2025 UCI Gravel World Championships

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Wow!
I read the Cycling News piece on why many American riders are skipping Worlds.
I have no reason to question the numbers used in the story, even for me the numbers blew me away.. @$400 for USA kit?
Plane tickets and other stuff shouldered by the rider.. With all the rah rah Merica, Merica patriotic cheerleading and the federation can't find a sponsor for half dozen-8 racers?
Amazon is running low on money? Facebook, Google, dozens of American companies are swimming in cash. USA Cycling can't get it together,
the CN side by side comparison is brutal..
What Lifetime is offering is a little too attractive to blow your budget. It's sort of ugly that LTGP and UCI( USACycling) couldn't coordinate schedule so our best American riders didn't have to choose between domestic race series and once a year event. It's a heartbreaking story.
It's sounds like the whole enchilada could be paid for @100,000-$125,000 ..and with political push and some extra flag stuff, stars and stripes stuff maybe a one time tax deduction.. And I think that USACycling is a 5013C..most teams are..

She stole my line "...bike path world champs" I want writing credit!

I can completely understand why many US racers don't bother. Like I said above, course too short, and missing other elements present in US gravel events.

 

[RedheadDane]

Okay, looking at the startlist, I can kinda divide the riders into three categories:

1. Those I recognise as active riders.
2. Those I don't recognise.
3. Those that make me go "Huuuh... weren't you retired?"

For example; Bardet is in Group 1; he made it rather clear that he wasn't retiring after his road career, he was just switching to gravel.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

It's the same weekend as the final XC World Cup as well..........so the top XC racers can't be there (though the Olympic champion will be there).

In my opinion, the Gravel Worlds are far too 'road focused' and we get what is basically a Road race, but off-road. Not very technical to sort the skilled from unskilled......so it becomes a watts contest. Not what off-road racing is supposed to be about.......

 

[Barkintheeye]

Elite men start list #1-25
1 Thomas Pidcock GBR 2 Mathijs Loman NED 3 Petr Vakoč CZE 4 Tim Merlier BEL 5 Niels Vandeputte BEL 6 Toon Aerts BEL 7 Florian Vermeersch BEL 8 Mads Würtz Schmidt DEN 9 Kevin Panhuyzen BEL10 Felix Stehli SUI11 Tibor Del Grosso NED12 Laurens Sweeck BEL13 Quinten Hermans BEL14 Adne Koster NED15 Tim Wellens BEL16 Romain Bardet FRA17 Daan Soete BEL18 Wout Alleman BEL19 Hugo Drechou FRA20 Daan Grosemans BEL21 Magnus Bak Klaris DEN22 Lukas Malezsewski BEL23 Gianni Vermeersch BEL24 Matej Mohoric SLO25 Emiel Verstrynge BEL

I'm cheering for Mohoric but I would put my money on Florian V!

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Okay, looking at the startlist, I can kinda divide the riders into three categories:

1. Those I recognise as active riders.
2. Those I don't recognise.
3. Those that make me go "Huuuh... weren't you retired?"

For example; Bardet is in Group 1; he made it rather clear that he wasn't retiring after his road career, he was just switching to gravel.

Hoping to see him at Unbound!!

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Tom Pidcock and Rosa Klöser FTW...or Puck, that would be great too.

I may not like the race because I think it's too tame, but I'm still watching.

But this is the 2nd tier of gravel IMO. Make it a separate discipline, rather than a race Pro Tour riders show up once and win.

 

[hayneplane]

Are there any notable gravel specialists we should be looking out for or is it just the roadies with cross and MTB experience that will be favoured such as Pidcock and Del Grosso.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

So, we have all "admired" the teamwork ability of Dutch women's national teams on several occasions. Is Kasper's win inevitable from a group of 5?

Or will the chasing group catch up, and the Dutch take places 4-12?

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Yah, this is a road race with some bumpy roads thrown in

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Weibes gonna be gravel WC...what a joke.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

I know it is far from the first time it has happened, but if there is that degree of riding for trade teams while in national kit, and instructing riders to races against the interests of riders that are racing for the same team as you on the day, then the whole principle of national teams must come under question.

 

[memyselfandI]

Watched recon video. Looked gravel route to me, easy one but it's gravel. It's not bike packing route. Could have been more climbing but it's always the competitors that make the race.

