Riders are gearing up around the globe for the 2026 edition of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series. Born in 2011, the series has grown to unprecedented heights, with a calendar of 32 events leading up to the 2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Niseko (Japan, 26–30 August), bringing these rainbow jersey battles for amateur riders to Asia for the first time after previous editions in Oceania and Europe.
Each event of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series offers riders the chance to qualify for the UCI Worlds, with spots awarded to those finishing in the top 25% of their age group. Last October, more than 2,000 riders from 58 countries participated in the rainbow jersey battles that were held on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road (Australia). A total of 40 different winners were crowned across the various races (individual time trial – ITT –, team relay and road race) and categories (male and female, with age groups ranging from 19-34 years, up to the 85-89 bracket).
How many will rise for glory in Japan?
Early qualifiers, from Italy to China
While the fiercest competitors and casual campaigners stormed the Great Ocean Road, others were already turning their attention to Japan and the 2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships. The first qualifiers for the 2026 edition were held in the second half of 2025, kicking off the campaign in Italy with benchmark events such as Granfondo Matildica (31 August) and The Tre Valli Varesine (4–5 October). Just two weeks after the rainbow jerseys were awarded in Australia, Gran Fondo Loutraki (2 November) made its debut in the UCI Gran Fondo World Series, with more than 300 riders taking to the Greek roads.
Likewise, before the turn of the year, amateurs took on the Gran Fondo Brasil (9 November), Granfondo Antalya (Turkey, 7–9 November), Granfondo La Guadeloupe (7 December), Granfondo Bogota (Colombia, 7 December), and the Gran Fondo Hainan (China, 12–14 December), bringing together thousands of riders and qualifying hundreds for the 2026 UCI World championships.
The race to Niseko is about to kick off again with the first UCI Grand Fondo World Series event of 2026, the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge (15 February), drawing some 1,700 participants to the United Arab Emirates. From that point, events will come thick and fast, with exciting new races joining well established ones to make for the most comprehensive calendar in the history of the series.
Epic mass participation challenges
Early in March, the Cape Town Cycle Tour (South Africa, 8 March) is set to make a spectacular debut in the UCI Gran Fondo World Series. Known as one of the world’s largest timed mass participation cycling events, it has brought together up to 35,000 riders in recent editions. Along the Cape Peninsula, participants will face a challenging course and will be rewarded with unforgettable memories of spectacular landscapes and shared moments of joy – the very essence of the UCI Grand Fondo World Series!
The European campaign will resume a couple of weeks later in Spain, at The Millars Gran Fondo (22 March), soon followed by Portugal’s Granfondo Leiria Region - Sico Lands (28-29 March) and the Granfondo Belgium (29 March), with a completely redesigned course around the scenic Lac de l’Eau d’Heure. New additions to the calendar include the Sudety Tour (9-10 May), the first-ever UCI Gran Fondo in Czechia; the Tour de Mátra (Hungary, 29-31 May); and the Tour de Fukushima (13-14 June), which replaces the Niseko Classic in the UCI Gran Fondo World Series to serve as a home qualifier for Japanese riders.
The action will be relentless, with new challenges such as the Granfondo Bulgaria (21 June), emblematic events across Europe, and additional stops in America: six events in April, another six in May, and six more in June before The Majestics (Switzerland, 10-11 July), the final qualifier ahead of the 2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships. The 2025-2026 season will then culminate in Niseko… But wheels will keep turning and dreams will continue to be chased, with 12 events already scheduled towards the end of 2026 as part of the campaign for the 2027 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships!