Gravel World Championships in Nannup: An Ardennes-style course on Australian gravel

​For the first time, the Gravel World Champion will be crowned outside Europe. The men’s elite field will cover 144 kilometres with 3,713 metres of elevation gain at the Gravel World Championships in Nannup, and the outcome is unlikely to be decided until the final stretch.

Whilst the road cycling professionals are competing in the Tour of Lombardy this weekend, a rainbow jersey will be up for grabs in Western Australia. The Gravel World Championships in Nannup are the first to be held outside Europe and the first to take place on the same course as a Gravel World Series qualifying race, the Seven Gravel Race. The men’s elite race starts on Sunday, 11 October, at 10.00 am local time; in Germany, it will then be 4.00 am.

The route for the men’s elite category at the Gravel World Championships

The relatively short course measures 144 kilometres, more than 80 per cent of which is unpaved. The route lies at altitudes of between 100 and 300 metres, and the climbs are short, steep and come in quick succession. Race director Stephen Gallagher compares the challenges to Liège–Bastogne–Liège. On the wide, hard-packed forest tracks with fine gravel, conditions can get fast in hot weather, but can also become quite slippery after a bit of rain.

After a relatively flat start, with nine kilometres of tarmac at the beginning, there follow 30 kilometres with 1,000 metres of elevation gain, including the Brockman (2.4 km, 8.2 per cent). In the middle section, the men’s race includes an additional loop featuring the Arcadia (2.7 km, 7.5 per cent), followed later by Ellis Creek (2 km, 9.1 per cent). There is no descent following either of these climbs, so the peloton is likely to shrink significantly here.

The final stage of the Gravel World Championships takes the riders back along the undulating tarmac from the start and then onto a 24.5-kilometre-long final loop around Nannup. Gallagher sees the first climb of this loop, around 20 kilometres from the finish, as one of the points where the race could be won or lost. The final hurdle is Lindsay Rd (2.4 km, 2.6 per cent), a long, straight stretch with an unobstructed view, just 3.5 kilometres from the finish. After that, the route continues on flat, wide tarmac towards the finish line.

The favourites

​Due to the long journey, there are only three WorldTour professionals on the start list in total. The The most prominent is defending champion Florian Vermeersch, whom his team, UAE Emirates-XRG, is sending to Australia at their own expense. The Belgian could become the first man to defend his world title, having already won one of the four Gravel World Championship rounds in 2022. He will be joined by Stan Dewulf (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Connor Swift (Netcompany Ineos).

The biggest threat to Vermeersch is likely to come from the gravel racing camp. Mads Würtz Schmidt (Denmark) is the European champion and won The Traka 360 and Unbound 200 in 2026. Keegan Swenson (USA) has claimed the overall victory in the Life Time Grand Prix three times, whilst Matt Beers (South Africa) brings a wealth of experience from off-road endurance races. All three are part of Specialized’s Off-Road team. At Gravel World Championships, the national teams exist only on paper, so brand interests could come into play. If the trio were to work together, it would be difficult for Vermeersch to keep them in check.

Added to this is a host of specialists who can capitalise on any gap. These include the national champions Daan Soete (Belgium) and Rick Ottema (Netherlands), Lukas Pöstlberger (Austria), the Czech Petr Vakoč and the former marathon world champion Henrique Avancini (Brazil). Felix Stehli (Switzerland), who finished fifth last year, is also in the line-up. Australia is fielding ten riders. However, Brendan Johnston, who won the Seven Gravel Race on the Gravel World Championships course, will not be there; he is competing in the Little Sugar MTB in the USA. Representing Germany at the start will be Jasper Britz, Luis Neff, Ole Theiler and Paul Voß. So far, all four men’s World Championship titles have gone to riders who are otherwise at home on the road. With more gravel, more elevation gain and fewer road professionals, Nannup has the best chance of breaking this trend.