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Bak Klaris rode for Würtz Schmidt, then beat him in the sprint
Bak Klaris spent most of the day working for his Danish teammate Würtz Schmidt, closing attacks, until the four escaped in the final five kilometres. He then outsprinted Vermeersch, Swift and Würtz Schmidt, who slid out on a corner in the final kilometres and finished fourth. The first gravel specialist to take the title was the designated helper, not the designated winner.
Cyclingnews reports that the Danish team worked for Würtz Schmidt and that Bak Klaris did the day's chasing for him. Bak Klaris says of the finish: «"I usually don't have a really good sprint, so I just tried to find the wheel"» After the win he said: «"I can't believe it right now. It feels unreal right now,"» He had also said the podium was what he was thinking about. The early break of Pöstlberger, Young and Schulting was out for 117 km with a maximum gap of close to three minutes. Bak Klaris is a two-time Danish national gravel champion and won Gravel Grit 'n Grind at the end of September.
Sources
Gravel World Championships: Magnus Bak Klaris sprints to huge victory in thrilling elite men's raceThe gravel specialist gets it – A surprise win for Magnus Bak Klaris breaks domination of road pros on top step of Gravel World Championships podium2026 UCI Gravel World Championships: Vos repeats, Bak Klaris rises
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