UCI Gravel World Championships: road stars tamemaster the gravel races

The kings and queens of versatility

The experienced road stars Kasia Niewiadoma and Matej Mohorič changed terrain to claim the Elite titles in the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships, held a few days ago in Veneto, Italy. “The riders who are doing this are very complete riders”, explains Nathan Haas, a former Australian professional in road cycling who has been focusing on gravel for the past two years.

“It was my first gravel race”, Kasia Niewiadoma said on Saturday, after the Polish leader of the UCI Women’s WorldTeam Canyon//SRAM won the rainbow jersey in the Women Elite race. As for Slovenia’s Matej Mohorič, who claimed gold in the Men Elite race the following day, he claimed before the start: “I have never done a gravel race, but a lot of riding on that type of surface, so we’ll see”. What we did see was a great performance on the tricky roads and steep climbs in Veneto, overtaking the crown from another UCI WorldTour rider, Belgian Gianni Vermeersch, who won in 2022.

Gravel enthusiasts have developed a discipline and environment with a specific identity, and yet stars from the road peloton have dominated the first two editions of the UCI Gravel World Championships. “The riders who are doing this are very complete”, explains Australian Nathan Haas. “You’re not getting someone who’s just pushing watts per kilo, you’re actually getting someone like Matej Mohorič who is one of the most skilled riders on the bike”, he adds.

The kings and queens of versatility

The UCI Gravel World Champions shine all year long in international road events but a closer look at their backgrounds tells a much richer story. Mohorič began with mountain bike. “I went on the road because a friend of mine did it”, he recalls. His predecessor Gianni Vermeersch grew up with cyclo-cross, a discipline in which Mathieu van der Poel (bronze medallist at the 2022 UCI Gravel World Championships) and Wout van Aert (8th at the event in 2023) have developed their versatility. Among the female stars, the first UCI Gravel World Championships was won by French Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, “the princess of versatility”, according to Haas, who considers Marianne Vos to be “the queen” in this field, but nonetheless admires Ferrand-Prévot’s approach and achievements: “She’s absolutely incredible for the sport. For me, when she comes to a gravel race, I fully expect her to win. She’s one of the biggest talents in the world but she doesn’t want to limit herself to just one discipline. We saw that last year when she won multiple titles in different disciplines [gravel, mountain bike cross-country Olympic, mountain bike cross-country short track and mountain bike cross-country marathon]. Crowned in 2023, Niewiadomą focuses on road racing throughout the year, but has been able to make up for her lack of off-road experience thanks to her entourage. “I had so much support from Canyon and SRAM to prepare for today, and also from Tiffany [Cromwell, one of her teammates, who races both road and gravel] who answered many of my questions before the race. This win feels so amazing and I’m really grateful for everyone who helped”, she explained straight after her victory.

“There's so much to learn”

“I asked Tiff for tips and tricks a long time before the UCI World Championships”, Niewiadoma said, confirming that one doesn’t improvise gravel racing. “She shared with me her knowledge regarding equipment and right gearing. Plus, the importance of tyre choice and pressure. She explained the difference between road racing and gravel racing when it comes to the effort we put in.” Her raw talent and the support she received brought Niewiadoma her first rainbow jersey as well as her first victory since a stage of the 2019 OVO Energy Women's Tour (road). At the UCI Gravel World Championships, she dominated Italian Silvia Persico, who is used to shine on the road and in cyclo-cross, and Dutch Demi Vollering, unstoppable this year in the UCI Women's WorldTour. "I don't think any road race I've done has been as difficult as today," the Dutch star assured on Saturday.

“There's so much learning”, Nathan Haas rounds off. “You’re on your own, and that’s not just an illusion. You can be super super strong, but if you don’t know how to ride the bike on the technical sections, you’re probably gonna break it, have a flat tyre or crash, which immediately takes you out of the race. And if you don’t know how to fix your bike, you’re not even coming home. It is a very independent sport, which I love, but this is the challenge for many when they first discover gravel."