Abi comes in 15th in world gravel championships

TEAM GB cyclist and former RGS student Abi Smith has been enjoying national and international success in the new discipline of gravel cycling.

The 23-year-old English international was the first GB rider home in the 2025 Gravel World Championships in the Netherlands this month.

Abi said: “I’m really happy to end the season on such a high, giving me confidence and motivation going forward.”

Up against 122 competitors in the elite women’s category, she came in an impressive 15th place in the tough 131km race, which took four hours to complete.

Before that she won the national Gravel Time Trial championships at Dalby Forest, where she was crowned Gravel National TT Champion.

Gravel races take place on unsurfaced roads including gravel, cobbles, forest and farm tracks with a majority width of three meters.

Abi adds: “I’m happy to be feeling and racing like myself again; it’s been a long time since I’ve felt the thrill and joy of the race, I’m finding that buzz again."