On Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 October, the UCI Gravel World Championships will come to Flanders, Belgium, for the first time. The course, which is almost entirely on Flemish Brabant soil, starts in Halle and finishes in Leuven after a beautiful passage through the Forests of Brabant National Park.
After the first two editions in Italy’s Veneto region, Flanders will have the honour of hosting the third edition of the UCI Gravel World Championships on the first weekend of October. The Women Elite will compete for the rainbow jersey over a 133km course on Saturday 5 October. They will be followed on Sunday 6 October by the Men Elite, who will race over a 179km course. On both days, there will also be races for riders competing for the UCI world title in their respective age categories with men over 50 and women racing on Saturday while men 19-49 race with the elites on Sunday.
All races will start in Halle and finish in Leuven, which also hosted the finish of the road races at the centenary edition of the 2021 UCI Road World Championships in Flanders three years ago. Depending on the category, riders will conclude their ride with one or two more local laps in Leuven.
The course has parallels with the European & Belgian Gravel Championships that also took place in the province of Flemish Brabant last year featuring a passage through the Forests of Brabant. This area is a true paradise for those who love gravel roads, monumental trees and tough climbs on roads that cut deep into the landscape. The Forests of Brabant have been officially recognised as a National Park since 2023.
All categories start in Halle with a 12km loop around the city before heading towards Leuven for a first passage over the finish line after 86km with direct finish for men over 65 and women over 50. The other categories on Saturday will do one 47km loop around Leuven, the races on Sunday two 47km loops. Those local laps are very similar to the European Championships course of last season with an additional loop through the city. Total elevation varies from 800m for women elite on Saturday to 1200m for men elite on Sunday.
The finish in Leuven is on the renowned Bondgenotenlaan in the heart of the city with some urban gravel zones including a steep cobblestone climb, passage through the train station and the city park.
The full course details will be revealed later, but there is already a touristic variant launched here which is for 95% similar to what riders can expect during worlds without some private terrain and vulnerable zones which are not accessible until race day.
For more information : https://gravelchampionshipsflanders.com/en/