Surprisingly low average speed in the womens race now as I look results.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

If it had been a Road race, then I understand people not liking Wiebes et al chasing down Van Androoij.......However, it's an off-road event, and while you're in national team kit, you usually ride for yourself.

 

[theyoungest]

If it had been a Road race, then I understand people not liking Wiebes et al chasing down Van Androoij.......However, it's an off-road event, and while you're in national team kit, you usually ride for yourself.

But clearly Kopecky wasn't riding for herself. She was riding for her SD Worx teammate Wiebes.

I thought the race was fairly entertaining, but the course was ridiculous. It looked more like my regular commute to work than like a gravel race. Too many bike paths, too many towns. You can't do a gravel world championships in the Netherlands.

 

[memyselfandI]

107 USA athletes racing today and tomorrow in Limburg. Someone's got money for racing overseas even if LDC did not, no?

Interesting performance in women 19-34 winner Elise Serné, time 3.58.20 same as WE #4, proficiat.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Started watching, saw Vos and Weibes break away, thoguht it was over. Left for a ride. Got back, watched the replay and saw Shirin break away, and was hopeful to see her win...then stabbed in the back by her own national teammate, and the worst possible winner of the day, won. More intertaining than Il Lobaridia, by far, but still a crap ending.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

But clearly Kopecky wasn't riding for herself. She was riding for her SD Worx teammate Wiebes.

I thought the race was fairly entertaining, but the course was ridiculous. It looked more like my regular commute to work than like a gravel race. Too many bike paths, too many towns. You can't do a gravel world championships in the Netherlands.

All of this.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

107 USA athletes racing today and tomorrow in Limburg. Someone's got money for racing overseas even if LDC did not, no?

Interesting performance in women 19-34 winner Elise Serné, time 3.58.20 same as WE #4, proficiat.

Yeah, the individual riders themselves. USA cycling probably gave then some chamois cream, and some dry chain lube.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Watched recon video. Looked gravel route to me, easy one but it's gravel. It's not bike packing route. Could have been more climbing but it's always the competitors that make the race.

Surprisingly low average speed in the womens race now as I look results.

I don't know where you bikepack, but where I bikepack, the routes are FAR harder than that course.

 

[memyselfandI]

I don't, I'm not into it at slightest.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

I don't, I'm not into it at slightest.

I live in the mountains in northern california, and we have some specatular bikepacking routes here. I always loved to hike and camp, and I love bikepacking even more.

There are a lot of old gold mining roads and trails to ride to alpine lakes, etc. Lots of elevation on chunky routes. It's fantastic. They're also great gravel rides.

 

[Barkintheeye]

But clearly Kopecky wasn't riding for herself. She was riding for her SD Worx teammate Wiebes.

I thought the race was fairly entertaining, but the course was ridiculous. It looked more like my regular commute to work than like a gravel race. Too many bike paths, too many towns. You can't do a gravel world championships in the Netherlands.

I guess it's a bit like CX courses. If lots of rain the course gets muddy, technical and difficult. If dry, then not so much. Still, if one didn't race it oneself it's hard to tell how difficult it really was.

Not all too impressive speed by the elite women coming in about at the same speed as M55 age group but I suppose they didn't need to go faster.

 

[RedheadDane]

Is it just me, or are some of the teams... I don't know how to put this... uhm... slightly... overpowered?

 

[HashRouge]

Can anyone tell me where I can watch it? I have a VPN, but not sure where it's showing.

 

[memyselfandI]

I live in the mountains in northern california, and we have some specatular bikepacking routes here. I always loved to hike and camp, and I love bikepacking even more.

There are a lot of old gold mining roads and trails to ride to alpine lakes, etc. Lots of elevation on chunky routes. It's fantastic. They're also great gravel rides.

I see what you mean. Personally grew out pretty much from any sort of backpacking stuff doing lotsa, more than enough, hunting and hiking around that hobby with my dad, as a kid and young man. Small amount of day long hikes with my wife acceptable and enjoyable but that's about it.

Always have looked for enough speed, danger, tolerable risk taking in cycling that way. Maybe that's the reason why I left mtb and took roadie/cx/gravel life instead, as racing tracks that time were super slow and technical. I was still good at them, but absolutely hated that slow wrestling.

In that way rideable +- 40mm routes get more upvote from me, than needs at least 50mm routes maybe coud benefit front suspension.