2024 gravel worlds preview: Can MvdP score another rainbow

On Saturday and Sunday, the 2024 UCI gravel worlds go down in Leuven, Belgium, and are set to feature some fantastic racing.

Saturday will see these categories racing: women elite, men 50-54, men 55-59, men 60-64, men 65+, women 19-34, women 35-39, women 40-44, women 45-49, women 50+.

And on the following day, the categories racing are: men elite, men 19-34, men 35-39, men 40-44, men 45-49. Several stars from road cycling and mountain biking will headline the third edition of the UCI gravel worlds.

A strong elite men’s and women’s field

Reigning men’s champion Matej Mohorič from Slovenia will be in attendance after recovering from a hand injury. However, Poland’s Katarzyna “Kasia” Niewiadoma will not defend her women’s title, having opted to end her season early.

Other confirmed male competitors include 2023 road world champion Mathieu van der Poel, who finished third in 2022. Also, Rio 2016 road gold medallist Greg van Avermaet will be there along with London 2012 MTB champion Jaroslav Kulhavý. The women’s field is equally impressive, featuring recently crowned world road champion Lotte Kopecky, versatile Dutch riders Puck Pieterse and Marianne Vos Paris 2024 MTB gold medallist Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, a former winner in 2022 will also be there.

Team Canada at the 2024 UCI gravel worlds

There will be several Canadians racing as well. In the elite women’s race, Anna Gabrielle Traxler, Alison Jackson, Devon Clarke, Lucy Hempstead, Katja Verkerk, and Kaitlyn Rauwerda will be wearing the red and white.

In the elite men’s event, Canada’s Ben Perry and Theo De Groote will be representing Canada in the nearly 300-strong field.

Both the elite women’s (134 km) and men’s (181 km) races will take place in Belgium’s Flemish region.  They start in Halle and finishing in Leuven. Both courses will take competitors through the Forests of Brabant, with most of the route featuring gravel, cobblestone, and unpaved surfaces. The women’s elite race is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 5, at 6:00 AM EDT. The men’s elite race will follow on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 6:00 AM EDT.

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