2025 UCI Gravel World Series - everything you need to know
We take a look at 2025 and how to qualify for the Gravel World Championships.
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Gravel racing is having a huge impact on the sport, perhaps even almost much as mountain biking did 35 years ago – and that is a good thing.
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Although gravel racing under that particular name tag started in the US Mid-West and has very much spread its roots, wings and ideals there, racing bikes off-road for long distances is nothing new. Even the Tour de France could have been considered a marathon gravel stage race back in its youth, and “road” classics such as Paris-Roubaix have also been around for almost as long as the pneumatic tyre itself.
In some ways, some of these rough-cut great classic “road races” are not too far removed from the milder of their new gravel cousins in character.
2024 uci grav champs 4.jpg, by Liam Mercer
The UCI had teetered with trying to snatch the reins on this rebellious and growing sport for a while, although it has to be said that their fancy ways and old-school approach didn’t fit right well at first, and they still don’t sit sweetly with the dedicated US and endurance gravel crew – which is fair enough.
However, after that uphill start of 2022, the new UCI Gravel Word Series and Championship found itself in the capable hands of the Belgian-based Golazo Sports NV, who are also responsible for the UCI Gran Fondo World Series, and things have grown and sharpened up rapidly from there.
Although the events that now comprise the series are far from the ultra-long Wild West races and ideals that many hold, there’s little doubt that through its differing individual rounds, and with the chance of scoring prized age group start slot in the World Championships, the series, and the sport in with it is thriving.
2024 uci grav champs 1.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Getting to ride on the same course as Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel is something few could even have dreamt of a few years ago and the growing stature of the Gravel World Championships has made that possible for many out there. That scenario just doesn’t happen in other genres of bike racing – and long may it continue, although many faster age groupers at the recent World Championships would appreciate the start time gaps between the categories to be widened some to avoid inevitable catch-up bottlenecks.
From the bonny and gritty banks of Scotland through the remote and soggy forests of Wales, around the mesmerizing deserts of Namibia, to dodging the big five in Kenya, along the rolling outback wine trails of Australia, and along almost everything in between, the series has some amazing events and locations in place for 2025.
The grand finale, otherwise known as the World Championships, will take place in Nice in October (although that is common knowledge, the papers are seemingly not stamped fully as yet). Though you can take a gander at the potential terrain and similar routes in the Nice area, then check out the Monaco Gravel Race and their website route details, there are some hints in there.
How to qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships
There are Elite male and female races/categories at each round of the series, and at the World Championship, plus separate age group categories based on five-year increments between 19-84 years old (junior races are currently separate from the UCI World Series).
To qualify for the World Championship, you must finish within the top 25% in a single round of the series in your age group. This is based on the number of starters, not finishers, and the first three in all categories qualify no matter how big or small the field may be.
If you enter as an Elite rider, that is the category you need to qualify in during that particular event, so even if you are Elite and finish just out of the qualifying 25%, but are top of your age group, that does not give you entry to your age group qualification. In addition, there are National Gravel Champion slots and wild cards on offer, but they are basically for the top end of the Elite field.
2024 uci grav champs 2.jpg, by Liam Mercer
If you qualify for the World Championships, then you must hold a full UCI license issued by a National cycling federation, and day licenses do not count, and all Elite entrants or those registered with a UCI team must also hold a full UCI license. For all events, you also need adequate liability insurance, and the best way to get that is through your National Cycling Federation membership services. If you are intent on riding a few gravel races and on qualifying for the World Championship, it makes sense to get an annual racing license and insurance through membership of the likes of British Cycling (if you’re in the UK).
At present, there are no overall series standings, and we did contact Golazo for some intel, but sadly time was against us on that one.
Global qualifying events
As two series races have already happened since the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships, they counted as qualifiers for the 2025 title race slots.
The remainder of the rounds are all in 2025.
15/2/25 - Castellon Gravel Race, Spain.
9/3/25 – Gravel Brazil, Brazil.
23/3/25 -Turnhout Gravel, Belgium.
29/3/25 - 114 Gravel Race, Portugal.
6/4/25 – Worthersee Gravel, Austria.
20/4/25 - Monaco Gravel Race, France.
25/4/25 – Giro Sardegna Gravel, Italy.
