UCI Gravel World Series to offer unique racing experiences in 2024

The UCI Trek World Gravel Series plans significant changes for 2024 compared to initial expectations. New races in Switzerland and Italy are added to the already planned events, bringing the total number of races (including the European and World Gravel Championships) to an impressive 25.

Published

1 year ago

4. 12. 2023

CykloRepublic

The UCI Gravel World Series plans significant changes for 2024 compared to initial expectations. New races in Switzerland and Italy are added to the already planned events, bringing the total number of races (including the European and World Gravel Championships) to an impressive 25.

The rules innovation also brings changes to allow the top 25 per cent of drivers in each category to compete in the UCI Gravel World Series. Organisers announce that a new minimum length of 40km applies to local circuits, with a new category for elite riders.

Sixteen races were originally scheduled for 2023, but the addition of the new events and this year’s European and World Championships, which also serve as qualifiers for the following year, opens up a much larger field for participation at the World Championships in Belgium in October 2024.

Gravel is experiencing growing popularity, which was evident during the UCI Gravel 2023 World Championships in Veneto, Italy last October. Hundreds of riders in different age groups competed for world titles in this unique race, which was held on the same course as the elite category, according to the official UCI Gravel World Series statement.

Many new events have already been added to the calendar for 2024. New events for next year include Wörthersee Gravel in Austria, the Hegau Gravel Festival in Germany, Brwydr Y Graean in Wales, Sea Otter Europe in Spain and the Safari Gravel Event in Naivasha, Kenya. Previous versions of the calendar also included races in Andorra and Kigali, but these are no longer part of the current series list.

With the latest announcement, more races have been added, including Gravel Suisse and the Giro Sardegna Gravel, which provides a second chance to qualify in Italy.

The first round of the series, serving as a qualifier for the 2024 World Championships, has already kicked off. In October, the Gravelista race was held in Beechworth, Australia, where Connor Sens and Courtney Sherwell took the win and became the series’ first leaders.

The series will now take a short break before the gravel races resume on April 7 in Wörthersee, Austria, and the final Sea Otter Europe qualifying round in Girona on September 21.

UCI 2024 World Gravel Series Calendar