The still relatively young discipline of gravel racing continues to gain traction. Following the success of the first two editions, the third season of the Trek UCI Gravel World Series is underway and will culminate in the 2024 Bolero UCI Gravel World Championships in Belgium. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland) and Matej Mohorič (Slovenia) are the reigning Elite UCI Gravel World Champions.
The proven concept of the Trek UCI Gravel World Series stays the same: UCI-sanctioned qualifier events are held around the world. Each race qualifies the top 25% in each age group for the Bolero UCI Gravel World Championships at the end of the season. In the Trek UCI Gravel World Series, amateur riders can compete as well as professionals, representing the inclusive spirit of gravel.
Calendar continues to grow
The series continues its trend of growth from 11 rounds in 2022, to 16 rounds in 2023, to 26 rounds in 2024. True gravel classics are once again returning to the calendar with events such as the Highlands Gravel Classic in Fayetteville (USA), the Wish One Millau Grands Causse in Millau (France), and La Monsterrato in Fubino (Italy), while simultaneously continuing to introduce new races and bringing the gravel scene all across the world.
Two events have already taken place: The inaugural European Gravel Championships were held on 1st October 2023 in Oud-Heverlee, Belgium, where Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands) and Jasper Stuyven (Belgium) secured the titles of European Champions. Four weeks later followed the Australian Gravelista race on 28th October 2023. Courtney Sherwell (Australia) was the first woman to finish, while Australian Gravel Champion Connor Sens was the fastest amongst the men.
The series returns this weekend, with the first race in 2024 being the Worthersee Gravel in Velden am Worthersee, Austria, on Sunday 7 April. After that, the opportunities to qualify for the Bolero UCI World Championships come thick and fast with a stacked calendar of events all over the globe.
The number of riders who will qualify for the 2024 Bolero UCI Gravel World Championships will once again be higher than in the previous year. As of now, after only the first two races, 79 women and 376 men are already qualified across all age groups.
Road and cyclo-cross stars competing alongside gravel racers
Looking at those riders who have already qualified for the 2024 Bolero UCI Gravel World Championships, some of the first names on the list are well known from other disciplines.
Tiffany Cromwell (Australia) was the first woman to cross the finish line at the European Championships. Although she could not claim the title due to her Australian nationality, she claimed the first ticket to the 2024 Bolero UCI World Championships. Dutch riders Lorena Wiebes and Fem van Empel followed closely in second and third over the line, placing them first and second in the European Championships respectively. Both are extremely successful in other disciplines, with Wiebes having one European title on the road to her name and Van Empel being a two-time European Champion as well as UCI Elite World Champion in cyclo-cross.
The first men to qualify are not any less known. Jasper Stuyven and Tim Merlier (both from Belgium) placed first and second in the European Championships. Both are names usually associated with the road cycling peloton, with Stuyven having won several prestigious one-day races, not least Milano–Sanremo in 2021. Merlier, meanwhile, is a two-time National Champion on the road. They’ll vie with gravel experts such as Australian Gravel Champion Connor Sens, who qualified by winning the Gravelista.
The real gravel action is only just beginning though, and upcoming events will see gravel specialists up against those coming from other disciplines.
Frenchman Julian Lino is excited to compete in the Trek UCI Gravel World Series, which strengthens the focus on the discipline in Europe. “In the US, gravel is a big part of cycling, but in Europe it was kind of a niche discipline,” he says. “Now, with the UCI World Series and the creation of the UCI World Championships, gravel is growing everywhere. This makes it easier to create access for everybody.”
2024 UCI Gravel World Series Calendar
01 October 2023: Bolero 2023 European Gravel Championships (Belgium)
28 October 2023: Gravelista (Australia)
07 April 2024: Worthersee Gravel (Austria)
20 April: La Indomable (Spain)
25 April: Giro Sardegna Gravel (Italy)
27 April: Swartberg 100 (South Africa)
27 April: Highlands Gravel Classic (USA)
28 April: Gravel Fondo Limburg (Netherlands)
11 May: Seven (Australia)
12 May: 3RIDES Gravel Race (Germany)
18 May: The Gralloch (United Kingdom)
01 June: Gravel Challenge Blaavands Huk (Denmark)
08 June: Gorilla Gravel (Rwanda)
15 June: Blue Mountains Gravel Fondo (Canada)
15 June: Safari Gravel Race (Kenya)
16 June: Wish One Millau Grands Causses (France)
30 June: Hegau Gravel Festival (Germany)
06 July: Gravel Suisse (Switzerland)
13 July: Gravel One Fifty (Netherlands)
20 July: Gravel Adventure (Poland)
17 August: Gravel Grit ’n Grind (Sweden)
24 August: Houffa Gravel (Belgium)
31 August: La Monsterrato (Italy)
08 September: Alpine Gravel Challenge (Switzerland)
21 September: Sea Otter Europe Girona (Spain)
22 September: Graean Cymru (United Kingdom)
05 & 06 October: 2024 Bolero UCI Gravel World Championships (Belgium)