26/4/25 – Highlands Gravel Classic, USA.
27/4/25 – Paris to Ancaster, Canada.
3/5/25 – The Ceder, South Africa.
10/5/24 – The Devils’ Cardigan, Australia.
11/5/25 – Gravel Fondo Limburg, Netherlands.
17/5/25 – Seven, Australia.
17/5/25 – The Gralloch, Scotland.
31/5/25 – 3RIDES Gravel Race, Belgium.
7/6/25 – Gravel Adventure, Poland.
14/6/25 – Gravel Challenge Blaavands Huk, Denmark.
14/6/24 – Safari Gravel Race, Kenya.
15/6/25 – Wish One Millau Grands Causses, France.
21/6/25 – Eislek Gravel Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
28/6/25 – Gravel Suisse, Switzerland.
6/7/25 – Hegau Gravel Festival, Germany.
12/7/25 – Gravel One Fifty, Netherlands.
16/8/25 – Gravel Grit’n Grind, Sweden.
23/8/25 – Monsterrando, Italy.
23/8/25 – Khomas100, Namibia.
6-7/9/25 – Graean Cymru, Wales.
13/9/25 – Mammoth TUFF, USA.
13/9/25 – 66 Degres Sud, France.
20/9/25 – Sea Otter Europe Girona, Spain.
5/10/25 – Legacy Gravel, Belgium.
17-18/10/25 – UCI Gravel World Championships, Nice, France (TBC).
The following two events take place after the 2025 World Championships, and so act as qualifiers for the 2026 title race.
26/10/25 – Gravelista, Australia.
1/11/25 – Dustman, Thailand.
The inside line – insights from Erwin Vervecken, manager of the GWS for Golazo
The GWS has had to learn fast and adapt. What have been the biggest learnings for the organisers since it started?
Erwin Vervecken; The major issue was the fast growth of the series in year 2, and then further this year. We had to think about a new starting procedure and role for call up at Worlds.
Gravel is growing in prominence with the big riders and teams. How is this impacting things, and where do you see that leading – is it approaching the stature to get the likes of Pogacar and Remco racing?
The top stars are mainly participating in the World Championships, and we would like to grow that number in future years – but we also see some riders appear in qualifiers, too (like Wout van Aert did in Houffa Gravel 2023 or Mohoric in Sea Otter Gravel 2024).
With the 2025 World Championship course in Nice being uphill, it would be great to see some stage race riders like Pogacar or Remco participating but it all depends on them and their teams.
The good thing is that the initial fear of crashes and dangerous situations appears to be going well (fading away).
Will we see any major changes in the organisation, approach and qualifying during the 2025 season?
We have been focusing on growing the series in the first three years. Initially mainly in Europe but gradually also in other continents, with the first event in Southern America and a new one in Asia, so covering all continents in 2025.
We are also happy to welcome a second US event this year, and it is our goal to grow the series further in the States and Canada. Other focuses in the upcoming years are to increase the qualifying events and evaluate the existing events and replace them with potential new events from professional organising companies.
On going global, it's good to see a Thai race in there. Are there plans or options to broaden the series globally?
We are also in talks with events in Japan, New Zealand and additional events on the American continent. In Europe, the focus now is on keeping the good events and increasing the qualify of the weaker ones.
The big US races, the long-distance gravel races – is there any chance or sight of bringing any of these into the series, can they co-exist?
We have never focused on 10-hour races. That was a decision made from the beginning. But there have been talks in the past with some of the big ones.
Will regulations from the UCI start to become more stringent going ahead?
We have a meeting scheduled end of November to evaluate and improve regulations.
The World Championship was a great race but many say it was not true gravel, and there were some words said about many of the Belgian 'Alpecin' riders working for MVDP. What are your feelings on this, and has it caused any rethinking for the future or is it simply bike racing?
You will always see some criticism on any course worldwide, but the general feedback from participants was that it was a great gravel course, although different from the typical US gravel races.
As for the strategy, many people see it as a national team World Championship, but there is no national team selection, only qualified riders who qualified in the UCI Gravel World Series events and wildcards for the top elites – which they got from their federation; but it’s not a national team. I’m still in favour of having national jerseys as it gives prestige to these World Championships.
