellis Creek Road, Cromwell's lead, which had built to over 1'30", was wiped out by a charging chase quintet featuring Vos, Hartog, Laing, Klöser and Magnaldi. They caught and dropped Cromwell, and with 40km remaining, the lead group expanded to eight as Frain, Serné, and Luetzelschwab bridged across.
A momentary lull on a paved sector allowed a few more chasers to regain contact, prompting another aggressive move from Cromwell. However, the race truly exploded inside the final 25km when Rosa Klöser launched a devastating attack. Only Marianne Vos could hold her wheel, and the duo quickly established a commanding lead out front that would not be pulled back.
The duel for the rainbow jersey came down to a heartbreaking moment just 3.5km from the line, when Klöser suffered a minor slide-out on a loose corner. That small mistake proved to be the decisive gap Marianne Vos needed, allowing the Dutch superstar to ride away solo and claim the second Gravel WC title of her glittering career! In what has been a challenging season for Vos, she once again proved her unmatched championship pedigree on the biggest stage.
Rosa Klöser remounted to secure a superb silver medal, while Larissa Hartog claimed bronze, edging out her Canyon x DT Swiss teammate Nele Laing in fourth. Italy's Erica Magnaldi delivered a strong ride to complete the top five!