Led by 20-year-old Kenyan Ivan Kipruto, the Black Mambas Development Squad swept the men’s podium at this year’s Migration Gravel Race, while Swedish gravel national champion Nathalie Eklund won the women’s division.
The four-day stage race, June 16-19, was the seventh stop of the Gravel Earth Series. Migration Gravel Race covered 650 kilometres of rugged, red clay roads and paths in the Maasai Mara wilderness of Kenya, with more than 8,000 metres of elevation gain.
Kipruto rocketed into the GC hunt on the queen stage, then secured a surprising overall victory on the fourth and final day, jumping past fellow Kenyan teammates Stanley Ngugi and Peterson Kamau, who finished second and third, respectively.
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It was a coming-out party for riders on the Team Amani development team, and first major gravel race victory for Kipruto, who earned a podium at the recent Safari Gravel Race.
“Stage 4 brought one final battle across the Maasai Mara, capping off an unforgettable week of racing on home roads. Throughout the race, the Black Mamba Development Squad animated the action,” the Black Mambas team wrote on social media.
“The Black Mamba Development Squad completed a remarkable sweep of the men’s overall podium—a testament to the talent, hard work, and belief that continues to drive the program forward. This race has always been about more than results. It’s about creating opportunities, inspiring the next generation, and showing that East African riders can compete with anyone in the world.”
Eklund, who started the year with the overall win at Sahara Desert in February, battled against Team Amani rider Claudette Nyirarukundo all four days on the rugged terrain. Just three days before the stage race, the 23-year-old Rwandan earned a career-defining victory at Safari Gravel Race, earning a berth at the UCI Gravel World Championships.
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Theresa Rindler-Bachl of Austria completed the podium for the pro women. On the men’s side, Francisco Moreira of Portugal was the first non-African rider in the men’s ranking, finishing seventh.
Axelle Dubau-Prevot (EF Education-Oatly) continues to command the women’s GES leaderboard with five top 10s from the first half of the season. Morgan Aguirre (PAS Racing) is second and Sophie Wright (Ribble Outliers) is third.
With a four-race sweep of wins, Mads Würtz Schmidt (Specialized Off-road) holds the men’s overall GES lead. Hugo Drechou (Gravel Nation) is second and Petr Vokoč (Factor Racing) sits third.
