We are late to the party, but the war stories we have been hearing for the last two weeks and the epic photos we saw have triggered us to write about The Hills. As mentioned in our preview piece, the event had everything a gravel enthusiast could ask for, and the expectations were high. The first edition of the only Gravel Earth Series event in Italy was for most the main goal of the first quarter, and despite the rain, everyone returned home willing to come back next year.
The Hills took place on the last weekend of March in the Veneto region of Italy. This area is well known for the picturesque Prosecco hills that give a name to the event. However, not quite picturesque this time, one might say, as the weather impacted the race heavily. Three days of rain created muddy and chaotic conditions on the course that presented a great challenge to the riders.
We all like to ride and race when the sun shines, but this situation was proof that gravel racing may be defined through a wide range of settings and conditions and can get unpredictable and exciting in so many ways. It was not simply patches of mud spread along the course, but a constant grind. A comparable event was Unbound 2023, but the “lucky” ones who raced both mentioned that fortunately the mud was not as sticky and the bikes could still roll properly.
The riders faced a 180 km course in which they accumulated around 2,500 meters of elevation. The climbs were steep but not as long as in the 2023 Gravel World Championships, which took place in the same region. Normally, the climbs would be the most challenging part, but given the slippery paths and low visibility due to the mud, the descents were what really tested the skills and resilience of the riders.
The women’s race was won by Morgan Aguirre from the PAS Racing team, becoming the most relevant achievement in the career of the American rider. During a big share of the race, the leading group consisted of six women, but the singletrack section created some decisive splits. Morgan crossed the line after 7 hours and 26 minutes of grind, which means that several riders faced the hard conditions for well over nine hours. Geerike Schreurs of SD Worx-Protime rode in second place for a large part of the race. She came into the race as one of the hot favorites, having just won the UCI Gravel World Series in Turnhout, Belgium. However, she was overtaken in one of the last steep hills by Debora Piana, who would end up finishing ahead of her.
Morgan Aguirre mentioned that The Hills felt like a long cyclocross race. Looking at the photos, we can’t deny that. Same as all participants, she didn’t know what to do with her glasses, as it was impossible to keep the lenses clean. She simply tried to open her eyes the least during the technical descents and hoped for the best, which ended up delivering her the best outcome.
In the men’s race, it was Toby Perry from Classified x Rose fueled by Foodmaker who landed the first win of the season for the team with a time of 6 hours and 14 minutes. He made the decisive attack 60 km from the finish and managed to hold on. Diego Rosa finished 2nd, two minutes behind. Third place went to Jasper Ockeloen as he held off Petr Vakoc and Filippo Conca, both within a minute from him.
The first impressions of the men’s winner after crossing the finish line were similar to the rest of the field. Toby said the race was extremely challenging, and it was almost impossible to recover at any point, as he had to stay in focus to keep his bike upright. If you see any photo of him with only one glove on, it is because he used the other one to remove the mud from his face and bike whenever he could.
One of the main incentives of The Hills was the after-party, which participants could enjoy once the rain stopped. Last summer, at the Enough Cycling Festival, we already checked firsthand that this fantastic group of like-minded people ride hard but party harder, so we are sure everyone finished the event on a high. The sun appeared one day later than desired, but the rainy conditions are the perfect excuse to sign up for the 2026 edition and ride the Prosecco hills in the weather conditions that Italy usually delights us with.
