The weekend promises to be busy as riders get three options to qualify for the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships.
Starting on Saturday, Gravel Challenge Blaavands Huk has 600 riders at the start spread over 11 start waves. The majority of them do 4 laps on a 32.5km loop totalling 130km while the men over 60 and women over 50 finish their race after 3 laps and 97.5 km on a completely flat and 81% gravel course near the beach on the westernmost point of Denmark. Amongst the favourites local riders Mads Wurtz Schmidt, winner in Belgium and Monaco this year and Magnus Bak Klaris, winner in Austria but also German Paul Voss. Female candidates are Annika Langvad, but also Wendy Oosterwoud and Tessa Neefjes, the actual number 2 and 4 in the series’ ranking.
Kenya will also host a UCI gravel event on Saturday in the Hell’s Gate national park in Naivashi. Safari Gravel Race has a 111km course with 1760m of climbing in between Kenyan wildlife and along the Pride Rock, The Lion’s King famous icon. A shorter 60km race for the older categories skips the second half of the course. Last year’s winner Hans Becking and Maddy Nutt will try to defend their title of last year, together with 434 participants from 30 countries.
Wish One Gravel in Millau in the French Grands Causses region (Aveyron) wil have 800 riders at the start representing 19 different nationalities battling on a hard and challenging 130km course through the military camp of Larzac and finish under the mythical Viaduc de Millau, the highest bridge in Europe. A shorter 80km course is available for the older categories. Famous riders at the start are former winners Niki Terpstra and Toby Perry but also Alexys Brunel and Petr Vakoc while Carolin Schiff and Axelle Dubau-Prevot are the female favourites.
